When Lily Afshar learned that Vladislav Uspensky’s Musical Sketches on Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin had never been released, she became a guitarist on a mission. That mission has led to the release of Afshar’s first chamber music album, 'Musica da Camera', which features Uspensky’s piece and much-loved works by Paganini and Piazzolla.

“The inspiration for the recording began with my curiosity of Uspensky’s Musical Sketches on Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin”, Afshar says. “The fact that it is based on Pushkin’s novel, and the unique instrumentation for eight musicians - drums, bass, clarinet and strings with guitar - intrigued me. Knowing the story and listening to the programmatic piece clearly explains the character of the hero and heroines created by both Pushkin and Uspensky while blending 19th Century with the 20th.” In eight programmatic movements, the work depicts the societal and cultural atmosphere of Pushkin’s time.

To the Uspensky premiere, Afshar added a favourite: the classic Sonata Concertata, Op.61 by Niccolo Paganini. 'Musica da Camera' closes with a spirited live recording of Histoire du Tango for guitar and violin by Astor Piazzolla, performed with violinist Joy Weiner before a live audience in Memphis. “Sometimes wonderful musical moments happen on stage, which cannot be created in a studio”, she says. “That night, the audience gave us the energy and spark to bring the tangos to life. We brought out the rhythmic and melodic elements of the dances - it was a night to remember.”

The title of the album finds Afshar in a playful mood, inspired by the cinematic nature of the music she’d chosen: “In the Italian, the word ‘camera’ means ‘chamber’. In a light moment, the title Musica da Camera was proposed with a photograph of me alongside not a guitar, but a camera! It made me laugh and it was different and fun - just like the music.”