The worldwide lockdowns of 2020/21 proved highly fruitful for US-based violinist Itamar Zorman in his quest to seek out new repertoire. A virtual voyage around the world yielded a discovery of many lesser known and rarely played works for violin, which he presented in 2020 as a livestreamed video series entitled Hidden Gems. From this musical treasure trove he selected 10 pieces for his new album Violin Odyssey, produced by Grammy Award-winning Judith Sherman.

The far-reaching geographical origins of the repertoire, from New Zealand to the United States by way of Sudan, China, Russia, Poland, Croatia, Czech Republic, Israel and Mexico, reveal a fascinating variety of styles and cultural diversity in these seldom heard works. Two larger works set the framework of the album: Slavonic Sonata (1917) written by Croatian noblewoman Dora Pejacevic and the Second Sonata for Violin and Piano (1927) by Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff. While sharing Eastern European flavour, the two sonatas, written only ten years apart, are worlds apart stylistically. These particularly dramatic works are complemented by a programme of shorter pieces with evocative titles that suggest little adventures and encounters on a traveller's journey.