Violin Concertos (recorded 1984 & 1993)

"This 1993 performance is gripping, spine-tingling and inspirational. Haendel's command of the fearsome technical hurdles is comprehensive, but digital assurance is merely the starting point. The distinctive quality she brings to her performance is soul. Just listen to the intensity, the passion, the eloquent phrasing and the rich, brooding tone of the. The CBSO and Rattle share Haendel's mix of ice and fire, digging deeply and perceptively into the music's substance. The build?up of tension in the ominous atmosphere of the outer movements is electrifying. Above all, though, it is Haendel's thoroughly personal input of humanity, expressive power, and her dynamic fusion of immediacy and profound insight that puts this performance in a class of its own. It is simply mind-blowing." The Telegraph, 28th July 2009 *****

On 7 September, 1993 Ida Haendel joined Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Sibelius's Violin Concerto at the Proms. The press commented on the special experience the soloist brought to this work. "Tuesday night opened up tingling lines of communication with the past," wrote Edward Seckerson in The Independent. "Haendel's direct line to Sibelius stretches back over more than 50 years of Prom appearances. She still has the fire and ice of his Violin Concerto in her bowing arm, the tone still smoulders provocatively, time and space on her side now."