Lisa Batiashvili's native Georgia straddles East and West, historically tossed between Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Ottoman and Russian empires. This seems relevant to Batiashvilli's quite exceptional performances. She gives an oriental colour and a kind of mystical yearning to these pieces. Her Shostakovich is inspired by her encounters with Kanchelli, Part and Gubaidulina's sacrificial sound world. These composers from the borderlands of the former USSR inform her reading of the Russian Shostakovich and bring out the oriental aspect of his work. This is apparent in her seeming suspension of time in a work that has so may moments of forward impetus. What a pity that DG should market her as one more sexy woman string player, featuring her photo and name while not even mentioning the composers on the front of the box. That said, Batiashvilli gives a new edge to the term 'soloist' as her violin evokes a sense of lonely desolation that makes this a unique interpretation.