The violinist Midori has long been a highly visible agent for outreach, putting much time and effort into fostering music education and assisting young performers in their professional growth. Those noble goals also play a part in her work onstage. Without abandoning the standard works that form the core of her repertory, Midori has recently become a compelling advocate for new music and older pieces that have fallen into neglect.

The recital Midori presented with the pianist Robert McDonald on Tuesday night at Avery Fisher Hall provided evidence of her persuasive approach to presenting offbeat works, starting with the personable, informative program notes she wrote herself. After a lithe, playful account of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.5 ("Spring"), she offered a new piece by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara as well as lesser-known works by Paul Hindemith and Richard Strauss.

...these compelling accounts made you wonder why the Hindemith work is encountered so seldom and understand why the Strauss piece hovers near the edge of the canon. After two encores, Glazunov's "Meditation" and Kreisler's "Syncopation," with the sounds of the second piece barely faded in the hall, Midori could be found in the lobby, signing autographs and posing for photos with a snaking line of grateful admirers.