Batiashvili/Barenboim - Tchaikovsky, Sibelius

The Guardian 100

Batiashvili/Staatskapelle Berlin/Barenboim
(Deutsche Grammophon)

Naming the soloist on the last concerto recording you heard is probably easy. But can you name the orchestra? On this disc, there’s no danger of forgetting that it’s Daniel Barenboim’s Berlin Staatskapelle; the quality of the orchestral playing, the warmth and depth of tone are constant reminders. They offer worthy support to outstanding, insightful performances from violinist Lisa Batiashvili, who, like Barenboim, here commits the Tchaikovsky concerto to disc for the first time. She’s a dreamy-sounding, inward soloist at the start, shaping the melodies with care yet propelling them forward – this mammoth work has rarely seemed so concise. The Sibelius soars and sings in the first movement, and dances in the finale with a rare agility. As for Barenboim, he gives the orchestral parts the depth and scope of symphonies: the climax of the first movement of the Sibelius will knock you flat.