L Foster - Fantasies: Rhapsodies & Daydreams [CD]

Spectacular virtuoso playing, bravura passagework and show-stopping melodies are balanced with wistful lyricism and sublime tone painting in this irresistible program of perennial favorites, played with elan by the violinist Arabella Steinbacher. "Great violinists like Heifetz, Kresler, menuhin... played virtuosic pieces in their concerts," recalled Steinbacher in a recent interview. She lamented that such pieces are infrequently played owing to the perception that "... this kind of repertoire is 'not serious enough' which I find is really a pity and also not true." In a change of pace, the album also features the work which has topped Classic FM's listeners' "Hall of Fame" for the last three years running: the much-loved and achingly lyrical The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams completed it following the horrors of the First World War. For this recording Arabella Steinbacher plays the "Booth" Stradivari from 1716, a generous loan from the Nippon Music Foundation.