Nikolaj Znaider, Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis - Elgar: Violin Concerto (2010)

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the world premiere of Elgar’s Violin Concerto which took place on 10 November 1910 and was conducted by the composer himself, celebrated Danish violinist Nikolaj Znaider has recorded the concerto on the very same instrument that Kreisler performed the premiere: this is the first account on disc using this very special violin, a 1741 Guarneri del Gesu. Znaider will also tour the work globally throughout 2010 and will perform the Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis on 10 November 2010 at London’s Barbican Concert Hall – the anniversary to the day of the world premiere. Other UK performances include two concerts at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on the 13th & 14th October 2010 with Halle and Mark Elder. The recording of the Concerto, conducted by Sir Colin Davis with the Dresden Staatskapelle, will be released to coincide with the beginning of the worldwide tour.

Nikolaj Znaider is not only celebrated as one of the foremost violinists of today, but is fast becoming one of the most versatile artists of his generation, uniting his talents as soloist, conductor and chamber musician. An exclusive RCA Red Seal recording artist, Nikolaj’s award winning recordings of the Bruch, Beethoven and Mendelssohn concerti have been greeted with great critical acclaim. The most recent addition to his discography is the Brahms and Korngold Violin Concerti with the Vienna Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev (88697103362). In July 2009, Nikolaj Znaider was voted the World’s Best Violinist by Classic FM magazine.