Boris Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto (1969) was one of the major works of his career, yet it is virtually unknown in the west, where much of this Russian composer's music still languishes in obscurity, when it's not mistaken for that of a better known master. Even so, this concerto is the kind of well-crafted, virtuosic, and deeply expressive music violinists would love to play if only they knew of it, and the kind of transcendental and communicative music that contemporary audiences value, if only they could hear it. Too bad, though, that this live 1994 performance by violinist Victor Pikaizen and the
Odense Symphony Orchestra, conducted by
Edward Serov, suffers from the expected deficiencies of a concert recording, mostly in the abundant audience noises, unfocused miking, and tentative playing from some parts of the orchestra. If this piece were given a well-rehearsed and well-engineered studio recording by first-rate performers, then it would be more attractive and receive more favorable attention than this 2006 recording from Northern Flowers will probably get; but considering that this is the only commercial recording available, listeners will have to settle for it until something better comes along. For the sake of hearing the concerto, which is quite moving and memorable, this recording makes a fair case: it conveys Tchaikovsky's austere but effective orchestration and brooding musical argument reasonably well, and Pikaizen's playing is fiery and committed, so the intensity of the violin part comes through and at least makes this performance a valiant, if not fully satisfying, effort.