Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto; Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole

The first face was no surprise to me: he was the whole reason why I had stayed that afternoon. The second, however, suddenly had the presence to raise my heartbeat two-fold it seemed, not because of a small heart attack, but because this friendly individual was arguably the most famous instrumentalist living today.

With eager excitement, I soon ran up to the auditorium of the Royal Festival Hall, where the rehearsal was taking place, and with the innate discipline that was so subtly though clearly obvious in comparison to Mackerras, Antonio Pappano began the music-making. I knew all along that Antonio was making a CD, but I had no idea of what, nor did I know that I would have the enormous privilege of seeing Maxim Vengerov make what was already expected to be one of the great recordings of the year. Of course, I wasted no time, and having gained permission from the Maestro and the orchestra, I made bloody sure I was going to the following week's recording sessions over at Air Studios.

Both are just there to make music. Unlike most soloists, with his remarkably down-to-earth nature, Vengerov never seemed the dominant role in the sessions. It was as though they were colleagues of equal status just doing a job to the best of their ability. For example, in the slow movement of the Saint-Saëns, Pappano briefly brings the attentive soloist to one side and points out the shape of a particular phrase, as well as the appropriate articulation and tone needed: Vengerov is quick to apologize to the orchestra. Actually, he apologized quite a lot that day, and I, along with the orchestra and everybody else just couldn't understand how such fabulous player could be so humble. It was as though he believed that not only Pappano to be his twin, but the orchestra as well. It was fascinating stuff: so refreshing for me, especially when one sees so much pretension within the music world.

To add, this disc of well-known French delights was made on a far superior musical level to anything I've seen before. And it really shows. Unlike most recordings, the orchestra has a very noticeable role. The strings of the Philharmonia make, I believe, the best sound of any British orchestra and this, along with the ensemble's unique ability to react so responsively to Pappano's direction, gives the recording that rare, extra dimension which makes it so good.

Vengerov's technical prowess means that he can always play the difficult pieces (such as the Ravel) with the typical character and flare which he is so famous for. For those who think it's all just an act, it's not. Trust me...this guy knows exactly what he's doing: both Pappano and Vengerov have thought about every single note. (The 'show' that Vengerov's charisma demands, is only a result of what the music demands). This is a record composed of some fantastic repertoire, made by fantastic musicians. Buy it.

20th Nov 2003

I am afraid I will have to eat my words! yet again Maxim Vengerov has produced a stunning recording - the Lalo-Symphonie Espagnole is superb, with sweeps of emotion and amazing technical control.... and the Ravel - Tzigane ...well what can I say - its amazing pyrotechnics and superb ability. I wish I knew how he managed some of the sounds he produces!

Maxim Vengerov is able to bring an incredeble intensity and depth of emotion to his violin and his technical brilliance is unsurpassed (in my opinion).

If you are a fan of Vengerov's playing (like me) this will be an automatic addition to your collection; if you are a classical violin music lover its essential... and if you have never tried classical music before - you could do worse than to start with this!!!