Maxim Vengerov, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 1 May 2006

By Rowena Smith - Glasgow Herald

The Vengerov effect was clearly in evidence in Glasgow. Who else could present a standard recital to a near-capacity hall and have the audience hanging on to his every note, anticipating a demonstration of the virtuoso pyrotechnics for which he is famed? In the event, we had to wait - this was a low-key affair. There were no cosy on-stage chats, no breathtaking assortment of encores: Glasgow had to be content with a morsel of Shostakovich and Kreisler's Liebesfreud. As for the programme itself, Mozart's E major Adagio and Beethoven's C minor Sonata, Op 30, made a routine first half. Vengerov wouldn't be my first-choice violinist for the Beethoven sonatas, and his was an unremarkable performance. Of more weight was the all-Russian second half, which began with Prokofiev's enigmatic First Sonata. It is a work of drama and atmosphere, and Vengerov's powerful playing came into its own. Followed by 10 of Shostakovich's Preludes, it was a reminder of the soul and passion of Vengerov's playing and a tantalising glimpse into what it would be like to hear him play something more substantial.