Nemanja Radulović: Prokofiev album review – thrills and spills from a fearless violin virtuoso

There’s a daredevil freshness about Nemanja Radulović’s playing that makes this generously filled disc of Prokofiev particularly rewarding. Over 86 minutes, he tackles the Second Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia under Santtu-Matias Rouvali, a pair of underperformed sonatas and a clutch of original works and transcriptions with pianist Laure Favre-Kahn.

The artwork for Nemanja Radulović: Prokofiev

The concerto receives a subtle, supportive reading from Rouvali, who is happy to play second fiddle to the star turn. Radulović plunges in, his audacious attack and intonational high-wire act almost upsetting the applecart in the oompah-pah finale. The same fearless commitment pays dividends elsewhere: in the jaunty Heifetz arrangement of the Gavotte from the Classical Symphony, for example, or in the spiky march from The Love for Three Oranges.

Reining himself in, Radulović fosters a fine sense of dialogue with Johan Dalene in the neglected Sonata for Two Violins. The Sonata for Solo Violin benefits from a similar combination of poetry and restraint. It’s in the ballet selections, however, that he provides the virtuosic thrills and spills. Romeo and Juliet’s Masks has tremendous swagger; there’s a lacerating account of the Death of Tybalt, with Favre-Kahn going with him cheek by jowl; and a trio of percussionists lend irresistible spice to the Grand Waltz from Cinderella.

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