Virtuoso violinist Leonidas Kavakos opened the Philadelphia Orchestra’s season with the Mendelssohn concerto under Wolfgang Sawallisch, leaving the Orchestra, audience and conductor stunned. One critic was forced to say “how can you not love this playing?” He also made his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra this summer with Jahja Ling, Director of the Blossom Festival, playing Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2. “Here was playing of remarkable sophistication and sweetness, keenly allied to the varied emotions in Prokofiev score” (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Other US summer dates included concertos at Mostly Mozart in Avery Fisher Hall and return visits to the symphony orchestras of Baltimore and Minnesota. Meanwhile in London, Kavakos began his three-part recital series The Demon Violin at the Wigmore Hall. The series, devised by Kavakos, aims to explore the ‘magic’ character of the violin. The first recital, ‘One Instrument, Many Voices’, featured solo repertoire by Bach, Ysaÿe, Paganini and a work by Theodore Antoniou written especially for Kavakos. The Times described it as a “breathtaking performance… Kavakos tapped the music’s ethereal purity and beauty that never lost sight of its soul searching humanity”. The Independent wrote, “Kavakos is a superb player… his pyrotechnics first drew disbelieving chuckles from the audience and then a huge roar" and declared him “the nearest thing we have to Paganini.” The series continued with 'Pacts & Friendships' in October (Stravinsky, Franck, Brahms and Bartok) and ends with 'The Masters Compose' in December (Paganini, Ernst, Kreisler, Ysaÿe and Sarasate). Kavakos also makes his London Symphony Orchestra debut in November playing Prokofiev 2 under Michael Tilson Thomas.