Anthony Marwood, Lawrence Power; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov - Britten: Violin Concerto; Double Concerto; Lachrymae (2012)

The youthful Violin Concerto, with it's mix of anguished lyricism and changeability of mood, nods to both Berg and Prokofiev - but the result is entirely personal. Marwood is joined by star violist Lawrence Power for the still earlier Double Concerto, which is impressive above all for it's precocious confidence.

Marwood and his viola colleague Lawrence Power prove to be the most outgoing soloists on disc so far there is an extra spontaneity here that helps give this youthful music a welcome lift. --Gramophone

What [Marwood and Volkov] bring out is the emotional power behind the undeniable charm, something that a violinist with Marwood's great technical skill and apparent connection to the work brings off with great success... The lyric passages are gorgeous but rightly strung tight, the contrasting, more conflicted, passages sweep across the lyricism with eloquent severity. Volkov and his orchestra are full partners in taking this modernist view of the music, but the violinist is the story here. He literally commands the emotional power of this music to come forth. --Positive Feedback