The purpose of an audio review is to provide adequate, experienced responses to a recording. Occasionally there are times when a reviewer finds such fault that s/he has no alternative but to write negatively and, in such cases, listening to a poor performance and having to write about it can be such a chore that reviewers find themselves writing invective. They cannot always be blamed for this, since most editors require a set number of words, and so, to fill space more than anything, the reviewer takes his criticism a little far. Although wanton sadism is perhaps going a little too far, it is sometimes necessary to put a point so strongly that offence can be a natural outcome. It is a rare occasion that reviewers find nothing wrong with a recording, but when this is the case, it is interesting to note that they find themselves more reserved than when meting out criticism.

Take DG's new Gil Shaham release; as a violinist, Shaham is already a performer of considerable renown and is rightly acknowledged as one of the world's most technically stunning and musically aware violinists. Beside him, such artists as Nigel Kennedy and Vanessa-Mae pale into insignificance; for a musician who should not have yet reached maturity (in other words, he's still under thirty), Shaham plays with the musicality and technique of one many years his senior.

I came first across Shaham's name when listening to his stunning Barber and Korngold concertos (also on DG, 439 886-2), when, at the age of 23, he was assured of a place amongst the greats. Now slightly older, we are treated to a dazzling display of short works that have a unifying title of the Devil's Dance. The title is understandable, and those who have objections to any mention of the devil must remember that Paganini was such a virtuoso that he was thought to be in league with Satan himself. Thus, the title is ironic and the contents chosen to reflect that. The programme might not be everybody's cup of tea, but it certainly provides a pleasantly contrasted programme that ranges in dates from Tartini to Ysaÿe. John Williams' own arrangement of the film theme, The Witches of Eastwick, for example, is a remarkably apt work for a disc of this title: it is cleverly written, and the reduction of its scoring from the original film has lost little. Certainly, there are more serious works on this disc, such as William Bolcom's charming rag, The Ghost or Brahms's Walpurgisnacht, but an overall tongue-in-cheek attitude prevails, bolstered by a strange, if not inappropriate prequel track that states that the devil is at work! If such an attitude is not to you taste, the playing should be. Ably supported by collaborative pianist, Jonathan Feldman, this disc is an utter delight.

Joan Gregory

Shaham's performance in Olivier Messien's Quatuor pour la fin du temps is also reviewed this month. To read this, click here.