Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor is one of the best-loved works of the genre. It’s played here with brilliance and charm by a dazzling violinist whose versions of the classics of the repertoire have garnered great critical acclaim. Also recorded is the early Violin Concerto in D minor, written when the composer was only thirteen. ‘The OAE, with its period instruments, delivers textures of unusual transparency and Alina Ibragimova’s playing combines verve, brilliance and imaginative intelligence … There’s a truth and honesty about this interpretation that you simply can’t argue with … it’s played with bucketloads of heart’ (Gramophone) ‘Ibragimova’s sensitive playing wins the day, with some superlative quiet moments and at all times a loyal adherence to the composer’s markings and a sure sense of the music’s phrasing and architecture’ (BBC Music Magazine) ‘Ibragimova, with her wonderfully full, malleable tone, sinewy agility and deft expressiveness, proves a compelling exponent of this brilliant teenage score, combining it on this album with an equally ear-catching performance of the later E minor Concerto … simply thrilling’ (The Daily Telegraph) ‘Ibragimova’s subtle changes of colour and prodigious range of articulation are things to wonder at’ (The Guardian) ‘[Ibragimova’s] absolute unanimity with the woodwind, which joins her in the scampering main theme, is breathtaking, and her occasional discrete use of portamento feels completely apt. This is a delightful, compelling performance from beginning to end, the equal of any in the catalogue (BBC Record Review)

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12" LP (black vinyl), Total Duration: 47'19