Achron

This new release from DUX presents a collection of recordings commemorating Jewish composers active mainly before World War II. Their music represents various stylistic trends of their era and was inspired by numerous ideas. The Hebrew Melody for violin and piano, Op. 33 by Joseph Achron (1886-1943) resulted from his fascination with the religious music of Ashkenazi Jews, while the Sonata for violin and piano by Joachim Mendelson (1887-1943), the recording of which is also the Polish recording premiere, reveals neoclassical interests of its author, which is also the case of the Sonata for cello and piano by Szymon Laks (1901-1983).The Capriccio by Jozef Koffler (1896-1944) is an avant-garde composition through and through, using the dodecaphonic technique combined with a neoclassical form.

The worldwide lockdowns of 2020/21 proved highly fruitful for US-based violinist Itamar Zorman in his quest to seek out new repertoire. A virtual voyage around the world yielded a discovery of many lesser known and rarely played works for violin, which he presented in 2020 as a livestreamed video series entitled Hidden Gems. From this musical treasure trove he selected 10 pieces for his new album Violin Odyssey, produced by Grammy Award-winning Judith Sherman.

"The greatest number of audio discs in a boxed set of classical recordings by a single instrumentalist is 103, achieved by Jascha Heifetz - The Complete Album Collection (Sony Music)" GUINNESS WOLRD RECORDS LTD – Guinness World Records, December 14, 2010
Befitting his legendary status, Jascha Heifetz-The Complete Album Collection, is the biggest box set ever created for a solo artist. With 103 CDs and 1 DVD, this limited edition collection features all of the violinist's recordings made by RCA Victor between 1917 and 1972,those made in England for His Master's Voice and distributed in the U.S. by RCA Red Seal, three LPs issued on Columbia Masterworks and one on Vox Cum Laude.

Newcomer Tassilo Probst releases his first album with duo partner Maxim Lando The young violinist ventures into truly virtuoso repertoire and presents three sonatas for violin and piano by Bela Bartok George Enescu and Joseph Achron the latter is a world premiere recording The double album will be released on August 19 th by Berlin Classics in co-production with Bayrischer Rundfunk."I love all kinds of music, including Beethoven or Brahms sonatas, of course But for my first recording, I liked to record unknown sonatas and make a " with them!", explains Probst in an interview with Malte Hemmerich The young musician has already made a name for himself in the classical music scene.."Tassilo is an outstanding violinist and musician, with a strong will, unique sound and impressive mastery of the instrument," reports Daniel Hope, with whom both Tassilo Probst and Maxim Lando have been guests a few times.

Much Ado, the solo debut album by Korean American violinist Danbi Um is as striking for the young musician's choice of "old world" repertoire as her virtuoso interpretations and the sumptuous sound she draws from her 1683 "ex-Petschek" Nicolo Amati violin. Danbi conjures memories of a musical Golden Age, a sensibility instilled in her by a roster of internationally renowned tutors.

There have been few recordings of all three of Grieg's beguiling violin sonatas, and with the exception of the sublime Augustin Dumay/Maria-João Pires recording, most of them have been negligible. There have been still fewer recordings of arrangements of his charming piano miniatures by Joseph Achron and nearly all of them have been negligible. So perhaps one can be forgiven for approaching this disc by violinist Hagai Shaham and pianist Arnon Erez coupling all three sonatas plus six song arrangements with more than casual curiosity: could this be the recording that finally puts the works on the musical map?

Since this CD's overtly Romantic program is plainly aimed at the mass market and the works are obvious showpieces for violin and piano, some will regard this album merely as a flashy vehicle for a rising star. Yet David Frühwirth has judiciously chosen a number of obscure but delightful works to premiere here, and the pieces by the almost forgotten Jenö Hubay, Efrem Zimbalist, Joseph Achron, Ovide Musin, and Hans Sitt are charming curiosities that many will find appealing. While the names of Kurt Weill, Alexander Glazunov, Henryk Wieniawski, and Henri Vieuxtemps are indeed famous, Frühwirth has nonetheless found a few of their unknown gems to lavish with his considerable skills and flamboyant Viennese style.