Philippe Graffin’s virtuosity combined with his skills as a sleuth have led to the world-premiere recording of a “Posthumous” solo violin sonata by Eugène Ysaÿe, an astonishing discovery that extends the Belgian composer’s canon of his essential six sonatas for the medium. Graffin unearthed the nearly-completed manuscript in the library of the Brussels Conservatory and completed the final movement in the most Ysaÿe-esque manner possible. Graffin’s penchant for intuitive programming is brought to bear on “Fiddler’s Blues,” combining two Ysaÿe works with a pair of folksy, Bohemian-flavored works by George Enescu, Ravel’s jazz-tinged Violin Sonata, and an arrangement of Debussy’s enduring piano piece Claire de lune.
Fiddler’s Blues: Philippe Graffin & Claire Désert
