CONCERTONET.COM, Christie Grimstad

M. Boutellis-Taft’s strongest convictions rest inside the pages of Judaic enclaves, including those found within Max Bruch and Ernest Bloch. “Searing and crying for outreach”, Kol Nidrei’s ardent Aramic religiosity is piercing and searing, likely the album’s apex composition. With an unforgettable and repetitive line, it’s one of the most convincing samples of Virgil Boutellis-Taft’s artistry. The same can be said about the Nigun by Ernest Bloch whereupon the music is guided by a startling and ominous opening. Ensconced in soft detailing, grace notes are also well tended to. Majestic and severe in their accommodation, it’s here the violinist relishes greater dynamics that wrap around the listener in Kabbalistic occupancy. Enthralling. Achingly beautiful swells abound as well inside Vitali’s Chaconne, holding the listener in a state of awe. The violinist shows how well-versed he is in patiently building the music into a state of anxiety and heartbreak: Full of vitality and stress, Virgil Boutellis-Taft seems to have the most unabashed freedom playing Tomaso Antonio Vitali. M. Boutellis-Taft never overstates the urgency of the text, and he comforts within a wall of cautious tentativeness.