Joshua Bell - Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto (2005/2013) [Hi-Res]

Familiarity usually breeds contempt, but in music, overexposure most often leads to indifference: attempts to revive a tired warhorse like Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major may attract the attention of specialists, but jaded listeners are unlikely to get excited over yet another acclaimed release and may pass it by without a thought. But when Joshua Bell performs – nay, resuscitates – the concerto, with the superb backing of Michael Tilson Thomas and the Berlin Philharmonic, listeners should take notice. Granted, nothing new has been discovered in the score, and there's nothing especially revelatory about the restored cuts in the Finale, which Bell finds significant. However, because he favors the most lyrical passages, particularly in his gorgeously soulful interpretation of the Canzonetta, and puts less emphasis on the flashy elements (note his tendresse in, of all places, the cadenza), this concerto actually breathes again, and Bell and Tilson Thomas have given it a new lease on life in this enthusiastically received concert recording. For filler, Bell provides what Tchaikovsky originally intended to be the concerto's slow movement, the Méditation in D minor, as orchestrated by Glazunov, and the "Danse russe" from Swan Lake, which is one of the more concerto-like selections from the ballet. And this particular catalog number includes the Sérénade mélancolique as a bonus track. This album offers exceptionally realistic depth and almost palpable presence. Review by Blair Sanderson