Hilary Hahn releases new album 'Paris'

Hilary Hahn’s new Deutsche Grammophon recording, set for international release on 5 March 2021, was named as the coveted “Recording of the Month” in the April edition of Gramophone. The American violinist’s personal homage to the cultural history of one the world’s greatest cities has also received high praise from the San Francisco Classical Voice.

On Paris, the three-time Grammy Award winner presents three pieces united by their connection to the French capital, including the world premiere of Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Deux Sérénades, which Hahn premiered in Paris in 2019. It also features Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.1, which had its world premiere in Paris, and Parisian composer Ernest Chausson’s Poème. Hilary Hahn made the recording with her long-time collaborators the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and its Finnish music director, Mikko Franck.

Initial reviews highlight the album’s artistic success. “From the late lyricism of Rautavaara to the urgent intensity of Prokofiev,” notes Gramophone, “Hilary Hahn’s captivating tribute to the city of Paris is imaginatively programmed and brilliantly performed…. Fans will already have marked this one down as a compulsory purchase and likely Awards contender. They’re not wrong.”

The recording and repertoire are given additional context in specially-filmed video introductions to the album’s contents, created by Hahn. The exclusive three-part series began on 26 February with the violinist’s compelling guide to Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.1 and continues with episodes devoted to Chausson’s Poème and Rautavaara’s Deux Sérénades, the latter created for Hilary Hahn and Mikko Franck shortly before the Finnish composer’s death in 2016.

On 7 March, Spotify and Apple Music subscribers can join Hilary Hahn for a virtual “Listening Party”. Fans can also discover more about the album and Hahn’s life and work from her DG Podcast interview with regular host and Berlin Philharmonic horn player Sarah Willis. In addition to discussing Paris, Hilary Hahn also talks about her ongoing #100daysofpractice challenge. The violinist’s innovative project offers a refreshingly honest record of her return to playing after a year’s sabbatical, and video clips posted by other musicians practicing tricky pieces or passages.