Famed for his profoundly Romantic violin concertos, Henry Vieuxtemps revolutionised violin playing in the 19th century. His loyal student Eugène Ysaÿe pointed out that his teacher’s work was ‘a treasure to be protected at all costs’ and ‘ought to be known in its entirety’. Vieuxtemps’s bicentenary in 2020 provided an ideal opportunity to unearth lost and often unpublished manuscripts passed down through the composer’s family. These rediscovered gems include the world-premiere of the Fantasy for Voice, Violin and Orchestra, presented here in a piano reduction, an amazing work in which the voice, evoking the composer’s memories in a wordless vocalise, wraps itself around the notes of the violin.

Henry Vieuxtemps’s Violin Concertos have long been available in fine recordings on our Romantic Violin Concertos edition and elsewhere, but the Naxos label has for many years been enthusiastic in its exploration of this composer’s less frequently heard music. Such releases include Music for Viola and Piano (8555262) heard as ‘excellent performances and… attractive works’ by MusicWeb International, and numerous Variations and other works (8574363) regarded as ‘Naxos at its best’ in Gramophone.

Vilmos Csikos is a laureate of numerous International violin competitions including First Grand Prize at the Henry Vieuxtemps International Violin Competition in 2020 (Verviers, Belgium), and has appeared as a concert soloist with leading orchestras throughout Europe. Pianist Olivier Lechardeur’s passion for chamber music has seen him collaborating in performances all over the world, while young soprano Manon Lamaison has already taken numerous leading operatic roles and is a rising star both in major productions both French and international.