Violinist Daniel Lozakovich was already a veteran at 18, having made his debut at age nine and signed to Deutsche Grammophon at 15. It may seem that each year brings a prodigal new violinist, but Lozakovich, a charismatic soul who boxes on the side, bow hand be damned, is one of the best. His Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, is muscular and unafraid of a little gravel in the tone. Sample his finale, a broad, arch-Russian thing where he is ideally backed by his mentor, Vladimir Spivakov, leading the new National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia. Lozakovich grabs your attention from the start but never overplays the transitions. Really, though, there are a lot of good Tchaikovsky concertos out there, and the biggest news here is the diverse set of short Tchaikovsky pieces, the stuff of violin concerts a hundred years ago, most of which have passed through the hands of arrangers at some point. Done without full commitment, they're mawkish; done with the abandon of Lozakovich, they're delightful. They include the titular None but the Lonely Heart, from the Romances, Op. 6, arranged for violin and piano (the piano does tend to come out of nowhere) by Mischa Elman. It's all arch-Romantic material, played by a young violinist who gets it, and who promises great things.
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