Elgar: Salut d'amour, Op. 12

Violinist Rudens Turku presents his fifth album for Avie, Sweet Remembrance, a personal selection of virtuoso miniatures and encores.

Since making his recording debut for Avie in 2005 with the sonatas of Brahms, Franck and Schumann (AV2080), Albanian-born, Munich-resident violinist Rudens Turku has amassed a devoted following and fan base for his effortless virtuosity and innate musicianship.

Following albums devoted to solo works, duos, and concertos, Rudens returns with a personal selection of miniatures and encores for violin and piano. Sweet Remembrance – the subtitle of Jascha Heifetz’s arrangement of Mendelssohn’s Song without Words - ranges from the romantic Salut d’amour by Elgar, Schön Rosmarin by Kreisler and Massenet’s Meditation from Thaïs, to the energetic Scherzo from Brahms’ F-A-E Sonata and Shostakovich’s exhilarating Preludium. Interspersed with miniature masterpieces by great violinist-composers such as Paganini, Sarasate, Kreisler and Wienawski, the album boldly concludes with Ysaÿe’s commanding Second Sonata, itself written in remembrance of another great violinist, Jacques Thibaud.

A welcome return to the catalogue of Maria Garzón’s recording of Elgar’s piano music, including Elgar’s own arrangement of his Enigma Variations. She was the first pianist to record the work, originally released on the ASV label.

This sensational new release from German cellist Alban Gerhardt recaptures the novelty of the much-loved encores performed by Pablo Casals. Spanish-born Casals was universally recognized as one of the world’s greatest cellists and had a vast repertoire of intimate encores which were adored by his audiences. The disc features transcriptions of works by many notable composers including Fauré, Chopin, Saint-Saëns, Boccherini and Wagner. Also featured are frequently performed musical gems by David Popper: Vito, Chanson villageoise and his Mazurka in G minor, pieces which have gained a special place in the cello literature.

Gerhardt performs these miniature masterworks with extraordinary finesse and verve. His very personal interpretations never lapse into self-indulgence and he projects a distinctive luminescence of tone with infallible intonation. Gerhardt is intelligently partnered and perfectly matched by pianist Cecile Licad on her Hyperion debut. This unique disc demonstrates sublime musicianship, with both performers revelling in a wide expressive scope from the vivacious to the lyrical.

The fourth volume in The Fibonacci Sequence’s acclaimed series of CD’s focussing on a solo instrument. In this case it’s the turn of the oboe, featuring Christopher O’Neal.

The Fibonacci Sequence is now well established as one of the finest chamber ensembles in Britain.

This witty collection of music for oboe and chamber ensemble, highlights, as oboist Christopher O’Neal describes “the humour of Françaix, the irony of Poulenc, the brilliance of Crusell and the easy charm of Alwyn.” But, he adds, “the two Mozart pieces have it all, and in spades!”

All instruments courtesy of the Fulton Collection

2008 Grammy and Gramophone Award winner James Ehnes pays tribute to the world's most celebrated violin-makers in this unique ONYX project featuring performances on 12 of the greatest instruments ever made. The Fulton Collection is perhaps the most important private collection in the world and contains many examples of the legendary names Stradivari, Guarneri, da Salo and Guadagnini. For example, the priceless La Pucelle has never been heard in a recording, and the Lord Wilton was Yehudi Menuhin’s last instrument.

Ehnes performs 21 selections in a carefully planned recital programme specially chosen to suit each instrument and to work on its own terms. It finishes with a section comparing each instrument in an excerpt of the same piece, a unique opportunity to contrast the sound qualities of these spectacular instruments.

Ehnes says of the instruments: “I didn't want to spare them a full workout. I wanted to select repertoire that would show off their particular tonal characteristics and push them to the limit and me to my limit as well."

The DVD has the complete performances plus spectacular close-ups of the instruments and substantial interview sequences - Strads vs Guarneris, the importance of the bow, Ehnes’ relationship with the Fulton Collection and his preparation for the recording sessions. David Fulton also talks about his passion for collecting these rare instruments and says: “Ehnes is the only one who could have done this and is today’s David Oistrakh.” The highly collectible package includes detailed notes by Ehnes himself.