Nicola Benedetti: The Silver Violin - an album guide
She's won two Classic BRIT Awards so far and is nominated again in the Album Of The Year Category - can she make it three with The Silver Violin? Explore Nicola Benedetti's ode to film music greats in our handy guide.
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1. Williams - Main Theme from Schindler's List
The haunting and emotive main theme from Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List was originally recorded by the great Joshua Bell, but Nicola Benedetti has given it something slightly different. A different emphasis, a different interpretation and a different perspective, but the quality of the melody remains.
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2. Korngold - Die Tote Stadt, Tanzlied des Pierrot (arr. Franz Williams)
Nicola Benedetti has become a huge evangelist of Korngold's music in the last year, publicly defending the composer against accusations of being 'just a film composer'. And as you can hear in this soaring performance, it's with good reason that she's chosen to fly the flag for Korngold.
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3. Gardel - Tango (Por Una Cabeza)
This tango is used in a variety of films, from Schindler's List (clearly a favourite of Benedetti's) to the Arnold Schwarzenegger stunt-fest True Lies. It seems almost too perfect a piece for Benedetti - it's fun, but there's a remarkable hidden depth and lyricism to it too.
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4. Shostakovich - The Gadfly (3. Youth)
The violin is so exposed here, and Shostkovich's melody is destined to be judged on its barest elements alone. The 1955 film version from which Shostakovich's score comes is based on Ethel Lilian Voynich's novel from 1897.
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5. Korngold - Violin Concerto in D Major
Again, Benedetti turns to the underrated genius of Korngold on The Silver Violin. This time, though, it's the centrepiece of the whole album. The violin concerto is an incredible nimble and tuneful work, and so beloved of Nicola that she voted for it in the Classic FM Hall of Fame.
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6. Hess - Ladies in Lavender
Up until this point, The Silver Violin is quite a dark, dramatic affair - but with Nigel Hess' much-loved score for Ladies in Lavender the album has a welcome injection of warmth and nostalgia. A tricky one to pull off after such a challenging first half.
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7. Shostakovich - The Counterplan (2. Adagio)
It would've been so easy for Nicola Benedetti to stuff this album full of crowd-pleasers, so it's a measure of her integrity and intelligence that she in fact stuffed it with some lesser-known gems from the film music world, not least of which is this slice of Shostakovich from 1932.
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8. Marianelli - My Edward & I
Taken from the 2011 film interpretation of Jane Eyre, this bite-size bit of Dario Marianelli is an almost funereal atmosphere piece, played with marvellous poise (as expected) by Benedetti.
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9. Shore - Concertino from Eastern Promises
David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises was an uncompromising piece of cinema, and marked the fourth time that the director had collaborated with composer Howard Shore (it also got him nominated for a Golden Globe award). Benedetti's reading of it is solemn, plain and very emotive. Picture: Gobinder Jhitta
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10. Mahler - Piano Quartet in A minor
Appearing in Martin Scorcese's Shutter Island from 2010, this delicate Mahler Quartet makes for an intimate interlude on the album.
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11. Shostakovich - Five Pieces for 2 Violins & Piano, 1. Prelude (arr. Atovyman)
Another intimate chamber piece and another return to Shostakovich. It's only a couple of minutes long, but that's plenty of time to get lost in the intertwining violin lines and soak up the otherworldly splendour of this gorgeous compositional soupçon.
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12. Korngold - Die Tote Stadt, Marietta's Lied
Ending as it began, The Silver Violin's final track is another movement from Korngold's Die Tote Stadt, this time the heartbreaking sound of Marietta's Lied. Picture: Gobinder Jhitta
