Barbara Jepson
Wall Street Journal
June 2020

The Ibragimova/Jurowski collaboration is a strong one. They skillfully traverse the opening Nocturne's brooding path, with the soloist varying her tone from warm to whispery, sweet or mournful. The slashing bow strokes, glissandos and swirling folk-dance rhythms of the second movement, a jeering Scherzo, are rendered with virtuosic ease by the violinist, a rising musician whose international engagements span Baroque to contemporary repertoire.

The beautiful Passacaglia opens with a funereal pattern in the cellos and basses that recurs during the movement. Ms. Ibragimova enters with hushed simplicity. There's a fierceness to her playing that suits the music's searing intensity, and the orchestra's dark-hued woodwinds and brass are added attractions. Then the slow, exposed cadenza leads into the Burlesque, which soloist and orchestra handle with splendid assurance. The album also contains an admirable and involved performance of Shostakovich's less memorable second violin concerto. Obviously the centuries-old concerto form continues to engage composers of each generation.