Doublestop Magazine

The Naked Violin

British violinist Tasmin Little has released a new album, the Naked Violin, as a free download. The album features three works:

• Bach’s Partita No.3 in E major for Solo violin BWV1006
• Paul Patterson’s Luslawice Variations op.50 for violin
• Eugène Ysaÿe’s Sonata No.3 in D minor “Ballade”

Little also includes some commentary about each piece, the two violins she plays on the recording, and some classroom suggestions for teachers.

So, what’s the story here? Is Little just pulling a Radiohead? It doesn’t sound like it. From the interviews I’ve seen about this project, it doesn’t look like she is searching for a new business model for classical music. Rather, she’s trying to bring new fans into the fold. A few choice quotes from an article in the Times Online:

“This notion that classical musicians are all snooty, and that our snootiness creates a barrier that stops people enjoying what we play. By doing what I’m doing I want to prove once and for all that the only reason why people don’t sample classical music is that they don’t have open minds, or they are lazy.”

“It’s about breaking down every possible hindrance to enjoying classical music, and about getting some discussion going about how to make classical music accessible without downgrading the product.”