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Title: Shaham's Playing Is Impeccable
Review: Gil Shaham plays his violin more cleanly than many violinists out there. And he doesn't sacrifice virtuosity or lyricism to get that beautiful tone. In this particular concerto (and two rhapsodys), Shaham turns in an incredible performance equaling the great recordings of the past in playing. This violin concerto hasn't gained the popularity of say a Brahms violin concerto, but it certainly has great moments within it. One of the problems of this recording is not Gil Shaham, but Pierre Boulez. The ending is problematic and it leaves you wondering how the piece could have ended like that. The way Boulez has the orchestra playing makes the listener think Bartok must have just gotten sick of writing at some point so, mid-sentence he just wrote a quick ending and made an end of the concerto. That being said, it's still a terrific recording. Both soloist and orchestra do a superb job playing.
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