By Robert Maxham
Fanfare
01-Aug-2000

"Misha Keylin, who proved in his recording of the Second and Third Concertos that he could imbue Vieuxtemps's messages with heartfelt sincerity as well as declaim them out with appropriately fiery rhetoric, brings the same sense of drama to the First and Fourth Concertos. ­KBoth Dennis Brukh and the Janacek Philharmonic in the First Concerto and Tajuo Yuasa and the Arnhem Philharmonic in the Fourth explore the symphonic possibilities of Vieuxtemps's richly orchestrated scores. Naxos's engineers place Keylin' far enough forward that listeners won't miss a single one of his brilliant gestures.

"Keylin's virtuosic and cogent reading of a concerto regarded by luminaries like Ysaye and Auer (and even Stoeving, who wasn't among Vieuxtemps's admirers) as possibly the composer's best needs no recommendation. But the dramatic urgency of Keylin's performance of Vieuxtemps's Fourth Concerto makes it more than a mere makeweight, and catapults Naxos's second volume of Vieuxtemps Concertos into a class with Markov's as required listening."

By Heather Kurzbauer
The Strad
01-Jul-2000

"Panache, vision and a delight for repertoire too often relegated to the back burner makes a Naxos release of the Vieuxtemps concertos nos. 1 and 4 particularly delectable. The Russian-born New Yorker Misha Keyln has a lot to be exuberant about: his first-rate technique, appealing sense of sonority and keen focus on the orchestral score are as commendable as the compositions he interprets.

"In his performance of that conservatory war-horse, the Concerto no.4 in D minor, Keylin takes a noble approach, emphasising melody lines over instrumental pyrotechnics. His pianissimo entrance in the opening Andante movement is exquisitely timed to contrast boldly with the double-stop passages that soon erupt.

"Keylin's second movement shows an understanding of the term 'religioso' and is followed by a Scherzo that is devilish both in articulation and in choice of tempo. The young violinist's commitment to the lesser-known Concerto no.1 in E major, a symphonic work stretched over 40 minutes, leads to a brilliant offering. The G string recapitulation of the theme from the slow movement is given skilful emphasis in the final Rondo."

By David Denton
Yorkshire Post
03-May-2000

"Fasten your seat-belts, and prepare for an exciting journey through some of the most fiendish technical difficulties yet devised for the virtuoso violinist. Composed in the mid-19th century, these are works that demand incredible feats of dexterity, and in the scintillating American violinist, Misha Keylin, they have found a supreme master. The orchestras don't have a great deal to do, but they do it well. Forget price connotations, Keylin's firebrand brilliance is absolutely priceless."