Suite italienne is the brainchild of violinist Jonian Ilias Kadesha – his second album on Linn – and the Swiss ensemble CHAARTS Chamber Artists. With Italy as the common thread through each of the three works, the riotous programme includes the premiere recording of Sollima’s TYCHE, a violin concerto that was composed specifically for Jonian. Echoing Jonian and Sollima’s mixed roots, the work absorbs musical ideas from different sources and, as the title suggests, reflects on the Greek goddess of fate, or the Italian equivalent Fortuna, and the ambivalence of life itself. The title work, Suite italienne from Stravinsky’s ballet Pulcinella , is performed here in an arrangement for string orchestra, harpsichord and violin; its playful style calls to mind the Commedia dell’arte. Vivaldi’s ‘Il Grosso Mogul’ concerto, likely named after one of the largest diamonds to have ever existed, completes the programme and finds in Jonian one of its most flamboyant champions.
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