Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto - Jennifer Pike/CBSO/Edward Gardner

Classic FM Album of the Week, commencing 4 January after 10am.

For this superb new recording of orchestral works by Mendelssohn – the latest in Chandos's Mendelssohn in Birmingham series – the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with their principal guest conductor Edward Gardner are joined by the violinist Jennifer Pike.

She performs the Violin Concerto in E minor, the piece that launched her career 13 years ago when she became the youngest-ever winner of the Young Musician of the Year competition.

Pike's lyrical performance clearly demonstrates that she has been performing this piece for many years. Her phrasing shows she knows this work inside out and has discovered all of its ethereal subtlety and beauty.

This recording also includes the Incidental Music for A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which once again the CBSO under Edward Gardner showcase their affinity for Mendelssohn's music.