Fasten Seat Belts - Solo Violin Pieces by Igudesman

Sheet Available on Universal Edition: https://www.universaledition.com/alek... "Fasten Seat Belts" includes 10 virtuoso compositions that push the boundaries of violin performance, perfect for advanced violinists. Enjoy recordings from Orlando Records and watch selected performances at www.alekseyigudesman.com. Foreword from the book: What is a virtuoso? A musician with the secret desire to play things faster than anyone else for absolutely no reason. Of course it is a little more complex than that. What drives a true virtuoso is partly the thrill of speed for one thing, but also having the ability to pull the audience in and make them hang onto your every note, be it fast or slow. However, playing well-known virtuoso works can be quite intimidating. One is easily compared to so many others and judged by one’s mistakes rather than virtues, not least of all – by oneself. The solution for me was to write my own virtuoso pieces so that in performance, I could make my own mistakes without anyone judging me. After all, they are my own pieces! What I would love, most of all, is if you could make these works ‘your own pieces’. Feel free to alter them in any way, be it the rhythm, articulation or even the notes and form. It’s my belief that every true virtuoso makes a piece his or her own – and that is precisely the way to go when using this book. Above all, feel free to ‘screw up’ and make that part of your interpretation. There are no mistakes – only opportunities! In some pieces I have also chosen to add more modern forms of virtuosity in the form of percussive violin playing, using a so-called ‘chop’. The way to perform that can be easily looked up online, on YouTube or heard on my recording. I have recorded these pieces on CD (orlando records) to show how I imagine they should sound but please feel free to ignore these recordings if you would rather. Aleksey Igudesman, October 2015