Alec Frank-Gemmill / Alasdair Beatson A NOBLE AND MELANCHOLY INSTRUMENT music for horns and pianos of the 19th century

The 19th century saw huge developments in the design of many musical instruments. In some cases changes were adopted more or less universally: the fortepiano that Mozart knew, a five-octave instrument constructed entirely of wood, had by around 1900 grown into the modern grand piano with over seven octaves and a cast-iron frame. With other instruments, progress was less streamlined. As late as 1865, the natural, valveless horn of Beethoven's time remained the instrument of choice for Brahms when he wrote his famous Horn Trio, and when valves began to be introduced, makers and musicians in Germany, France and Vienna favoured different solutions, offering different results in terms of sound and requiring different playing techniques. The present disc is a unique combination of recital and history lesson, with a young British team performing music from between 1800 and 1942 on no less than eight different historic instruments: four horns and four pianos. This gives us the opportunity to hear the works on instruments that the different composers would have recognized, whether Beethoven's Sonata in F major (a natural horn from 1800 and a fortepiano from 1815) or the Villanelle by Paul Dukas from 1906 (an early 20th-century cor à pistons and a Bechstein from 1898). Both notable performers on modern instruments, Alec Frank-Gemmill and Alasdair Beatson here revel in the sonic possibilities offered by the historic instruments with results that are as delighting as they are enlightening. (BIS Records)

Esther Hoppe / Alasdair Beatson MOZART & POULENC Works for Violin & Piano

The Swiss violinist Esther Hoppe is amongst the most interesting artists of her generation. Highly acclaimed by the press for her beautiful tone, her exceptional stylistic assurance and her sensitive yet virtuosic performances she always lets her stupendous technique serve the purest music making.

After studying in Basel (Musik-Akademie Basel), Philadelphia (Curtis Institute of Music), London (Guildhall School of Music and Drama) and Zürich (Zürcher Hochschule der Künste) she went on to win 1st Prize at the 8th International Mozart Competition Salzburg. Soon after she founded the Tecchler Trio with whom she concertized intensively until 2011. The trio won several first prizes at important competitions, such as 1st prize at the ARD-competition in Munich in 2007.

Since 2013 Esther Hoppe is professor for violin at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. She leads an exciting concert calendar and performs as a soloist with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Münchener Kammerorchester, Orchestre Les Siècles Paris, Kammerorchester Basel, Zürcher Kammerorchester amongst others, and her chamber music partners include Clemens and Veronika Hagen, Nicolas Altstaedt, Vilde Frang, Heinz Holliger, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Alexander Lonquich, Christian Poltéra and Ronald Brautigam.Esther Hoppe is a regular guest at festivals such as Lockenhaus, Ernen, Luzern, Gstaad, Delft, Prussia Cove, Styriarte etc.

After her first CD for Claves records (2014, with works by Mozart and Strawinsky with pianist Alasdair Beatson) was highly acclaimed by the press, a second CD with sonatas by Mozart and Poulenc will be released by Claves records in January 2017, again together with pianist Alasdair Beatson. She has also recorded with Virgin Classics, Neos, Concentus Records, and Ars Musici.

Esther Hoppe plays on a 1690 Gioffredo Cappa violin. She lives with her family in Zürich.