Exile

If there is a road less travelled to be taken, the violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja delights in taking it. Much of her discography throws light on lesser-known corners of the repertoire, and Exile is no exception. It showcases composers who were forced to leave their homeland, and the pieces that they wrote. The Russian Ivan Wyschnegradsky (1893-1979) is one of them, and his spiky String Quartet No. 2, composed 1931, deploys quarter tones to conjure an impression of wooziness and instability. Kopatchinskaja takes the solo part in Andrzej Panufnik’s Violin Concerto (1971), where her edgy, penetrating playing is colourfully complemented by the strings of Camerata Bern. The hyperactive finale shows both Kopatchinskaja and the orchestra at their most brilliantly incisive. Sparks also fly in the electrifying central movement of Alfred Schnittke’s Cello Sonata No. 1, arranged for cello, strings and harpsichord. The chemistry between Kopatchinskaja and the Camerata Bern players is obvious, and makes this album an absorbing listen from start to finish.