This release, fronted by violinist Nemanja Radulovic, is one of the most riveting violin recitals that I have heard in some time. Aged just twenty-three, Serbian-born Radulovic has already made a name for himself across Europe, the Spanish newspaper Levante praising him as 'a great young man, thin, curly black hair, a costume of the same colour: difficult to know whether he is a rock star or not, but easy to say that he is one of the future great violins, he is indeed already a great one.' The disc contains some favourites from the violin repertoire: Kreisler’s Praeludium & Allegro, Liebesleid and Schon Rosmarin interspersed with Vitali’s sumptuous Chaconne in G minor, Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir d’un lieu cher and Tartini’s Sonata in G minor (The Devil’s Trill). Appealingly, whilst the disc contains some of the showiest pieces written for the instrument, the selection here is balanced and thought out. And so, for example, whilst Schubert’s Rondo in A major may have a lower profile in the show-biz stakes, it fits in perfectly. Adding to the overall charm, the accompanying ensemble (consisting of string quartet and double bass) has used its own arrangements of Sarasate’s Romanza andaluza and Kreisler’s Schon Rosmarin. Part of the attraction of this CD is most certainly the crispness of playing; Radulovic has a consistent virtuosic quality to his performance and also has an impressive breadth to his tone, ranging from the delicacy found in Tchaikovsky’s Melodie to the passion displayed during Wieniawski’s Legend. Tartini’s devilish sonata sounds assured and dramatic in Radulovic’s hands. Recorded live, the sparkle that one might expect is present throughout in abundance. Thankfully the extremely appreciative audience has been edited out of the recordings until the last two, encore-style items. Quite simply, this is a splendid disc that I (for one) will not be tiring of any time soon!

Reviewed by Ruth Squire