A Brahms recording bursting with life

Vadim Repin’s interpretation of Brahms’s Violin Concerto is so full of vitality that it will have you jumping for joy

Composer:  Brahms
Repertoire: Violin Concerto; Double Concerto
Artists: Vadim Repin (vln), Truls Mørk (vlc), Leipzig Gewandhaus/Chailly
Rating:  5/5
Genre: Instrumental
Label: DG 477 7470

The Leipzig Gewandhaus premiered Brahms’s Violin Concerto in 1879, and this interpretation shouts ‘Special Relationship’: lucid orchestral textures, a bright Classical sound edged with Romantic velvety depth, and an infectious Bohemian spirit which, in the final movement, is enough to have you on your feet. Then, when Repin bursts through for his first entry, what a moment. Aside from his sweet tone and easy virtuosity, the sheer gypsy vitality and young-hero impatience of it are beyond superlatives. The double concerto with Truls Mørk is another winner, with the two musicians’ intonation and general approaches to the music impeccably matched.