"The high point of this fine recording is the Sibelius concerto, in particular the first movement. Shaham tears into the notes with thrilling immediacy, and you can hear the Sinopoli and the Philharmonia ignite with the same enthusiasm, racing along with the soloist. Shaham's tone is richly colored, with the earthiness of "digging into" the instrument. (Compare this with Anne-Sofie Mutter's equally captivating performance, where she creates a sinuous, almost icy tone and a very different atmosphere.) The recording quality is DG at its best, full of detail and depth. Listen to the beautiful, aching first statement of the violin in the Sibelius and you will at once be transfixed. And that's only the beginning."
Simply amazing
J. Ng | Boston, MA | 05/27/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Though I purchased this album primarily for Gil Shaham's rendition of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, I quickly became hooked on the Sibelius even though I was never a big fan of it.
An understatement for Shaham's Tchaikovsky is exhilerating. Many say that he takes the tempo for the last movement of this piece too quickly, but I feel that as a listener, it really makes you jump up and scream in delight! The orchestra and Shaham keep bouncing back and forth, pushing and pushing until the piece ends off and you find yourself before you know it at Shaham's personal website looking up when his next concert date is.Simply amazing."
Personal Favorites
David Adams | 07/20/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In my opinion, Shaham's versions of these two concertos are the best available in modern, digital sound. Granted, there have been many other fine interpretations in the past, with Oistrakh's being one of my favorites. Shaham plays these works with a power and intensity that is simply unmatched by other current virtuosos."
Shaham has mastered both concertos completely -- bravo!
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/06/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Violinists are stuck parading five big concertos around the world (Beethove, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius), so they can be excused for performing them in the rote fashion we are used to from Itzhak Perlamn lately. Here, Gil Shaham has turned his back on anything rote, giving us masterful, original, totally committed readings of the Sibelius and Tchaikovsky concertos.
Putting Shaham close to the mikes makes his sound larger than life, which is quite thrilling given his superhuman accuracy. In concert his tone isn't exceptionally large; it's sweet and smooth, incapable of an ugly note. Those qualities come out in DG's excellent recording. Like his contemporary Joshua Bell, Shaham views the Sibelius as an inward work. He is a solitary singer against a lonely, romantic northern landscape. Sinopoli supports this approach with symphonic depth in the orchestral part. The Philharmonia is captured in gorgeous sound. Tempos are fairly slow, phrasing quite thougtful, the overall result a performance that stands at the same hieght as a Sibelius symphony, a rare occurence in the concerto.
The Tchaikovsky is performed more overtly as the violinist's show, but it too has nothing routine about it. Shaham sees the work as serious music, and again Sinopoli obliges with depth of expression in the orchestra. I'm not sure the approach works as well this time--the Tchaikovsky is more fun in the hands of a high-wire showman like Heifetz. In every other way this performance is first-rate, a worthy sidebar to the superlative Sibelius."