Described as "a Renaissance man and a magnetic creative force", Dmitry Sitkovetsky proves the description correct in this master class. As a violinist, he shares his knowledge of all the technical demands of Mendelssohn's monumental and widely beloved Violin Concerto in E Minor. As a conductor, he knows how to convey to his student Ksenia Dubrovskaya that the violin, though it is the solo instrument here, is always engaged in a dialogue with the orchestra. As an acclaimed arranger (his transcription for string trio of Bach's Goldberg Variations is frequently performed around the world), Sitkovetsky has unique insight into the ways in which harmony defines many of the decisions that must be made when performing. Mendelssohn's concerto is a passionate work, loaded with lyricism and melody-but its full substance lies also in the layers that Sitkovetsky is able to peel away and examine.