OUT NOW | Violinist Jennifer Pike's New CD: ''Elgar & Vaughan Williams''

Recorded with pianist Martin Roscoe, the disc features Elgar's Sonata in E minor and Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sonata in A minor, "The Lark Ascending" and "Romance"

Chandos Records announced the release of British-Polish violinist Jennifer Pike's new album "Elgar & Vaughan Williams."

"This recording is another very personal journey for me," Pike told The Violin Channel.

"Having explored my Polish heritage in The Polish Violin album last year, this time I have chosen to record some well-known and rarer gems of the violin repertoire that hold a special place in British musical culture and have also left an indelible imprint on my own identity."

"In many ways I found my path to the violin through Elgar. Some of his pieces were the first I ever performed and the way he is able to exploit the sonorities of the violin has captivated me throughout my life.  The profound lyricism and intensity so synonymous with Elgar is never far from the surface in the violin sonata, and yet the violin is drawn to the edge of daring, fantastical sound worlds through transparent, mystical textures that seem to look forward to a new era of violin writing."

"The wonderful thing about Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending is that it is just as powerful in its different versions, but in contrasting ways. The original version for violin and piano offers a more intimate journey with bell-like colors emanating from the depths of the piano, feeling a world away from the epic, sweeping sostenuto of the orchestral version but equally poignant in its own way. I am delighted to be joined by Martin Roscoe for this disc."

Elgar & Vaughan Williams

Jennifer Pike, violin

Martin Roscoe, piano

Label: Chandos

Release Date: July 31, 2020