I recently heard Shaham play this work with the New York Philharmonic under Paavo Järvi. That performance was a revelation, bringing the young violinist into my canon of great performers. The Philharmonic made a gripping contribution as well, but the Chicago Symphony is even better. I have not always been a Boulez enthusiast, but here he shines along with Shaham. Orchestral playing is superb, as we have come to expect from the Windy City; it is also always to the point, sensitive as well as opulent, and beautifully balanced, from the softest ppp of the slow movement to the two momentous ff chords that close the work.

Is there nothing to complain about? Well, yes: Bartók's prescribed 32+ minutes have been stretched to 40:32. If I have nagged at every previous violation of the composer's explicit instructions, why not here? Because I don't hear it this time: If timings were not written in the DG booklet, I might not have known. My only excuse is that I am too dazzled by this stunning performance to notice. What about the Hungarian/Magyar folk elements in the score, which can be heard so strongly in Varga/Fricsay and others? Like the Emerson's Bartók String Quartets, this performance is more universal than national; such elements are still present but draw less attention to themselves. The two Rhapsodies, where folk elements do come to the fore, are every bit as fine.

DG's recorded sound is almost as miraculous as the performances; although Shaham plays delicate, exquisite pianissimos, every note from his "Countess Polignac" Stradivarius is heard clearly; the same is true for the orchestra. Much credit is due producer Christian Gansch, recording engineer Wolf-Dieter Karwatky, Tonmeister Stephan Flock, and especially conductor Boulez. All previous bets for the 1999 Want List are hereby hedged; this disc could fill the list by itself. On the other hand, it will help empty my shelves, as a large contingent of former competitors may now be retired; perhaps only Székely will survive the cut.

-- James H. North, FANFARE