This is volume four of the CBSO’s engaging Mendelssohn in Birmingham series, showcasing the work of the composer who, from 1837 until his death 10 years later, conducted some of his greatest triumphs in the city’s then-new Town Hall, the venue chosen for this recording. Violinist Jennifer Pike allies the luminous beauty of her tone to her innate musicality and mercurial technique to produce an exceptionally lyrical interpretation of the evergreen Violin Concerto in E minor, though the incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream lacks essential magic, with some disappointing singing from soprano soloists Rhian Lois and Keri Fuge.
