Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No 1 is the daddy—the most popular ever written. Much recorded, Jack Liebeck turns in a dazzling performance of youthful vigour, prefacing the Concerto with the gorgeous Serenade and a Romance.

"One couldn’t help wondering, when Jack Liebeck launched his exploration of Bruch’s violin works last year, why he began with the Third Concerto. It was an uphill struggle, with Liebeck attempting to convince us that this is more interesting music than it is. Still, it was a worthy project, for completeness’s sake, showcasing an approach as fresh as we have come to expect from this violinist.

It’s an approach that pays dividends in this latest recording, which unites Liebeck with Bruch’s evergreen Concerto No 1. No sign here of nanny-goat vibrato or the banana-skin slides that mar Daniel Hope’s otherwise well-judged recording. No, what Liebeck seems to be saying is that Bruch needs no additional sweeteners. His playing is unpretentious and strikingly introspective, resulting in an Adagio of quiet dignity. And even if the first movement doesn’t quite match the grandeur of Julia Fischer’s or the sweaty passion of Vadim Gluzman’s, it stands out for its poise and clarity.

The rest of the programme profiles lesser-known fodder. Lesser known for good reason, because neither the Romance in A minor nor the four-movement Serenade in A minor can compete with the First Concerto for nuance and emotional depth, let alone memorable tunes. Nonetheless, they draw urgent, vibrant playing from Liebeck, who embraces every opportunity for contrast. And it says much for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Martyn Brabbins that they sound, throughout, as though genuinely enamoured of this music."
Gramophone

It's a brave violinist who takes on Bruch's First Concerto, with so much distinguished competition in the catalogue. Jack Liebeck certainly has the technique and temperament and the recording is of Hyperion's usual clear and wide-ranging quality. Martyn Brabbins doesn't let the music sit down in the first movement, which has energy and direction from al concerned. I would like to hear more variety of tone and rubato in the opening passages, and in the cadenza which paves the way for the transition to the famous Adagio, where there's affection in Liebeck's performance.

He doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve, letting the music speak for itself, but I can't help feeling that the orchestra carries the main emotional burden, especially at the movement's climax. The finale is well paced and often exciting, although more weight of sound, even at the expense of beauty of tone, would have captured the uninhibited feeling more thoroughly.

There's less competition in the Serenade, a more unassuming work, and it's almost as if Liebeck isn't looking over his shoulder at the opposition. His playing is freer, more varied in colour and pacing, bringing a real perkiness to the march-like second movement, affection to the charming 'Nocturne', and digging into the strings for the final virtuoso dance. The Romance a putative first movement for an abandoned concerto, is a slight piece, which Liebeck does play beautifully—Bruch never quite managed to recapture the melodic certainty of the first Concerto though."
BBC Music Magazine