Violinist Nicola Benedetti Makes Her Decca Classics Debut with Italia, Available Jan 24

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“…a lively celebration of Benedetti’s Italian roots, shot through with some laser-sharp pyrotechnics…” – BBC Music Magazine


For her Decca Classics debut album, violinist Nicola Benedetti makes her first recording of baroque violin repertoire. Recorded in Edinburgh, Italia celebrates Benedetti’s Scottish-Italian heritage as she plays virtuoso Italian masterpieces, accompanied by the leading chamber orchestra of her native Scotland, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Italia will be released on January 24, 2012.

The album includes both popular highlights of the baroque repertoire as well as some overlooked gems. Benedetti includes one concerto from Vivaldi’s enduring masterpiece, The Four Seasons, as well as Tartini’s Devil’s Trill. In addition the generous selection ranges from the sparkling virtuosity of the opening Vivaldi Concerto Grosso Mogul, to the poignant lament of the Veracini Largo and the lyrical beauty of the two arrangements of Vivaldi vocal works, including the haunting Nulla in mundo pax sincera, and an additional concerto by Tartini.

In her previous recordings Benedetti has concentrated principally on mainstream Roman­tic concertos. Turning to the baroque era involved a new way of thinking, not just about the music, but also about the violin technique appropriate to play it. The issue of baroque style has evolved dynamically over the past three decades or so, and for Benedetti it was essential to find an approach that would feel true to her inner convictions, as well as suiting current trends regarding historical accuracy.

“I started studying baroque playing about three years ago, mostly in Bach,” she says, “and to get to grips with the style I played a few early Italian and French sonatas, but at first I felt I needed more time. ‘Early music’ is such a difficult world to enter – for a long time it seemed that there were so many rights and wrongs: ‘This style is correct, that style isn’t’ ... But today this is one of the areas of performance that is in fact the most free. There has been so much diversity in the way people have performed the music that we’ve almost arrived at a point – at least in the UK – where many different approaches are accepted.”

Nicola Benedetti will be performing:
    Cork Ireland on Dec 15th with City of Cork Symphony Orchestra
    City Hall, Cork, Ireland
    Ludwig van Beethoven : Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61

    San Francisco on Dec 31st with San Francisco Symphony
    Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA, United States, 94102
    Pablo de Sarasate : Zigeunerweisen Op. 20

    Amsterdam Netherlands on Jan 8th with Mantova Chamber Orchestra
    Het Concertgebouw, Concertgebouwplein 2-6, Amsterdam, Netherlands, NL 1071 LN
    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K. 219

    Santa Ana on Feb 2nd thru 4th with Pacific Symphony
    Segerstrom Hall at OCPAC Mesa, CA, United States, 92626
    Max Bruch : Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor Op 26

    Tuerkenfeld Germany on Feb 8th with Munich Symphony Orchestra
    Herkulsessaal ohannes
    Brahms : Double Concerto in A minor for violin and cello solos and orchestra, Op. 102


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