Save around 22% with
the retailers listed alongside

. . .

This debut recording by the young Israeli violinist Ittai Shapira is somewhat disappointing. There are many good recordings of the Bruch Concerto but I do not think that this is one. The speeds are somewhat slow, the sound is raw and sometimes exaggerated. At times the performance sounds like a rehearsal. The performances lack warmth, cohesion and conviction. On the positive side there is some good orchestral detail. The recorded sound is sadly lacking at times.

The Bloch fares better and both soloist and orchestra cope better but the performance is not outstanding.

Kanji Bunch was born in 1973 and wrote his Fantasy for Shapira. It is very conservative in style and content although attractive enough. You feel that you have heard it all before.

The Sarasate is a workmanlike performance but, again, there are so many good performances available.

I am sorry to say that I cannot see a market for this disc. I genuinely hope that this is just a bad start and that future projects for this violinist will be successful.

Reviewer

David Wright

Performances

Recording

Reviewer

David Wright

Performances

Recording

Reviews from previous months