Bohemian Rhapsodies
Leila Josefowicz's 1997 contribution to the lollipop aisle, this is not just another CD sporting a picture of a pretty girl with bare shoulders and a big smile holding her violin at a rakish angle. What's really on display here is Josefowicz's considerable talent as a fiddler. The program may not place great demands on her intellect, but it certainly calls for fingers, and she makes a real go of it. So does the recording team. Yes, the violin sounds bigger and louder in relation to the orchestra than it does to anyone whose ear isn't three inches away from the fingerholes. But the sound Philips has captured is vibrant and extremely detailed. The solo instrument's distinctive color and richness of tone--it is a Guarneri del Gesú--come right across, while the orchestra's playing is captured with great accuracy and clarity. P.S.: They play pretty well, too.--Ted Libbey