This fantastic recording is easily one of the finest violin albums of the last decade. Maxim Vengerov, arguably the greatest living violinist, masterminded this nostalgic homage to the Russian tradition of classical bonbons and encores arranged for violin orchestra. The 11-member Russian-Israeli group Virtuosi, pianist Vag Papian, and Vengerov play with breathtaking sweep and spirit. The 15 familiar pieces on this disc are either original transcriptions by Heifetz and Joachim, or arranged by Virtuosi’s leader Mikhail Parhamovsky. The Virtuosi members are all soloists in their own right, so the level of playing is high and emotional in the best Russian-Jewish tradition. The program includes irresistible hits like Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, Ponce’s Estrelita, Brahms’s Hungarian Dances, Dvorak’s Humoresque in G flat major, Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir d’un lieu cher, Katchaturian’s Saber Dance (with stamping and whistling), and Massenet’s Méditation from Thaïs. Vengerov is breathtaking in showpieces like Novacek’s “Perpetuum Nobile” and Bazzini’s “La Ronde des Lutins”, but also heart-rendingly sweet in Schubert’s “Ave Maria”. His astonishing bird calls in Monti’s “Csárdás” elicit spontaneous applause from the audience in Vienna’s Grosser Musikvereinsaal, where the live recording was made last April. The glorious recorded sound is both detailed and radiant. There is no extraneous audience noise, not even a cough. Notes in English, German, and French. Philip Anson

Listen to sample / écouter des extraits

1	Rachmaninov: Vocalise
2	Ponce: Estrellita
3	Brahms: Hungarian Dance no. 7 in A major
4	Brahms: Hungarian Dance no. 1 in G minor
5	Brahms: Hungarian Dance no. 5 in G minor