La Symphonie de Poche, Nicolas Simon, Deborah Nemtanu, Pierre Cussac

Dvořák: Slavonic Dances, Op. 46: VIII. Furiant in G Minor (Arr. Julien Giraudet)
Bartók: Rhapsody for Violin & Orchestra No.1, Sz 87 (Arr. Robin Melchior)
Dvořák: Slavonic Dances, Op. 72: II. Dumka. Allegretto grazioso in E Minor (Arr. Julien Giraudet)
Porumbescu: Balada (Arr. Pierre Cussac)
Dvořák: Slavonic Dances, Op. 46: VII. Skocná in C Minor (Arr. Julien Giraudet)
Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 (Arr. Robin Melchior)
Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances, WoO 1 (Arr. Julien Giraudet). No. 4, Poco sostenuto in F Minor & No. 6, Vivace in D Major
Ravel: Tzigane, M. 76 (Arr. Lucas Henri)

“And the violin dances Furiant, carried away by an irresistible ardour”. Beyond the intrinsic character of gypsy music, which constantly moves back and forth between melancholy and joy, dance is the obvious thread running through this album. It creates a bond through its intensity and infinite rhythmic contrasts, revealing a wide range of emotions. One dance can contain an entire life, with its laughter, its tears, its perpetual movement, its ruptures, its unpredictability in the passage from one emotional state to another…

Soon after being granted the Première Nommée prize at Conservatoire national supérieur de Musique in Paris in 2001, Deborah Nemtanu has been recognized internationally with such awards as the first prize from the Académie Maurice Ravel in 2001, the fourth prize and the special prizes at concours Jacques Thibaud in 2002, a participation in the Perlman Program (USA) in 2007, the second prize at the Benjamin Britten International Violin Competition in London in 2008, crowned by a concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2005, she was named concertmaster of the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, a leading position that she still holds today. In this capacity, she is a regular soloist at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, notably performing the third concerto by Saint-Saëns, the Symphonie espagnole by Lalo, the Brahms concerto and Bach’s Violinkonzerten, developing in the process a trusting relationship with such conductors as Andris Nelsons, Louis Langrée, Juraj Valčuha, Daniel Harding and Sir Roger Norrington.

Her critically acclaimed first CD, released in 2013 under the Mirare label, was dedicated to Saint-Saëns and Fauré and recorded with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris conducted by Thomas Zehetmair.

In December 2014 Deborah and her sister Sarah joined for a recording of violin concertos by Bach and Schnittke (Naive), before focussing on the complete duos of Bartók in 2016 (Decca). In 2017, another record was released, ‘Eh bien dansez maintenant ! [Well, then,
dance now !]’ (Lalo et Ravel) with La Symphonie de Poche, her favourite partners and friends. Finally, in 2018, a new CD was dedicated to Martinů’s double concertos for violin & piano, with Sarah Nemtanu’s and the Kodama sisters’ fruitful collaboration (Label Pentatone).