Decca Classics

The Scottish violinist has precisely the right stylistic range for Shostakovich’s explosive and mercurial first violin concerto. In "Nocturne," Benedetti blends her quiet yet powerful sound with the string section of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, reflecting the music’s halting caution. She opts for more strident textures in the opening of “Scherzo,” eventually playing out her solo lines with authority over the rambunctious orchestral writing. Her virtuosity comes out to sterling effect during the double-stop-strewn “Cadenza” and the stomping “Burlesque.”

“Well accompanied by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Kirill Karabits, Benedetti captures all this with a stunning array of timbres — hoarse and whispery at first, as savage as a slashing razor in the scherzo, and vividly expressive in the massively demanding cadenza” - The Times