Tatjana Masurenko – White Nights (Viola Music from Saint Petersburg)

Tatjana Masurenko writes: “The idea for the “White Nights” album series came about many years ago in connection with my performances with Roglit Ishay… The sub-title for the recording is: “Viola music from St. Petersburg”. I grew up in that wonderful city; I studied there and my family lives there. As a musician who is always on the lookout for interesting new discoveries, I wanted to record these works for viola. You will find some familiar pieces in my selection, works that have long been in the standard repertoire for violists the world over, alongside new, unexpected arrangements. I set great store by expanding the viola repertoire, which is why I often play my own arrangements of well known works, especially ones that appeal to me personally. The three albums in the “White Nights” series are very different from one another; that is because even if we have remained true to ourselves, we have of course, over time, developed further. Unlike in the first two recordings of this series, in the latest one I am no longer playing on my old viola by Testore (Milan, 1756), but on a new instrument by the violin-maker Jurgen Manthey (Leipzig, 2020), whom I have known for 25 years and whose work I rate very highly. My playing technique has changed recently. Nowadays I play repertoire of the nineteenth century with more emphasis on the historical accent. For this reason, on this recording I am using gut strings and a bow made by the most famous nineteenth-century bow-maker, Nikolai Kittel from St. Petersburg (1856). The grand piano we used on this recording is also a historic instrument: a Bluthner of 1905 from Leipzig. Looking back over this music from St. Petersburg, I see it as an inexhaustible source of inspiration, of artistic freedom and love…”