Mendelssohn conceived the Violin Concerto in E minor for his childhood friend, Ferdinand David, concertmaster of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, though it took the composer years to perfect it. The concerto remains one of the most significant works in the genre – serene, lyrical and luminous. Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major is another of the 19th century’s greatest concertos, written for his favourite student, Iosif Kotek, and a work of great beauty bristling with virtuoso challenges. On this album they are performed by the brilliant Guido Sant’Anna, the first South American violinist to win the prestigious Fritz Kreisler International Competition.

Guido Sant’Anna, described by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as having ‘charisma, stage presence, and an astonishing maturity and depth in his playing’ after opening the Rheingau Music Festival in 2023, is a highly accomplished violinist with numerous prestigious accolades.

Sant’Anna is the first South American violinist to win the renowned Fritz Kreisler International Competition and the first Brazilian violinist invited to the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition in Geneva, where he won the Audience and Chamber Music Awards in 2018. In addition to his musical achievements, Sant’Anna was recognised on Forbes Brasil’s ‘30 under 30’ list for 2022, further solidifying his place among the most promising young talents in the industry.

Thierry Fischer has been music director and principal conductor of Osesp since 2020, and of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León since 2022. From 2009 to June 2023 he served as artistic director of the Utah Symphony, of which he is now artistic director emeritus. He was principal guest conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra from 2017 to 2020, principal conductor (now honorary guest) of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra from 2008 to 2011, and principal conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales from 2006 to 2012.