Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 4 & 5

Increasingly, Nikolaj Znaider has been as often heard as a conductor as a violinist. He’s certainly not neglected his playing though. This lovely pair of concertos, written by the teenage Mozart, finds Znaider in both roles, coaxing stylish playing from the London Symphony Orchestra and spinning his magic over the top. Znaider’s tone is pure and focused, and he puts it to fine use in these elegant and delightful works. The Fourth, with its long stretches of melody, is a charmer and he brings out the wit in the so-called “Turkish” Fifth.