Press Releases

Violin Odyssey is Itamar Zorman’s first solo album on the First Hand Records label and presents a programme of intriguing lesser-known and rarely-played works for violin resulting from his virtual voyage of discovery around the world during the recent lockdown years. The far-reaching geographical origins of the repertoire – from New Zealand to the United States by way of Sudan, China, Russia, Poland, Croatia, Czech Republic, Israel and Mexico – reveal a variety of styles and cultural diversity that conjure up colourful stories of native lands and migration.

“Violin Odyssey—a striking collection which showcases Zorman’s incredible virtuosity and variety of sound… Zorman’s virtuosity dazzles as he flies through furiously fast passages, never once losing his commitment to the work’s emotional intensity.” (The Cusp, April 2022)

Hear excerpts here

Read the Press Release here

Read Itamar’s BBT Blog here

Quick off the mark following news of her BBT Award at the beginning of this year, Ema put some of her funds towards commissioning composer Errollyn Wallen to write five songs (music and text) as a response and reflection of Schwanengesang (co-commissioner Julien Van Mellaerts). Accompanied by pianist Kunal Lahiry, she will sing these haunting Schubert Lieder interspersed with Wallen’s songs, collectively entitled The Lake. Ema will go on to perform this programme at the Verbier Festival on 19 July (with Jonathan Ware) and at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie on 14 December (Gerold Huber).

Consone Quartet. Photo ©bekor_

The Consone Quartet collaborates with American musical colleagues Guy Fishman (cello) and Renée Hemsing (viola) to present the world premiere of The Bridges of Königsberg, a new work by Gavin Bryars which is inspired by the life of Immanuel Kant and the mathematical ‘Seven Bridges problem’ of how to devise a route through the City of Königsberg crossing each of its bridges only once.  The work was commissioned for them by Penny Wright and Andrew Neubauer, with additional funding from BBC Radio 3 and BBT, and its performances (in London, Oxford and Bristol after Norwich) are supported by Continuo Foundation.

This August, shortly after the UK premiere of this specially commissioned work (also supported by BBT) at Aldeburgh Festival on 25 June 2022, the Trio goes into the studio at Menuhin Hall to make its third album on the Rubicon label. As well as the Coll, the Trio will record the Korngold Piano Trio and Brahms Piano Trio No 2 (Nos 1 and 3 having already been released on its previous two Rubicon discs).

Reviews from the world première in Madrid

Erdem Misirlioglu’s Trio Isimsiz Blog

Open an online version of the eNewsletter here