While older listeners may not be moved to cast aside their favorite recordings of Beethoven's Violin Concerto, younger listeners may be moved to embrace this 2009 recording performed by Georgian violinist
Lisa Batiashvili. For one thing,
Batiashvili has a virtuoso technique rivaling the best of past players. Her tone is pure but touched with sweetness, her intonation precise but not at all pedantic, her phrasing lyrical but not the least sappy, and her feeling for rhythm irresistible. For another thing,
Batiashvili has a poetic sensibility likewise rivaling the best of past players. To top if off,
Batiashvili functions as her own accompanist, leading the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen with a deft sense of partnership.
Batiashvili has cunningly preceded her Beethoven recording with a set of six short pieces by Georgian composer Sulkhan Tsintsadze called, appropriately enough, Miniatures arranged for violin and orchestra by the soloist's father and accompanied by the
Georgian Chamber Orchestra, also under the soloist's direction. Though neither
Batiashvili nor anyone else would assert these works rival Beethoven's concerto in depth and substance, the Miniatures are inordinately charming pieces that not only introduce an otherwise unknown composer to an international public, but cleverly set up Beethoven's concerto so the listener can hear that warhorse with fresh, or at least fresher ears. Recorded in cool, clear digital sound, this recording deserves to be heard by anyone who enjoys Beethoven's Violin Concerto.