Prokofiev: Violin Concertos 1 & 2 / Sonata for Solo Violin
Prokofiev's two violin concertos come from very different  periods in his life, and they sound quite distinct from one another. That makes  them nicely contrasted when coupled on a single disc, as they are here. Tedi  Papavrami feels the music very strongly and has technique to burn. The orchestra  and conductor have already made a very positive impression in their successful  set of the complete piano concertos for Naxos, so there's nothing to quarrel  with in that department. Truth is, at budget price, these performances can hold  their own with just about any in the catalog. It's not the only way to play this  colorful music, but it's pretty darn fine on its own terms.--David  Hurwitz