Recommended Sheet Music, Violin Publications by Hilary Hahn and David Garrett

Distinguished violinists Hilary Hahn and David Garrett have both released an album of violin and piano sheet music. In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores is a collection of twenty-seven short encore works written for the 2013 CD of the same title. Including works from composers Max Richter, James Newton Howard, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Jennifer Higdon, and many more.

David Garrett – Best of Violin contains David’s personal interpretations of sixteen pieces in a mix of classical and pop and rock music styles. The sixteen transcriptions skilfully combine classical masterpieces by Beethoven and Paganini with pop and rock songs by artists including Justin Timberlake, Metallica and Led Zeppelin.

In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores

Hilary Hahn is a three-time Grammy Award winning violinist. She has performed worldwide to great acclaim whereupon she has built a reputation as a champion of contemporary music. Several composers have written works for her, many of which are included in the new publication In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores. The international premiere tours for these twenty-seven pieces were met with wide critical and audience acclaim. In November 2013, they were released on Deutsche Grammophon, winning a Grammy for Best Chamber Music/ Small Ensemble Performance in 2015.

The publication has been closely edited by Hilary and comes complete with Hahn's own fingerings, bowings and performance notes. Twenty-six contemporary composers of various ages and nationalities agreed to create encore pieces for the project, following the guidelines of being under five minutes long, and for acoustic violin and piano. For the twenty-seventh encore, she held an open contest, which attracted more than four hundred applicants to send in their compositions which were then reviewed by Hilary through a blind process before the winner was selected. The winner of this contest was Jeff Myers and his piece The Angry Birds of Kauai. Also included in the album are composer biographies and a commentary from each composer about their encore.

In the preface of this publication Hilary explains more about the encores:

"Encores are addictive. Witty, moving, and challenging, they have been offered to enthusiastic audiences by the greatest musicians throughout history...I was intrigued by the future of the genre and how composers might wish to redefine the form. When I pictured a novel set of favourite miniatures catching on – pieces crafted by today’s minds – the idea of a commissioned-encores project planted itself into my head... I made more than two dozen nerve-wracking cold calls to composers I hoped would create new encores...Twenty-six composers signed on...

For me, unwrapping a newly written work is like exploring a mysterious building with no apparent doors. I search for an entrance and then, once inside, I wander around, puzzling out what the design signifies and where I fit. Every one of these encores was fresh, free of interpretive tradition, and each spoke a different language. My initial process was full of trial and error. I broke down techniques and phrases until I understood them on the most fundamental levels. Often, I was pushed well past my limits. As the music came into its own, however, the pieces metamorphosed into brilliant, powerful, scintillating, beautiful works of art. They compelled me to discover new layers of expression..."

You can purchase both the CD and the sheet music album below.

David Garrett Best of Violin

Like Hilary Hahn, David Garrett is also a world-renowned violinist. Best known as a cross-over artist, David combines classical music with pop and rock styles in a unique way. By the age of seven, David was already studying violin at the Lübeck Conservatoire. David received his first Stradivarius violin at the young age of eleven, courtesy of the German President Richard von Weizsäcker after performing for him. At only thirteen, he signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon.

In 1999 he moved to New York to attend the Juilliard School, studying with eminent violinist Itzhak Perlman. Whilst studying David became familiar with other branches of the arts including theatre and dance, and noticed that the students of these art forms rarely went to classical concerts. However, when playing pop songs on his violin at jam sessions, the crowds were enthralled by his classical tunes mixed into pop arrangements. This led to the idea of using pop arrangements to introduce audiences to the world of classical music. David has for the first time written down some of his personal interpretations of world famous hits. The result is a musically inspiring, yet also technically demanding sheet music edition for violin and piano. In collaboration with Franck van der Heijden and John Haywood, David has succeeded in creating a piano part that captures the essence of the orchestral arrangements.

Songs include: Metallica Nothing Else Matters, The Verve Bitter Sweet Symphony, Justin Timberlake Cry Me a River, David Guetta Dangerous, Hans Zimmer He's A Pirate, Led Zeppelin Kashmir, David Garrett and Frank van der Heijden Furious, Guns 'n' Roses November Rain, George and Ira Gershwin Summertime, Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal, Bill Withers Ain't No Sunshine, Paco de Lucia Tico Tico, Paganini Io Ti Penso Amore, Mikis Theodorakis Zorba's Dance, Giacomo Puccini O Mio Babbino Caro, and Beethoven The Fifth.

David Garrett's new publication David Garrett Best Of Violin can be purchased below. Currently on offer until the end of August.