★★★★½ Young Barenboim carries on the family business in an impressive Sydney recital.

Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House
April 17, 2016

Of the countless number of notes exciting, young violinist Michael Barenboim played for his Sydney recital debut not one seemed forced, false or out of place. He chose four formidable works for his programme – a Sonata and Partita by JS Bach culminating in the mighty Chaconne, alongside two of the most challenging more modern solo works in Bartók’s Sonata and a piece by the late Pierre Boulez. Throughout the 90 minutes the 31 year old never put a foot wrong, probing the thoughts behind the music and, in the case of the Bach, exposing the blood and bone beneath the intellect.

It’s not just that this young soloist is the son of musical royalty in pianist-conductor Daniel Barenboim and Russian pianist Elena Bashkirova, this is a violinist that this reviewer believes is destined to rank alongside the likes of Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. His gorgeous, burnished tone is supported by a seemingly effortless bowing arm, spot-on fingering and an intelligent instinct for nuance. Like both of those musical giants he is unfussy, eschewing effects and mannerisms for...