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By Matthew Westphal
27 Dec 2007
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| Tasmin Little |
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| photo by David Crookes |
In a step beyond the pay-what-you-wish experiment undertaken by Radiohead and Barbara Hendricks, British violinist Tasmin Little is issuing her next recording as a digital download available completely free of charge.
The recording, her first new release in four years, is titled The Naked Violin© and features three works for the unaccompanied instrument: Bach's Partita No. 3 in E major, Ysaÿe's Sonata No. 3 ("Ballade") and the new Luslawice Variations by English composer Paul Patterson. Little herself provides a spoken introduction to each work, intended as a guide to interested music lovers and as a resource for music educators.
"Many people who are new to classical music are understandably reluctant to take the plunge of spending money on a commercial CD," said Little in a statement about this project, "which in most instances will focus on a single composer or on pieces which are stylistically linked in some way.
"I wanted to create an accessible product on as many fronts as possible," she continued, "in which [both] listeners who are familiar with my style of playing and those who are completely new to the solo violin can enjoy a recording of the violin as in concert. The broad range of styles gives them the chance to experience the beauty and purity of Bach and the fireworks of Ysaÿe. I love to support British composers and Paul Patterson's witty showpiece is a tremendous introduction to all the tricks that can be produced by a solo violin."
The new recording will also offer the opportunity to compare the sound of two exceptional violins: Little's own 1757 Guadagnini and the 1708 "Regent" Stradivarius, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.
The Naked Violin© will be available for download beginning on January 19 at www.tasminlittle.net.
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