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

2026-03-12 - 15:23

(Warner Classics) Radulović/Philharmonia/Rouvali/Favre-Kahn/Dalene Radulović brings irresistible swagger to selections from Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella, while a more restrained duet fosters a fine sense of dialogue 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 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. Continue reading...