Viktoria Kaunzner, Viktoria & Virtuosi, Universal Korean Organic Ensemble and Juan Pablo Hellín - Saiga Antelope (2025) [Hi-Res]

The violin concerto is a big favourite among classical music lovers, and audiences love to hear the works of Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and their Baroque forerunners. But how about concertos for violin by female composers?

In this recording, Viktoria Elisabeth Kaunzner has compiled a thrilling selection of contemporary works for violin and orchestra by female composers. She describes her vision thus: “I always saw Antonio Vivaldi as an important role model – as solo violinist, composer and mentor of orphaned girls who took instruction in the violin from him. He founded the orchestra of the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice with them, drawing connoisseurs and amateurs from all over Europe and beyond to hear his celebrated violinists. During my long period in Seoul as a practising as a professor of violin, violin soloist and composer. I heard and saw the ballet Giselle to music by Adolphe Adam and was enchanted by an orchestration completely new to me: the instruments of the classical symphony orchestra were augmented by a few selected instruments with silk strings and rosewood such as are familiar in east Asia. I found this combination of tone colours exceptionally attractive and resolved to try out this blend of sounds for myself at home in Europe and bring them to life in an ensemble of my own with selected virtuosos.”

Violin soloist and composer Viktoria Elisabeth Kaunzner is hailed by the press as a “ cross-cultural traveller” for her idea of merging Eastern and Western traditions in music. It is one of her goals to “to feed the channels of the European ear with new things in an intelligent manner”. “Like many composers who make music themselves as practitioners, she has a deeper insight into the music than others (American Record Guide)”, a combination she pursues with passion that revives the tradition of the composing virtuosos of yesteryear.” For that very reason she aims to encourage composers male and female to write new works for violin and orchestra. The potential of UKOREVV – Universal Korean Organic Ensemble – Viktoria & Virtuosi is vast: from true classical violin sound, by way of combination with wind, keyboard, plucked or percussion instruments, to the inclusion of Oriental instruments. Audiences are thus actively involved in the widening of the violin repertoire and can witness important new departures in music history, as premieres are placed alongside standard repertoire. At the opening concert of the “EurAsian Flow” tour at Munich’s Herkulessaal in the autumn of 2022, the audience experienced a violin-concert marathon of works on this CD with a twinkle of the Mozartian eye.