Prokofiev: Violin Concertos 1&2; Stravinsky: Violin Concerto In D
Cho-Liang Lin's performances of these two attractive violin concertos have been almost unanimously praised since they first came out (nothing in the classical music business is completely unanimous!), and the Stravinsky coupling makes this disc an excellent value for the money. The two composers couldn't be further apart stylistically. Prokofiev continues to mine the great Russian Romantic tradition, aided by his wonderfully personal melodic gift. All of Stravinsky's best tunes, by contrast, were borrowed from someone else. His dry, witty, neo-classicism sounds like a cold shower after his compatriot's warmth, but it's first rate entertainment all the same. The digital sound is great , too.--David Hurwitz