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This week\u2019s album of the week comes from Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti<\/a>, who has been electrifying audiences since she was a teenager. <\/p>\n Benedetti\u2019s other recent recordings include violin concertos by Beethoven and Elgar, plus a concerto written just for her by Wynton Marsalis<\/a>, so this one is something of a departure for her. Titled \u201cViolin Caf\u00e9,\u201d it recreates the sounds of a continental salon circa 1900 \u2014 with a Celtic twist.\u00a0<\/p>\n The album includes Benedetti\u2019s performances of classics from the late nineteenth century violin repertoire, accompanied by a small ensemble of accordion, guitar and cello \u2014 the kind of four-piece ensemble you might find in a Parisian cafe.<\/p>\n WPR\u2019s \u201cWisconsin Today\u201d newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Many of the selections are the kinds of works that might have been heard in such a venue, including music by Pablo de Sarasate and Manuel Ponce, plus the Polonaise de Concert by the Polish violin virtuoso Henryk Wieniawski.<\/p>\n A few of the works for this cafe ensemble range farther afield, from an eighteenth-century dance attributed to Austrian composer Maria Theresia von Paradis to a more recent work by English composer Peter Maxwell Davies: his \u201cFarewell to Stromness,\u201d a 1980 piano interlude that\u2019s become a favorite of guitarists in more recent years.<\/p>\n Rounding out the album is a unique set of collaborations between Benedetti and Scottish folk musician Br\u00ecghde Chaimbeul. In recent years, Chaimbeul has helped revive the Scottish smallpipes, a more indoorsy cousin to the highland bagpipes. She\u2019s featured in three Celtic tunes on this album, including the classic \u201cSkye Boat Song.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a flashy and personal album that crosses genres, eras and regions. Nicola Benedetti\u2019s \u201cViolin Caf\u00e9\u201d is out now on the Decca label<\/a>.<\/p>\nNews with a little more humanity<\/h2>\n