The "[wimpLink albumId="237314059"]Recuerdos[/wimpLink]" title of this release by violinist [wimpLink artistId="3932483"]Augustin Hadelich[/wimpLink] might suggest a program of sentimental Spanish encores, and indeed there is one here, inventively arranged from the guitar original by [wimpLink artistId="3994170"]Francisco Tárrega[/wimpLink], that gives the album its title. There is also a fine performance of [wimpLink artistId="3994139"]Sarasate[/wimpLink]'s finger-busting Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25, but the Spanish flavor in concert music was deeper than the exoticism of these works, and its influence has lasted a long time. [wimpLink artistId="3932483"]Hadelich[/wimpLink] does well to explore some of its deeper ramifications. The centerpiece is [wimpLink artistId="3610710"]Benjamin Britten[/wimpLink]'s technically fearsome Violin Concerto, Op. 15, written as a lament about the Spanish Civil War. [wimpLink artistId="3932483"]Hadelich[/wimpLink] is superb in the stately passacaglia finale, maintaining the long line despite an unusually slow tempo from conductor [wimpLink artistId="9033931"]Cristian Măcelaru[/wimpLink] and the [wimpLink artistId="5582402"]WDR Symphony Orchestra[/wimpLink]. The Spanish tinge is less definite in [wimpLink artistId="3590649"]Prokofiev[/wimpLink]'s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63 (consisting largely of some castanets), but perhaps, for this reason, it makes an effective foil for the [wimpLink artistId="3610710"]Britten[/wimpLink]. This is a fine example of the violinist's art, with technical brilliance and a fresh programming idea. ~ James Manheim