Review: Renaud Capuçon’s ‘Sibelius & Barber Violin Concertos’ Makes a Strong Case for Itself

By Miranda Wilson | From the May/June 2025 issue of Strings

With so many recordings of the Sibelius and Barber violin concertos already available, any new version needs to make a strong case for itself. Renaud Capuçon’s new recording with Daniel Harding and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande does exactly that, thanks to his bold, projecting tone and forthright sense of phrasing.

From the very opening of the Sibelius, where the violin emerges from the frail, shivering orchestral texture, Capuçon’s focused sound cuts through with purposeful expression. The first-movement cadenza builds powerfully, and in the turbulent orchestral passages that follow, Capuçon maintains that same directness of tone. The still beauty of Sibelius’s second movement shows another facet to Capuçon’s playing in long, long lines of an almost operatic singing quality over the orchestra’s dark tone colors. The finale has all the speed and fury you could want, with a crispness of articulation that keeps the phrases constantly in forward momentum.

Next to this, Barber’s neo-Romantic violin concerto makes an effective companion piece. Though it contrasts with the Sibelius, it, too, is an excellent vehicle for Capuçon’s clear, penetrating sound, which appears to float over the composer’s colorful orchestral harmonies. The central movement, with its famously soulful oboe solo, builds up to an intense culmination in the violin line. The brief finale, which the intended first performer deemed unplayable, poses no such challenges for the modern virtuoso. Capuçon maintains brilliant clarity in the passagework, giving the listener the impression that Barber’s frantic moto perpetuo is, in fact, effortless.

Throughout both concertos, Harding and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande provide masterful support. The orchestra plays with both power and precision, and Harding’s direction maintains the ideal balance between soloist and ensemble.