Midori, Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado - Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto op. 35 / Shostakovich: Violin Concerto no. 1 (1998) [SACD]

It's amazing how far virtuosity has come in just a little over a century. Here is the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, a work that no less than Leopold Auer declared unplayable when it first appeared. Here, Midori makes easy work of it. Hearing her play this piece is like watching a television commercial for a sports car; one cannot help but be awed by anything that goes from zero to 90 in an instant. And the violinist's tone is deep and lush throughout. For those who perceive emotional depth in this work, however, Midori's interpretation may disappoint. Certainly that goes for the Shostakovich featured here, a work which for all its substance nevertheless comes across as tepid and directionless.