Nemanja Radulović: Prokofiev album review – thrills and spills from a fearless violin virtuoso
(Warner Classics)Radulović/Philharmonia/Rouvali/Favre-Kahn/DaleneRadulović brings irresistible swagger to selections from Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella, while a more restrained duet fosters a fine sense of dialogueThere’s a daredevil freshness about Nemanja Radulović’s...
By Clive Paget · The Guardian Culture
(Warner Classics) Radulović/Philharmonia/Rouvali/Favre-Kahn/Dalene Radulović brings irresistible swagger to selections from Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella, while a more restrained duet fosters a fine sense of dialogue There’s a daredevil freshness about Nemanja Radulović ’s playing that makes this generously filled disc of Prokofiev particularly rewarding. Over 86 minutes, he tackles the Second Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia under Santtu-Matias Rouvali , a pair of underperformed sonatas and a clutch of original works and transcriptions with pianist Laure Favre-Kahn . The concerto receives a subtle, supportive reading from Rouvali, who is happy to play second fiddle to the star turn. Radulović plunges in, his audacious attack and intonational high-wire act almost upsetting the applecart in the oompah-pah finale. The same fearless commitment pays dividends elsewhere: in the jaunty Heifetz arrangement of the Gavotte from the Classical Symphony, for example, or in the spiky march from The Love for Three Oranges. Continue reading...