Kavakos

On the 'Sony Classical' label - Acclaimed violin virtuoso, Leonidas Kavakos, returns with his newest album ‘Beethoven Violin Concerto’. Kavakos is recognised across the world as a violinist and artist of rare quality, known at the highest level for his virtuosity, superb musicianship and the integrity of his playing. By the age of 21, Leonidas Kavakos had already won three major competitions: the Sibelius Competition in 1985, and the Paganini and Naumburg competitions in 1988. He now works with the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors. Leonidas Kavakos has also built a strong profile as a conductor. He has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Danish Radio Symphony orchestras. The album is released a year ahead of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary in 2020. Kavakos has won numerous prestigious awards including a Gramophone award and ECHO Klassik award.

This Sibelius-Kavakos recording when it was originally released in 1991 was voted: "Best Concerto Recording 1991" (GRAMOPHONE Award), "Record of the year 1991" (The U.K. Sibelius Society), "Pick of the year " (Classic CD, the U.K.), Records of the year 1991 ( Helsingin Sanomat).

Kavakos played like a dream eliciting an almost physical pleasure from the trueness of his intonation and the way in which certain phrases, certain chords landed. ~ Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin / Ingo Metzmacher, BBC Proms, The Independent, August 2010

Leonidas Kavakos tackles a pillar of the violin repertoire in a disc that establishes him as a concerto soloist for Decca Classics. His first concerto disc for Decca features the Brahms Violin Concerto, for which he is joined by one of the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Riccardo Chailly. Leonidas is also accompanied by pianist Péter Nagy for Brahms’ timeless Hungarian Dances (No.s 1, 2 ,6 and 11) and Bartók’s energetic Rhapsodies and Romanian Folk Dances – two great composers hugely influenced by Hungarian folk music.