Cat No QM7023

Following his initial studies in France, Patrick Chemla went on to study at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, whilst also performing with the Guarnieri String Quartet and the Beaux-Arts Trio. He has performed as soloist throughout Europe and North America and gave the Paris première of Britten’s concerto in 1997.

The works on this disc are all milestones in the repertoire for solo violin, each work coming from a different century. The first of these dates from 1720, the year that Bach wrote his three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin. From the 20th century, we have the sonata by Bartok, composed after he fled Europe in 1940 for New york, and written at the behest of Yehudi Menuhin. The final work, from the 19th century, is actually a concert improvisation that Paganini performed, based upon a theme from the opera La Molinara by Giovanni Paisiello. It’s survival is due to an admirer, (also a composer), who witnessed the concert and managed to write it all down, thus saving it for posterity.