There's just one real violin concerto here: the one written for Joseph Joachim, which that great violinist protectively secreted away, believing the work to be the product of a composer of declining powers. It's coupled with the Phantasie, which Joachim did actually perform, and a violin arrangement of the Cello Concerto. All three works are treacherous for performers. They function like meandering narratives, and the more you make of the detail, the more the trajectory of the whole is likely to go off-target. John Storgårds isn't afraid to emphasise the chunky thickness in Schumann's scoring, nor is Baibe Skride inclined to rein in her virtuoso instincts. There are lovely moments, but the centre doesn't quite hold. url.ie/6f5v
Schumann: Violin Concertos; Phantasie Op 131 –Baiba Skride (violin), Danish National SO/John Storgårds
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