Alexandra

Composers from the first half of the eighteenth century typically cast their violin music in the form of a sonata for violin and basso continuo: the violin performing the solo role, the continuo the accompaniment. The continuo was realized most often by a harpsichord and a cello, either together or by just one of them. Later in the century continuo practice as an accompaniment gradually disappeared, and was replaced by another model: the sonata for keyboard with violin accompaniment. In such a sonata, the role of the violin was secondary to the keyboard part, but there are numerous examples with quite interesting violin parts. Think of, for example, the ‘violin sonatas’ of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - which were designated as ‘keyboard sonatas with an additional violin part’.

Composers from the first half of the eighteenth century typically cast their violin music in the form of a sonata for violin and basso continuo: the violin performing the solo role, the continuo the accompaniment.

The second album for FHR by the award winning, leading interpreter of J.S. Bach on piano: Alexandra Papastefanou. Here, we are presented with another classic set of keyboard works by the composer, The French Suites. Papastefanou, Greece’s leading pianist, is now regarded worldwide as a leading exponent of Bach on the piano. Her previous recording for FHR (The Well-Tempered Clavier, 2018 [FHR65], did incredibly well with the music press and critics (MusicWeb International RECORDING OF THE MONTH The Union of Greek Theatre and Music Critics Award: BEST RECORDING OF 2018, 5 stars from BBC Music Magazine).

Following on from her two previous successful First Hand Records albums of Johann Sebastian Bach, Papastefanou has now recorded one of the most iconic works in the history of music, the Goldberg Variations.

Gagnante de la cinquième édition de l'émission anglaise The X Factor, Alexandra Burke est n°1 à Noël 2008 avec « Hallelujah », avand de sortir son premier album Overcome à l'automne 2009.

The pianist Alexandra Sostmann is not only known for her polished Bach playing, but also for her developments and cross-connections in concert and CD programmes that trace the history of music.

A disciple of Jean-Marc Luisada at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, the Russian pianist Alexandra Matvievskaya lately immersed herself in the work of Gabriel Fauré, and was quickly fascinated.

Faced in 2020–21 with an unexpected break from concert life, cellist Alexandra Mackenzie and pianist Ingrid Sawers devoted much time instead to furthering their longstanding interest in unfamiliar repertoire.Trawling through libraries, both online and in person, they unearthed a treasure trove of short pieces by female composers, some hiding behind bland initials such as ‘A. E. Horrocks’.

Among the most exciting rediscoveries of silent cinema are the films of Lois Weber, who produced and directed a series of popular and provocative films at Universal Studios, often depcting women’s struggles for independence within the ever-shifting moral landscape of 1920s modernity. Sensation Seekers stars Billie Dove (The Black Pirate) as the free-spirited Egypt, a small-town girl who dreams of escape and adventure, and resists the efforts of a pious minister (Raymond Bloomer) to tame her thirst for excitement. Egypt’s progress is highlighted by moments of cinematic spectacle, including a lavish masquerade ball and a stunning shipwreck sequence. A Chapter in Her Life explores the efforts of a young girl (Jane Mercer) whose childish innocence exposes the hypocrisy and weakness that threaten the happiness of an aristocratic family.