Ernest Bloch - Violin Sonatas; Baal Shem; Violin Suite No. 1 (Boris Brovtsyn; Diana Ketler)

Information

Composer: Ernest Bloch

• Violin Sonata No. 2, B. 58 "Poème mystique"
• Baal Shem, B. 47
• Violin Suite No. 1, B. 99
• Violin Sonata No. 1, B. 42

Boris Brovtsyn, violin

Diana Ketler, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Naxos

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This album showcases the complete output of Ernest Bloch’s music for violin and piano, spanning from his passionate early compositions to his mature final works. The collection highlights two deeply personal violin sonatas: the First Sonata, whose dramatic intensity reflects the raw turmoil of World War I, and the Second Sonata (Poème mystique), inspired by a dream and woven with serene Gregorian chant melodies. Bloch’s celebrated suite Baal Shem draws upon traditional Jewish synagogal themes to evoke profound melancholy and spiritual ecstasy, while the concise, neo-Baroque Suite No. 1 for Solo Violin displays a remarkably inventive yet restrained side of his compositional voice.

Acclaimed violinist Boris Brovtsyn is a profound and versatile international soloist and chamber musician. Following his studies at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he made his UK debut with the BBC Philharmonic. Brovtsyn has performed under distinguished conductors like Sir Neville Marriner with premier orchestras worldwide, while remaining a fixture at elite chamber series such as Spectrum Concerts Berlin. An active educator, he currently serves as a professor at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität in Vienna. His award-winning discography spans prominent labels including Decca, BIS, Onyx, and Naxos, reflecting a rich, multifaceted artistic career.

Born in Riga into a musical family, Diana Ketler is an internationally acclaimed pianist, chamber musician, conductor, and educator. Her distinguished performing career spans premier venues and festivals worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw, and the Lucerne Festival. As artistic director of the SoNoRo Festival in Romania and Chiemgauer Musikfrühling in Bavaria, as well as co-founder of Ensemble Raro, she has produced a critically lauded discography with Bayerischer Rundfunk and Solo Musica. Ketler currently serves as professor of piano at London’s Royal College of Music, professor of chamber music at Geneva’s Haute école de musique, and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.

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