Rautavaara's Violin Concerto
Three-time GRAMMY Award winner Hilary Hahn presents her long-awaited new recording on Deutsche Grammophon, considered a tribute to Paris. This city, dear to her heart throughout her career, represents a significant cultural heritage. For Hahn, Paris embodies expression, emotion, and a unique cultural intersection that captivates both musicians and audiences. The initial idea for the album arose during Hahn's time as artist-in-residence with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in the 2018-19 season. Following a performance of Rautavaara's Violin Concerto with Mikko Franck in 2014, she asked the conductor if his compatriot and friend might compose a second concerto. Although health problems and Rautavaara's death in July 2016 initially seemed to derail the project, Franck was surprised to discover, through Rautavaara's widow, a nearly complete, elegiac manuscript for violin and orchestra. The album includes the world premiere of Rautavaara's Deux Sérénades, Chausson's Poème for Violin and Orchestra, and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, which was performed for the first time in Paris.
The album also features the world premiere of Rautavaara's Deux Sérénades, Chausson's Poème for Violin and Orchestra, and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, which was performed for the first time in Paris.