Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos – review

The Taiwanese-Australian violinist Ray Chen , 23 years old on Tuesday, has already scooped a sideboard full of awards – including the coveted Queen Elisabeth competition and the Yehudi Menuhin top prize, which he won with the Tchaikovsky and the Mendelssohn concertos respectively. It's easy to see why Sony have snapped him up for star treatment. His tone is silken, his technique faultless, his musicianship persuasive as well as controlled and poetic. He can also handle the grand, febrile romanticism of these two mainstream works. Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, with some notably impressive wind playing in the Tchaikovsky, give agile support. We'll hear a lot more of Ray Chen.