violinist.com
By Laurie Niles
November 8, 2018
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Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening!
Saariaho X Koh
Jennifer Koh, violin
Nicolas Hodges, piano
Anssi Karttunen, cello
Hsin-Yun Huang, viola
Wilhelmina Smith, cello
Curtis 20/21 Ensemble, Conner Gray Convington conducting
Kaija Saariaho, composer
Violinist Jennifer Koh performs five works by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, including the world-premiere recordings of "Light and Matter" for violin, cello, and piano, inspired by sunlit colors and shadows in a city park outside the composer's window; as well as the violin and cello version of "Aure," meaning a gentle breeze, created for and dedicated to Koh and cellist Anssi Karttunen, another champion of Saariaho's music. The albums largest work is the one that first attracted Koh to the composer: the violin concerto Graal Théâtre, written for Gidon Kremer, which Koh has performed many times and performs here in the composers chamber-orchestra version. "Tocar," Spanish for "to touch," explores the playful and tactile aspects of the word through violin and piano. "Cloud Trio" for violin, viola, and cello was prompted by shape-shifting clouds in the French Alps. BELOW: Jennifer Koh talks about working with composer Kaija Saariaho on this music.