The mid-2010s have been filled, for whatever reason, with strong performances of
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, but this one by
Esther Yoo rose steadily after its May 2017 release and reached top chart levels that fall. Don't discount the marvelous optics on the cover, with old lion
Vladimir Ashkenazy leading the
Philharmonia Orchestra and seemingly passing the torch to the new generation represented by
Yoo, the youngest-ever top prize winner in several prestigious competitions. But it's certainly not just a question of optics:
Yoo is a formidable talent who approaches this notoriously thorny score with confidence, flair, and gorgeous tone from her 1704 "Prince Oblensky" Stradivarius. Sample the concerto's finale and savor the richness of her violin tone in the second theme, playing beautifully off the explosive yet sparkling main material. You also get a variety of other violin-and-orchestra works to round out the program, as if they were a series of well-deserved encores, and each of these reveals something new about
Yoo's talent. An obviously energized
Ashkenazy matches
Yoo's high energy level, and the end result is a deeply satisfying
Tchaikovsky program.