Nemanja Radulović - Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto, Rococo Variations (2017) CD-Rip

Nemanja Radulovic takes on Tchaikovsky for his second Deutsche Grammophon release, promising a personal approach to one of the warhorses of the repertory, the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35. The album's most unusual feature is the full-scale reworking of the Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, recast here for viola, string ensemble, and piano by Radulovic collaborator Yvan Cassar and played by the violinist's (or here, violist's) own Double Sens ensemble. It's rare to do this with a major Tchaikovsky work, and the "personal" aspect seems overstated (Radulovic's sisters were cellists, and the young Nemanja heard them practicing the work). This said, Cassar executed a difficult commission well, and the reduced forces bring out new details in this proto-neoclassic, Mozartian work. As for the violin concerto, which Radulovic has played many times, the personal aspect is merely that he was introduced to the work by his French teacher, Patrice Fontanarosa. He certainly has the technical chops for the work, but labors to introduce distinctive features into his reading, offering an unusually light treatment of the opening theme (you might start sampling at the beginning) and holding back in other respects before the virtuoso fireworks start. Toward the end he fools with the articulation for no clearly defined reason. Throughout, the interpretation satisfies the charismatic aims of this young musician, as does the backing from the predominantly youthful Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra under Sascha Goetzel. Recommended.