CD: Britten: Violin Concerto; Vengerov, Rostropovich, etc

The unexpected conjunction of Russians Maxim Vengerov and Mstislav Rostropovich in English music results in the most ravishing string-playing, so that the greatness of both works is reinforced.

That said, these are far from conventional readings. The sweetness of Vengerov's playing in the high-flying cantilena of the Britten is nothing short of heavenly, and his free rubato in the measured outer movements gives the illusion of an improvisation.

The Walton is far more controversial, for though, as in Britten, Vengerov brings out the fun of the brilliant bravura passages, the outer movements are taken far more slowly than is usual.

Playing the viola for the first time, Vengerov reveals himself to be a master technically. But with Rostropovich encouraging him, he totally changes the character of the finale with his extremely slow speed, so that its jaunty main theme sounds like a cakewalk from Façade, while the tender recollections of the epilogue are hypnotically dreamlike.

Wilful, perhaps, but above all magical.