Title: amazing violinism, but just a bit too fast for my liking
Product review: Ashtonishing virtuosity is once again on show here from Gil Shaham, and the end result is very impressive. However, this performance of the D major concerto is just not to my taste. I feel that Abbado and Shaham play just a little too quickly, which robs this concerto of some of its poise, grace and power. Just listen to the orchestral ritornello, one does not get the sense of nobility and strength that I believe is one of the cornerstones of the first movement. Similarly, I think that the adagio loses its beautiful contemplative nature owing to the fast speed to which it is driven. However, it would be churlish to dismiss the recording, but in terms of making the very strongest case for this wonderful work, I would point listeners to Milstein/Steinberg, Mutter/Karajan (preferable to her remake with Masur) or Vengerov/Barenboim.
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