Brahms’ Violin Concerto

Brahms’ only Violin Concerto is vast, passionate and demanding – a proper test of strength and soul for any soloist, expect the violin to wrestle, dance and sing across three rich, expressive movements. Don’t let the title of Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence fool you – this isn’t just a postcard from Italy. It’s bold, bursting with energy, and full of sweeping drama. Yes, there are flashes of Mediterranean warmth, but this is music with Russian fire in its belly. Puccini’s I crisantemi (The Chrysanthemums) is Puccini stripped back – no grand opera, just raw emotion. A quiet elegy for a lost friend, the music drifts and sighs with aching tenderness.