Vadim Repin, Kent Nagano, Hallé Orchestra - Shostakovich, Prokofiev: Violin Concertos (1995)

Novosibirsk, population 1.4 million, is the third largest city in Russia, yet it remains amazing that Novosibersk should turn out two world-class violin virtuosos in Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin. Between them, Vengerov emerged as a superstar, or perhaps one should say emerged first, since Repin continues to rise, having earned a spot as an exclusive artist on DG, while Vengerov injured his shoulder in 2007 and subsequently gave up the violin. He now conducts and teaches -- a great loss.

Repin was unlucky in the timing of this Shostakovich-Prokofiev pairing in 1996, only a year after Vengerov won wide acclaim and numerous awards in the same repertoire. The baby-faced cover photo belies Repin's actual age at the time, which was 25. The Shostakovich First comes as second nature to Russian violinists, all of whom stand in the shadow of Oistrakh's great recordings (the work was written for him). Vengerov came closer than most to achieving Oistrakh's grandeur and rock-like integrity, particularly in the long solo cadenza that bridges the Passacaglia and the Burlesque. In their review the Gramophone said that Repin's approach was less Russian because it avoided "rhetorical overkill," and that he emphasized the work's chamber-music quality. to me, this is grasping at straws. this reading is large-scaled and ambitious, impeccably played and full of feeling as well as detail. It would be hard to choose between the two violinists, and had Vengerov not grabbed the spotlight, Repin's account would have been celebrated. Kent Nagano conducts the Halle Orch. forcefully -- if not with the same passion as Rostropovich for Vengerov -- and Erato's sound is first-rate. This work has joined the standard concerto repertoire for every big-name violinist, but one is reminded that the Russians still hold pride of ownership. In a pinch, I would choose Vengerov in modern sound and Oistrah with Mravinsky, the classic recording but in very un-modern sound.

Repin's pairing is the popular Prokofiev Cto. #2, which is as sweet and lyrical as the Romeo and Juliet ballet, which it closely resembles. Here Repin makes a more elegant show than Vengerov (in recent years his playing has moved even more in that direction), so the charisma quotient isn't as high. The Gramophone reviewer was a bit disappointed, but on its own terms this is a refined and beautiful reading, particularly in the finale, where Repind refuses to stomp his feet and yet achieves great force. Nagano's conducting could be more persuasive in the earlier two movements; it's certainly good, however. In all, this CD has been overlooked, but it stands out for execution and musicianship, as well as for recorded sound. What more can one ask for?