Tabea Zimmermann’s new collection of romantic pieces originated as an exercise in light relief during her recording of the complete viola works of Paul Hindemith.
The music, by Sitt, Glazunov, Vierne, Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski, Liszt, Kreisler and Kodály, is mostly not at all well-known. But the style is familiar. The violin's husky-toned bigger sibling is presented in plaintive, sombre and melancholic moods – two of the pieces are actually titled Élégie, there's also a Rêverie, a Légende and one titled Le Soir.
The advocacy of Zimmermann and her pianist Thomas Hoppe is superb, as they convincingly breathe new life and bring an astonishing array of colours and voices to a neglected area of the repertoire.
