Nicola Benedetti

Nicola Benedetti celebrates the music of dance through the ages in three pioneering works for solo violin, ranging from Baroque refinement with J S Bach to foot-stomping fun with Wynton Marsalis.

In a masterclass of versatility and virtuosity, the UK’s leading violinist performs music with roots in dance given three distinctive twists. Opening with an emotional tour de force, Bach’s Partita No 2 with its towering final Chaconne is widely regarded as the pinnacle of his (if not all) writing for solo violin.

Taking direct inspiration from Bach, Ysaÿe’s poetic impressionism gives way to rustic dance, incorporating the virtuosic techniques of Paganini and the great violin masters that followed him. And bringing us into the 21st century, Wynton Marsalis throws a multitude of influences – Irish jigs, campfire ballads, and ‘good ol’ Saturday-night-barn-dance fiddling’ – into a melting pot to produce a truly unique ‘homegrown concoction’ that is both fiendishly difficult and fiendishly good fun.