Dalene’s freshness, vitality and interpretative charisma [in the Tchaikovsky] swept me along…If anything, the Barber is finer still, perhaps the closest anyone has yet come (at least on disc) to the gold standard of Isaac Stern and the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein…Dalene plays throughout with an engaging flair, command and emotional range remarkable from such a young player…This is one of the finest violin debuts of the last decade.

It’s an event when a young musician appears and is immediately recognized as a mature artist. Everything is so finished in Dalene’s playing that nothing feels left out. I’m more than a bit astonished and look forward to seeing what he achieves in the future. As it is, this is a remarkable debut disc.

From the shaping of his solo entrance in the Tchaikovsky alone there’s a ‘presence’ about Johan Dalene’s playing that announces a musician of special sensibilities… the most striking thing about this young Swedish player is the complete absence of showiness or indeed any sense of virtuosity on display… The Barber really suits Dalene… it is testament to a maturity way beyond his years that he comes close to breaking your heart with it.

A new, young virtuoso shines in an unusual coupling.

Likeable debut recording from a promising young violinist