Lisa Batiashvili Essentials

This Georgian-born prodigy grew up in Germany steeped in the classics of Bach and Beethoven, so it's little surprise that the Austro-German catalog looms large in her work, alongside certain Russian masters. Batiashvili's control of timbre is astonishing: The violinist can balance sweet, lustrous playing with aggressive, steely attacks, as in her recording of Brahms' Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77. This flexibility of approach helps her create distinctive interpretations of much-beloved works and also aids her in contemporary music, like that of Arvo Pärt and Magnus Lindberg.