Symphonie Espagnole / Poeme for Violin & Orchestra

Siberia, usually associated with ice and prison camps, has recently taken up a new export: violin prodigies. One of these is Vadim Repin, now 27 years old, and he is certainly fabulous. His technical virtuosity is stunning and effortless, his facility unlimited; this tempts him to favor extremely fast tempi that sometimes become hectic, but the runs are always crystal-clear. Equally striking is his tone: radiant, warm, and ravishingly beautiful; it is pure in every register, on every string, under all circumstances, and capable of a great variety of nuance and inflection. All this formidable instrumental equipment serves the expressive demands of the music. Creating and changing moods with natural poise, he gives every movement of the Lalo its own character, playing with charm, mischievousness, humor, wistful nostalgia, somber inwardness, intensity, fire. The Chausson projects a fine blend of impressionistic languor and passionate abandon; the Ravel is a brilliant romp with idiomatic gypsy flair. The orchestra supplies bursts of color and supports him well, but the tutti passages are often so loud that it is wise to keep a finger on the volume button. --Edith Eisler