This recording features Benjamin Schmid with the Swedish chamber orchestra Musica Vitae, with whom he has worked intensively as artistic director since 2020.
Performer Biography
Musica Vitae, the chamber orchestra on this recording, performed at the Nobel Banquet in Stockholm in 2017 and received a Grammy nomination for their 2019 CD 'Fanny & Felix'.
Performer Biography
Benjamin Schmid performs on an 'ex Viotti 1718' Stradivarius violin, provided by the Austrian National Bank, and a modern violin by Wiltrud Fauler.
Composition History
Sabina Hank's 'Three Songs for an Abandoned Angel' was commissioned by Benjamin Schmid in 2008 during a train journey and premiered at the Mattseer Diabelli Sommer.
Interpretation
Performing these jazz violin concertos requires a 'complete violinist' who can master virtuoso technique, improvise over complex jazz harmonies and rhythms, and create their own cadenzas.
Compositional Technique
A key element in all three works on this album is the improvisational input from the soloist, with extended improvised sections in each composer's piece.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The violin concertos by Herbert Berger, Friedrich Gulda, and Sabina Hank combine composition and improvisation in a jazz-affine way, which is central to Benjamin Schmid's artistic heart.
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