For the Record, Op. 146: Francesca Dego records on 'il Cannone'; violist Antoine Tamestit; Liya Petrova

February 26, 2021, 4:56 PM · Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening!

Francesca Dego with the 1743 ‘il Cannone’ Guarneri del Gesù once played by Paganini.

Il Cannone: Francesca Dego plays Paganini's Violin
Francesca Dego, violin
Francesca Leonardi, piano

Francesca Dego pays homage to Niccolò Paganini with a new recording of works inspired by the great violinist. Dego plays Paganini’s violin, the legendary ‘il Cannone’ made by Guarneri del Gesù in 1743. The recording was made in November 2019 at Genoa Town Hall, where il Cannone is permanently housed and guarded by a six-person security detail. It will be released on Chandos on 26th Febraury 2021. "Spending a few enchanted days recording with this priceless treasure was unforgettable," Dego said. "I was overwhelmed when I was first handed the instrument that caressed the ears of Schumann, Schubert, Goethe, Rossini, Bellini, Berlioz, Chopin, Heine, and so many more. I remember standing in that very room as a young girl, hypnotised, staring at history behind glass, fingers tingling at the thought of touching it. And suddenly there I was, holding Paganini’s violin."
BELOW: Francesca Dego talks about what it's like to play Paganini's violin

And here is a release-day interview with Francesca, recorded live Friday from Genova, Italy:

Brahms: Sonatas Op. 120, Nos. 1 & 2
Antoine Tamestit, viola
Cédric Tiberghien, piano
Matthias Goerne, baritone

"During all these years spent practising the op. 120 Sonatas and performing them in concert together, we’ve often discussed the sonic alchemy needed to mirror Brahms’ writing to the best of our abilities, to bring out his use of registers and the richness of his polyphony," writes violist Antoine Tamestit and Cédric Tiberghien. With Tamestit playing a Stradivarius viola (on loan from the Habisreutinger Foundation) and Tiberghien playing a 1899 Carl Bechstein pianoforte (on loan from Peter Salisbury), "the combination of these two instruments has quite simply given us a key to understanding and playing this music better, to placing ourselves entirely at the service of extraordinary lyricism it radiates. It was a true revelation to us!" In addition to Brahms' two Sonatas, Op. 120, the album also includes arrangements of Nachtigall op. 97 no. 1; Wiegenlied op. 49 no. 4; and Zwei Gesänge for Voice, Viola and Piano op. 91. BELOW: Brahms: Viola Sonata op.120 no.1, II. Andante

Beethoven - Mozart Violin Concertos in D
Liya Petrova, violin
Sinfonia Varsovia, Jean-Jacques Kantorow conducting

First Prize winner in the 2016 Carl Nielsen Competition, violinist Liya Petrova follows her 2018 recording of the Nielsen Concerto and Prokofiev Concerto No. 1 with this recording of the Beethoven and lesser-played Mozart Violin Concerto in D, K. 271a (271i) sometimes called "No. 7."
"The two works were a natural choice because of their energy, their embodiment of hope, which we sorely need in the uncertain times we’re currently going through," Petrova said. "Moreover, even though his genius is irreducible, Beethoven was certainly influenced by Mozart and the ear can detect correlations between the two scores." BELOW: Liya Petrova performs Beethoven Violin Concerto, mvnt. 1, live at La Folle Journée in Nantes.

If you have a new recording you would like us to consider for inclusion in our Thursday "For the Record" feature, please e-mail Editor Laurie Niles. Be sure to include the name of your album, a link to it and a short description of what it includes.

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