Unlike Paganini, Ernst was not content to merely copy virtuosity; he was considered an independent and profound musician, regarded as "a singer on the violin."
Composition History
The 'Elegy' by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, featured on this album, is said to have been written out of grief after his beloved died while he was establishing his career.
Performer Biography
Thomas Christian, the violinist on this album, debuted at New York's Carnegie Hall at age nineteen with Paganini's Violin Concerto in D major.
Critical Reception
Despite his renown during his lifetime, many of Ernst's works, including the 'Elegy' and the 'Othello Fantasy', have fallen into obscurity, though they were once part of the violin repertoire.
Composer Biography
Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, the composer featured on this album, was born in 1814 and studied violin in Vienna with Joseph Böhm and Joseph Mayseder, known as "the Viennese Paganini."
Recording & Production
This double CD includes not only Ernst's original compositions but also arrangements of his works by Thomas Christian and Hans Winking, reflecting Ernst's own performance practice.
Composer Biography
Ernst's admiration for Niccolò Paganini, a master violinist, was so profound that he followed him on concert tours and even stayed in adjoining hotel rooms to hear him practice.
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