nothing seems to disturb the silvery poise and subtle expressiveness Midori draws from her 1734 Guarnerius violin...The Festival Strings Lucerne – which, despite its title includes the full complement of winds and timpani – respond with precision and warmth under the direction of their leader Daniel Dodds...Listeners will have their own favourite recording of the concerto from the many dozens of contrasting great performances released over the last century, but this one is highly recommendable.

Midori displays old-fashioned star quality without pushing herself forward at the expense of musical values. Her effortless performance of the Kreisler cadenza reminded me of her innate talents. I’ll admit to a little surprise at how musically she phrases the cadenza. I didn’t expect such variety and imagination. The Larghetto is sensitively phrased, again with a lovely purity of tone.