Leonidas Kavakos

Greek violinist and conductor Leonidas Kavakos first came to international attention with a 1990 recording of the technically daunting original version of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto Op. 47 (1904). Born in Athens in 1967, Kavakos has a distinctive “open” sound that taps into the violin’s natural resonances, microcosmic tonal shadings, sleight-of hand articulation, and quicksilver technique, evidencing an individualist prepared not to merely follow established norms. Yet it was a 1999 disc featuring Ysaÿe’s six Sonatas for Solo Violin Op. 27 (1923) that fully established Kavakos’ interpretive credentials: the inquisitive exploration of lower dynamic levels, exquisitely subtle use of vibrato (often reduced to a whispered stillness), and fearlessness in shining a light on the darker recesses of Ysaÿe’s creative imagination.