‘Gypsic’ is the very first recording of violinist Sarah Nemtanu, who brings a subtle touch of Balkanese extravagance to classical masterpieces from Ravel and Enesco.

Sarah Nemtanu is one of today’s leading violinists and her career to date commands respect, having performed with many of the most renowned orchestras in the world. For this ambitious recording, the Romanian-born violinist chose to perform pieces from the classical repertoire in arrangements bringing out their Balkan fibre. On this challenging recording, she teams up with the influential virtuoso pianist, electro megalomaniac and all-round entertainer Chilly Gonzales, who brings his experience in piano improvisations and familiarity with electronic music to arrange classical masterpieces.

The biggest challenge on this album was undoubtedly to rework the Blues from Maurice Ravel’s Violin Sonata, inspired here by rhythmic ethio-jazz, a blend of jazz and the traditional music of Ethiopian azmari minstrels.