Anne Battegay - The Essential Hebrew Violin (2022)

Indigo is the sixth colour in the rainbow and stands for truth; to live in harmony with oneself and everything as well as for intuition, inspiration and imagination. Thus, the colour symbolises the expansion of consciousness, holistic thinking and recognising connections between inner and outer influences. The trumpeter Georges Soyka therefore chose it as the title for his recording.

Born in Zurich 1988, into a traditionaly jewish family, Anne grew up in Zurich, Washington D.C. and Basel. She started to play the violin at the age of six and was immediately drawn to the beautiful sound of this instrument.

After graduating from Music-Gymnasium in Basel, Anne pursued her studies at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK) with the reknown teacher Nora Chastain. Another important influence she gained from an Erasmus year in Munich, studying with Ingolf Turban, famous for his virtuoso violin playing.

Coming back from Munich, Anne joined the Swiss Belenus Quartet and has won several national and international prizes at competitions with the ensemble, such as the first prize and audience prize at the “Franz Schubert und die Musik der Moderne 2015” competition and a special prize at the “1. International competition for String Quartet Sandor Vegh” in 2012. Chamber music partners as Valentin Erben, Claudius Herrmann and Anna Malikova, with whom the quartet recorded a CD, are regularly on stage with the ensemble.

In 2013 and 2015 Anne finished her Masters of Performance and Masters of Pedagogy with distinction.

Since 2015 she has two teaching positions at the Kantonsschule Zürcher Unterland and the Gymnasium Liestal , where she prepares young violinists for their final exams. Furthermore she is a regular supplementary player in the orchestra of the Opera Zurich.

As a chamber musician, teacher and freelance orchestra player Anne takes many different leads in music. With her new project “Hebrew melodies – a personal journey” she performes mostly unknown repertoire of jewish composers and tells her own personal story.

Tracklist
1. Ravel: 2 Mélodies hébraïques, M.A 22 (Arr. for Violin & Chamber Orchestra): No. 1, Kaddisch. Lent (4:47)
2. Ravel: 2 Mélodies hébraïques, M.A 22 (Arr. for Violin & Chamber Orchestra): No. 2, L'énigme éternelle. Tranquillo (1:16)
3. Williams, Bock: Fiddler on the Roof (From "Fiddler on the Roof") [Arr. for Violin & Chamber Orchestra] (4:22)
4. Achron: Hebrew Melody, Op. 33 (Arr. for Violin & Chamber Orchestra) (5:37)
5. Achron: 2 Hebrew Pieces, Op. 35: No. 2, Hebräisches Wiegenlied (Arr. for Violin & Chamber Orchestra) (2:39)
6. Engel: 2 Violin Pieces, Op. 20: No. 2, Freilach (3:36)
7. Bruch: Kol Nidrei, Op. 47 (Arr. for Cello, Violin & Chamber Orchestra) (9:38)
8. Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34 (Arr. for Violin, Cello & Piano) (8:38)
9. Krein: Caprice hébraïque, Op. 24 (Arr. for Violin & Chamber Orchestra) (5:59)
10. Kreisler: Marche miniature viennoise (Arr. for Violin, Cello & Piano) (3:10)