Mozart Violin Concertos Nos. 3,4 & 5

The legion of admirers of the charismatic violinist Arabella Steinbacher will be delighted by her lovely performances of the three Mozart Violin concertos presented here. The 5.0 DSD multi-channel recording, made in the clean and open acoustic of Kirche Oberstrass in Zürich, Switzerland by the experienced team from Polyhymnia International BV of Job Maarse, Erdo Groot and Roger de Schot, could hardly be improved upon. This excellent issue is enthusiastically recommended. 5-Stars.

.... she has chosen to partner an outstanding chamber orchestra, which creates crisp and transparent textures, and combines swagger with an admirable lightness of touch in the outer movements. Never hidebound in her approach, Steinbacher uses a rapid vibrato to sweeten her tone, a feature that may separate her from period devotees who would also point to her stretching of phrases in the central Adagios, which become predictable

Her sweet-toned, expressive playing and the polished, buoyant sound of the Festival Strings Lucerne renders that concerto and the Violin Concertos Nos. 4 and 5 a treat

Performances that exude sheer joy, from a soloist who sounds completely at ease in these works.

Arabella Steinbacher is a fabulous fiddler. She attacks these youthful works with the necessary gusto and virtuosity. She also avoids milking the tunes the way some famous players are inclined to. Indeed, this is intelligent music-making, full of character and an obvious passion for the works at hand.