The viola doesn’t have it easy in the concert business so it’s good to see that the instrument has a dedicated advocate in Antoine Tamestit, who now performs Schnittke’s Viola Concerto. The piece is an important contribution to the relatively small viola repertoire, and the composer himself described the work as »very dark and expressive«. Teodor Currentzis recently demonstrated on CD that he has a knack for Tchaikovsky’s symphonies. According to one reviewer, »Currentzis’s version of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth is strong, very strong. And, as always with him, radically subjective, utterly captivating throughout and admirably implemented with technical perfection«. He can now be heard in the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall conducting Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. read less