Maxim Vengerov - Virtuoso Vengerov (1993)

"Although these are pretty much traditional encore pieces, the music is so attractive and well played that it does not sound in the least bit redundant. Vengerov may not be the most creative fiddler around, but he is such a masterful musician that everything he touches turns to gold. Firstly, his intonation is absolutely impeccable. The purity and steadiness of Paganini's "I palpiti" is such that one never has the impression of his being under any strain. In the variation devoted to harmonics one admires the sonority as much as the wonderful control involved. The double-stopping episodes in Wieniawski's "Legende" appear to come as naturally to him as single notes. He captures the Slavonic melancholy with real intensity. Gentle and generous-spirited, Vengerov is charmingly pure in Kreisler's "Schon Rosmarin" and idiomatic for the tongue-in-cheek "Tambourin chinois". And I have never heard Tchaikovsky's "Melodie" played with more eloquence and refined tone colour." (J. Methuen-Campbell, Gramophone)