Tango 040 is an elegant and emotionally rich recording by Duo Diagonal, released in 2005 through Tropical Music. Blending traditional Argentine tango with contemporary interpretations and refined chamber-style arrangements, the album presents a sophisticated exploration of tango, milonga, and tango-valse styles through the expressive interplay of violin and accordion. Duo Diagonal creates an intimate musical atmosphere that captures both the nostalgic beauty and rhythmic passion associated with classic tango traditions while incorporating modern nuances and subtle improvisational touches. Pieces such as “Balada Para Un Loco,” “Malena,” and “Adios Muchachos” are performed with remarkable sensitivity, balancing dramatic melodic phrasing with delicate rhythmic precision. The chemistry between Hans-Christian Jaenicke’s lyrical violin performances and Jorg Siegloch’s expressive accordion work gives the album warmth, elegance, and emotional depth throughout. The alternating moods between melancholic tango passages and lively milonga rhythms provide strong variety while maintaining a cohesive musical identity rooted in Argentine tradition. Tango 040 stands as a refined and highly enjoyable interpretation of tango music, appealing to listeners who appreciate world music, acoustic instrumentation, and emotionally expressive chamber performances.

Gidon Kremer, instead of coupling the Shostakovich Second Concerto with its natural partner, No. 1, enterprisingly chooses a concerto which Shostakovich labelled as his own Op. 129, but which in fact confusingly enough is Schumann's Op. 129. This is a novelty on two counts. Not only does it bring us Shostakovich's orchestration of the work, aiming to improve on Schumann's own, but for the first time to my knowledge puts on disc Schumann's violin version of his cello concerto. Shostakovich's aim in renovating the orchestration with changes predominating in the tuttis was to improve the work for his protege, Rostropovich.

The violinist releases the results of a uniquely ambitious "lockdown project" – a barnstorming new account of Paganini's fiendish Caprices, recorded in the late spring of 2020.
The transcendental heroics of Paganini’s Caprices have presented the ultimate test for generations of violinists; Alina Ibragimova’s accounts of this most exclusive repertoire join a select few of the most celebrated.

“Celtic Fantasy” is a lyrical fusion of traditional Celtic melodies and contemporary new age classical arrangement, led by violinist Daniel Kobialka. The album reimagines well-known folk-inspired themes such as “Greensleeves” and “Auld Lang Syne” through lush instrumental textures and gentle electronic atmospheres. Rather than strict traditional interpretations, the performances emphasize mood, space, and emotional storytelling. Supporting musicians on cello, flute, harmonica, English horn, and keyboards add depth and color, creating a layered acoustic palette. The result is a calm, cinematic listening experience that blends folk heritage with modern ambient-classical production.

“Velvet Dreams” presents Daniel Kobialka’s refined reinterpretations of classical masterpieces through a modern new age lens. As principal violinist with the San Francisco Symphony, Kobialka brings a distinctive expressive clarity to these extended arrangements. The album opens with a nearly 21-minute rendition of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D,” transformed into a spacious ambient meditation enriched with synthesizers and vibraphone textures. The program continues with carefully reimagined works by Bach and Vivaldi, blending baroque elegance with atmospheric electronic layering. Each piece is designed to emphasize calm, balance, and emotional depth, resulting in a continuous flow of soothing, contemplative soundscapes. The album stands as a signature example of classical crossover new age music from the early 1990s.

“Fragrances of a Dream” by Daniel Kobialka is a serene and evocative album that blends classical influences with new age sensibilities. The record features extended violin interpretations and medleys that create a deeply atmospheric listening experience. Kobialka’s expressive playing transforms familiar compositions into immersive soundscapes, combining elegance with emotional depth. The album moves seamlessly between meditative passages and melodic reinterpretations, offering a calming and introspective journey. Its fusion of classical structure and ambient textures makes it a standout release for listeners seeking relaxation and refined musical artistry.

This new release presents two early romantic Violin Concertos and a Symphony by two German composers. Ernst von Gemmingen wrote four violin concertos, the first two are included here and interpreted by Kolja Lessing. Johann Matthias Sperger regarded Haydn’s ‘Farewell’ Symphony as so original that he wrote a counterpart to it. In his ‘Arrival’ Symphony a violin duo initially sits on the stage, and the other musicians gradually join these two until the whole orchestra has gathered.

Now this is the way to re-launch a violinist: a two-disc set of Beethoven's two most virtuosic works for violin – the concerto and the "Kreutzer" Sonata – performed with two of the finest accompanists in the world – the Wiener Philharmoniker under Riccardo Muti in the concerto and Martha Argerich in the sonata. Still, young Russian violinist Vadim Repin has a clutch of first-class recordings for Erato to his credit, including terrific couplings of Shostakovich and Prokofiev's concertos. But he had previously stayed away from recording these two core repertoire works.

Perlman's Four Seasons was recorded in 1976 in London's Abbey Road Studios. This was before the period instruments craze had gotten up to full steam. Perlman and the London Philharmonic play unrepentantly on modern instruments and in a modern style, albeit not without Baroque savvy. Expansive tempos and rich, vibrato-generous sonorities make this recording a good choice for listeners who don't seek the astringencies of period performance, or who simply want to take a musical bubble bath in this repertoire.

“…Returning to Galleria, let me recommend without reservations a splendidly played and recorded Shlomo Mintz recital with Clifford Benson of Kreisler encores, including all his most famous pieces, such as Caprice viennoise, Liebesleid, Liebesfreud and Tambourin chinois, plus arrangements and pastiches of music by Albeniz, Weber, Wieniawski, Dvorak, Glazunov and others. This infectious recital comprised part of Mintz's recording debut for DG in 1981 and very entertaining it is, backed by a recording that is realistically full of presence.”

Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst was in his day considered by no less an authority than Joseph Joachim to be the greatest living violinist, although he is now almost forgotten. He was compared favourably with Paganini, whose style he emulated and with whom he played in concert, and for most of his adult life gave concerts all over Europe, playing his own and other virtuoso concertos and chamber music. The award-winning soloist on this recording, Ilya Grubert, plays a 1740 Guarnieri violin once owned by Henryk Wieniawski.

The world of classical recordings is not exactly awash in recordings of the music of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, the German composer of the generation after the Classical Mozart-and-Haydn generation but before the Romantic Schubert-and-Weber generation. Aside from his Trumpet Concerto, his Mandolin Concerto, and several of his Piano Concertos, most of Hummel's music remains unperformed and unheard. On this disc, the Concerto for piano and violin has only two previous recordings in the catalog, while the Concerto for violin has no previous recordings in this form.

An American musicologist once noted that compared to its population, no other country has as many symphonists as Denmark. This fifth release of violin concertos concludes this enthralling 2CD set series. The complete series are now available in five 2 CD sets each one priced as a single CD, offering excellent value for money and a wonderful opportunity to explore these delightful and little known concertos.

With this record, Ulf Hoelscher and Christian Frohlich conclude their cycle of Spohr’s 15 numbered violin concertos (they have also recorded one of the three works without an opus number). Hoelscher has the elegance and the almost vocal quality with which Spohr’s violin writing is associated, but he can also master the virtuosity which is needed for the oddest work here, entitled Sonst und Jetzt, or “Then and Now”. There is something of an in-joke for violinists here.