Stravinsky: Suite italienne

Debut solo album from Japanese violinist Mayuko Kamio, winner of the 2007 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

Mayuko Kamio made her concert debut in Tokyo at the age of ten under the baton of Charles Dutoit, in a concert broadcast on NHK television. In 1998, having captured a prize at the Menuhin International Violin Competition (the youngest ever to win the award), she performed with the Orchestre National de Lille under Lord Menuhin’s baton.

In 2004, Kamio was awarded the Gold Medal at the Monte Carlo Violin Masters and the International David Oistrakh Violin Competition in Ukraine. In 2004, she performed with the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda in Manchester, which was broadcast on BBC Radio, and then went on to tour to Japan. In January 2005, she was invited by the Lincoln Center in New York and gave a recital to huge critical acclaim. In 2006, she gave recitals in Japan, France, the United States, in Russia, and also performed with Tonhalle Orchestra/ Eliahu Inbal and Israel Philharmonic/ Zubin Mehta.

‘Cello Diverse’ is the debut release for Susanne Beer on Divine Art Records. The two featured sonatas differ in apparent scale, quite apart from the very obvious matters of harmony and style. Stravinsky’s ‘Suite Italienne’ is based originally on a theme by Pergolesi, and arranged for cello and piano at the request of the legendary Piatigorsky. The final piece is a transcription of the key theme to the movie “The Mission”.

Rarely heard, the bayan is a small Russian style accordion and Elisbeth Moser has skillfully

transcribed these pieces for performance by cello and bayan. An unusual combination but the result is a charming CD full of colour and atmosphere.