Charlie Siem: Brahms, Enescu

The Strad Issue: November 2025

Description: Plenty of personality but a short-measure album

Musicians: Charlie Siem (violin) Philharmonia Orchestra/Oleg Caetani

Works: Brahms: Violin Concerto. Enescu: Ballade; Aria and Scherzino

Catalogue number: SIGNUM SIGCD936

Charlie Siem performs the great opening paragraph of Brahms’s Violin Concerto with touches of rhythmic freedom and a sense of urgency. He presses forward through the second subject with serious intent, and generally keeps his foot on the pedal through the development. Enescu, whose music features later on the CD, makes an early appearance here with his cadenza, very dramatic in Siem’s hands, with some meaty double-stopping and the final trill cheekily turning up several times before the orchestra finally gets to join in.

The movement could do with a little more spaciousness than it gets here. There is flexibility in the second-movement Adagio, and some good, fruity-toned expressiveness. The Finale is suitably vigorous, with crisp playing and nicely clipped double-stopped thirds and sixths towards the end. This is an open-hearted, if not always impeccable, addition into an already strong field.

Enescu is always welcome, as more of his music eases its way into the repertoire. The two works here are very short (the whole CD is less than 45 minutes) but full of winning lyricism and invention. Siem draws great depth of tone from the G string of his ‘d’Egville’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ in the Aria, and plays the Scherzino with twinkling personality. The recording is close and clear.

TIM HOMFRAY