75th Anniversary Season 2007/08 in the Royal Festival Hall Return to articles menu page > Violin Greats In October 2006 the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam presented a weekend of Leonidas Kavakos concerts, featuring solo recitals, chamber performances and Kavakos in concert with the Camerata Salzburg, of which he became Artistic Director in September 2007. An invitation such as this from one of Europe's most important musical institutions is high praise for any musician. This violinist is unique amongst his colleagues: his unpretentious performances combine a perfect technique with an endearing stage presence. For Kavakos, it's the music that matters. He performs the Nielsen Violin Concerto with Osmo Vänskä on 8 December 2007. An audio sample of Nielsen's Violin Concerto can be accessed from the performance calendar page. Christian Tetzlaff embraces all corners of the violin concerto repertoire from works by Beethoven and Brahms to those by Schoenberg and Ligeti. Tetzlaff's sit-up-and-listen performance of the Second Violin Concerto by Bartók was one of the highlights of the London Philharmonic Orchestra's 2004/05 season. To miss a performance from this fearsome talent is to miss a genuine event. He performs the Violin Concerto by Brahms with Vladimir Jurowski, with whom he has become a regular collaborator, on 2 February. An audio sample of Brahms' Violin Concerto can be accessed from the performance calendar page. The indefatigable energy of Gidon Kremer has led to the formation of festivals, ensembles and new works for the violin repertoire. For this musician, there is always more to be done, more talent to be fostered, and more music discovered. Do these extraordinary leadership qualities and creative visions eclipse his skills as a performer? No - Kremer's remarkably vivid performances remain his artistic raison d'etre; don't miss him on 23 January 2008. Violin greats during 2007/08 Saturday 8 December 2008 Leonidas Kavakos plays Nielsen An audio sample of Nielsen's Violin Concerto can be accessed from the performance calendar page > Wednesday 23 January 2008 Gidon Kremer plays Sibelius > Wednesday 2 February 2008 Christian Tetzlaff plays Brahms An audio sample of Brahms' Violin Concerto can be accessed from the performance calendar page > Wednesday 20 February 2008 Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Tchaikovsky > Return to articles menu page > Back to top >