Eugene Tzikindelean plays Mozart, Town Hall, Birmingham, 16 November 2025, 4☆☆☆☆. Review: David Gray & Paul Gray.

Eugene Tzikindelean plays Mozart, Town Hall, Birmingham, 16 November 2025,

4☆☆☆☆. Review: David Gray & Paul Gray.

Mozart  Adagio in E major for Violin

Mozart  Violin Concerto No.5 – The Turkish

Mozart  Symphony No.41 (Jupiter)

“Nothing but exquisitely joyful Mozart”

Apparently, when 18th Century violinist Antonio Brunetti came to play Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, he found the slow movement didn’t suit him. Mozart, very obligingly, penned an alternative. This concert gave us both the original, in the context of the whole Concerto, and the substitute, played as the amuse bouche to whet our appetites for a feast of glorious Mozart.

Unlike Brunetti, Violin Soloist, Eugene Tzikindelean, clearly found both of the Adagios very much to his taste, delivering clean, crisp elegance. His reading of the free-standing movement was characterised by expansive phrasing. While he brought a more studied and detailed approach to the original.

Tzikindelean nominally lead from the violin. In truth there was little need for much actual conducting from him. The important work had clearly been done in the rehearsal room. A pared down, classically sized contingent of the CBSO displayed intuitive ensemble playing, responding to the soloist’s leads; supporting with mirroring detail, and never threatening to overwhelm or compete.

The final movement, from which the concerto gets its nickname, Turkish, was a particular joy. Alternating extremes of elegance with some suitably raucous percussive bowing from the lower strings during that unbridled ‘Turkish-but-kind-of-Hungarian-really’ middle section.

One niggle from the concert’s first half was that it took a while for the blending and balance to settle down. The issue re-occurred at the start of the second half, which involved larger forces for the Jupiter Symphony, and some new instruments on the platform.

A shame – otherwise this was a totally engaged and engaging performance. Tzikindelean laid down his instrument and took up the baton to conduct a really very intelligent and controlled interpretation of the masterpiece that is the Jupiter.

A stately tempo gave us time to enjoy an enormous amount of detail during the opening movement, while some unapologetically pointed dynamic contrasts maintained a feel of drive and momentum. A lovely lyrical Andante was followed by a swinging but still suave Menuetto.

As in the opening movement, Tzikindelean kept a firm grip on the speed during the final Molto Allegro. Consequently, as the excitement built, there was feeling of more space for the excitement yet to come. As a result, when the various themes are finally brought together, there was a real feeling of joyful release. And I have never heard those five themes land with such clarity and precision. Very impressive playing and conducting.

Violin Solo and Conductor – Eugene Tikindelean