Hilary’s Encores
For more than one hundred years, violinists who gave concerts faced the need to choose encores, when their listeners wanted more playing.
Hundreds of pieces emerged, written by violinist-composers such as Fritz Kreisler, Pablo de Sarasate, and others.
One of today’s great violinists. Hilary Hahn, wanted some new encores, so she created a project to have encores composed for her.
The result is now documented on the album “In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores” which Ms. Hahn performs with pianist Cory Smythe.
“I was intrigued by the future of the genre and how composers might wish to redefine the form,” Ms. Hahn writes in the album’s liner notes. That curiosity led her to begin an online hunt for composers. After many listening sessions, Hahn picked up the phone for a series of “nerve-wracking cold calls,” and twenty-six composers were signed on.
Few of Ms. Hahn’s new encores sound like the old Kreisler-styled pieces. Instead, they display personalities as unique and varied as their respective composers. I actually love the variety in these pieces: Some are totally humorous; others more traditional and lyrical; and yet others are emotional and thoughtful. A very nice collection!
Here is a video about the 27 encores project:
I hope you enjoyed the music and the story, as I did.
Tags: Hilary Hahn, 27 encores, Kreisler, Cory Smythe, violinist