Nicola Benedetti presents her fourth album

British violinist Nicola Benedetti presents her fourth album, Fantasie, a selection of well-loved violin pieces that form a stunning violin showcase. The repertoire is varied, ultimately all popular pieces and greatly different to the repertoire on her most recent discs. The combination of virtuosic, gipsy-influenced show stoppers with introspective meditations and songs represents the two aspects of violin-playing that particularly interest Benedetti, as well as showing her musical and technical development.

Upon winning the prestigious BBC Young Musician of the Year competition at the age of 16, Benedetti signed to Deutsche Grammophon and recorded the winning Szymanowski Concerto no. 1, gaining critical acclaim:

“She has the exhilarating technique, stamina, determination and generosity
of spirit to be a shining beacon for the currently beleaguered cause
of classical music in this country”
Richard Morrison, The Times

The albums that followed contained world premiere works written especially for Benedetti by the pre-eminent British composers James MacMillan and Sir John Tavener. She has established a fantastic career performing with major orchestras across the UK, US and Japan, garnering praise for her bold interpretations of concertos such as Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Glazunov and Szymanowski:

“Not just another pretty prodigy. Acclaimed for her beauty, violinist Nicola Benedetti has the talent and depth to be taken seriously.”
LA Times

'Benedetti's playing is beautifully precise, her keen intonation has that glass-shattering perfection, and she has a deliciously unaffected charm that simply allows the music to kindle its own irresistible momentum.'
The Sunday Times

But for Fantasie Benedetti has put aside the concerti to explore some of the recital greats, including Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’, one of the greatest works for violin which, for the last three years, has been voted Classic FM’s favourite piece of classical music in their Hall of Fame.
    
Benedetti’s latest album, the first in two years, marks a crossroads in her career having taken a year off from her busy recording schedule and promotional tours to focus solely on what is most important to her; her playing. As well as presenting stunning performances of some of the best-loved repertoire to existing fans of the violin, she also hopes to convert newcomers to the instrument by demonstrating the beauty and versatility that the instrument has to offer. With Benedetti’s extensive work in schools and legions of school-age fans, this can only be a positive thing for the next generation of classical musicians.