Conductor(s): Schmid, Benjamin
Label: Gramola Records
Genre: Concerto
Period: 20th Century; Contemporary
Catalogue No: Gramola99284
Barcode: 9003643992849
Release Date: 10/2023

Jazz Violin Concertos - GULDA, F. / BERGER, H. / HANK, S. (B. Schmid, Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra)

The versatile violinist Benjamin Schmid, not only excels in classical music but also captivates audiences with his mastery of jazz and improvisation, earning acclaim from listeners and international critics alike. In his latest album, Jazz Violin Concertos, recorded with the Swedish chamber orchestra Musica Vitae, Schmid explores jazz violin concertos written by Austrian composers. The album features Friedrich Gulda’s violin concerto, Wings, a masterful composition conceived as a single grand violin cadenza accompanied by an orchestra, featuring virtuosic passages and groovy elements. Herbert Berger tailored his Metropoles Suite for violin, specifically for Benjamin Schmid. Each movement – Insomnia, El largo adios, A la minute, and Avenida – is associated with a metropolis. The Three Songs for an Abandoned Angel by the Austrian jazz pianist and composer Sabina Hank was also written for Schmid, adding to the album’s diverse and compelling repertoire.

Tracklist

Berger, Herbert
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
1 I. Insomnia 06:28
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
2 II. El largo Adiós 06:22
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
3 III. À la minute 04:40
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
4 IV. Avenida 07:13
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
Gulda, Friedrich
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Lettner, Christian (drums)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
5 I. Liberamente sempre 05:55
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Lettner, Christian (drums)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
6 II. Lento 04:06
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Lettner, Christian (drums)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
7 III. Liberamente 02:34
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Lettner, Christian (drums)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
8 IV. Allegro assai: Solo Improvisations 05:26
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Lettner, Christian (drums)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
Hank, Sabina
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Lettner, Christian (drums)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
9 I. Dauntless departure 09:05
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Lettner, Christian (drums)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
10 II. Soul's Concealment 06:15
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Lettner, Christian (drums)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
11 III. Free solo cadence 02:00
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Lettner, Christian (drums)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)
12 IV. Breakthrough 03:40
Schmid, Benjamin (violin)
Lettner, Christian (drums)
Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra)
Schmid, Benjamin (Conductor)

Total Playing Time: 01:03:44