Any prospective purchaser might view “Bohemian Rhapsodies” in one of three ways – as a pleasing programme of violinistic showpieces, as a colourful work-out for a talented young player or as a visitation on times past, when pieces such as these were staple fare and the ‘virtuosos of the day’ loved to record them. The programme itself is nicely planned, though I fancy that Ravel’s Tzigane would have made a rather better finale than Chausson’s sultry Poeme. The ‘work-out’ element draws the most sweat in Zigeunerweisen, the Carmen Fantasy and Wieniawski’s bubbling Polonaise (a particularly happy choice), though the occasional patch of slightly uncomfortable passagework suggests there is still some room for extra refinement (try Saint-Saens’s Introduction and Rondo capriccioso at around 2'50'' and a few seconds beyond).
The Carmen Fantasy is nicely done; I especially enjoyed Josefowicz’s gently sensual handling of the insinuating little melody at 7'35'', but elsewhere I would have welcomed just a hint of Bronislaw Huberman’s wicked characterization and breathless bravura (EPM Classical Collector, 10/91 – as it happens, Josefowicz is a great Huberman fan). Massenet’s “Meditation” goes well, and so does Tzigane, though neither performance is quite the equal of Josefowicz’s best rivals. Indeed, therein lies the main problem – shelf-loads of great performances and the inevitable comparisons. Furthermore, back in the days of 78s, I would have been comparing one performance at a time, whereas nowadays (with disc timings in excess of an hour) each programme parades its own unique sequence of works. Chausson’s Poeme is perhaps something of an exception in that it plays for more than a quarter of an hour (17½ minutes here) and plumbs greater emotional depths than its disc companions. Marriner’s handling of the orchestral introduction is slow and a little prosaic, and there is some rather conspicuous groaning at around 11'29'' (whose, I do not know). Orchestral strings are relatively undernourished and full tutti over-resonant, but the solo playing has a generalized lyricism that falls pleasantly on the ear.
What else is there to say, other than that here we have an extremely gifted player en route to greater things, whose bright tone has yet to develop a truly personal ring, whose impressive technical equipment is still occasionally fallible (odd minor miscalculations give the game away) and whose interpretations suggest music well learned but not well lived.'