Daniel Hope, violin & Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano

British violinist Daniel Hope joins his frequent collaborator Simon Crawford-Phillips in this recital entitled La Belle Époque, which will appeal to both connoisseurs and novices alike with its blend of charming salon works and two considerable sonatas, both by French composers. César Franck’s Violin Sonata, given as a wedding present to the young Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, is paired with Maurice Ravel’s Violin Sonata, with its gypsy-inspired finale that will leave you breathless.

A protégé of Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Daniel Hope has enjoyed a thriving international solo career for more than 30 years. Celebrated for his musical versatility and dedication to humanitarian causes, Hope has also found success as a radio and television personality, has penned four bestselling books, and remains one of today’s most prolific classical recording artists with more than 30 albums to his credit. He currently splits his time between three posts: Music Director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Music Director of San Francisco’s New Century Chamber Orchestra, and President of Beethoven-Haus in Bonn. In response to the war in Ukraine, Hope joined with Ukrainian pianist Alexey Botvinov in releasing “Music for Ukraine”, a benefit album featuring Ukrainian composers.

“There are few figures in today’s classical music who so perfectly embody the role of ambassador for music as Daniel Hope.” 
      ~Gramophone Magazine

Simon Crawford-Phillips is a renowned pianist, respected conductor, and Artistic Director of several festivals, with a passion for championing contemporary composers. A devoted chamber music collaborator, Crawford-Phillips performs frequently with the likes of Colin Currie, Pekka Kuusisto, Anthony Marwood, Truls Mørk, Anne Sofie von Otter, and the Danish String Quartet and serves as the pianist of the acclaimed Nash Ensemble. He is currently the Artistic Adviser and Chief Conductor of the Västerås Sinfonietta, the Artistic Director of the Change Music Festival in Norra Holland, and Co-Artistic Director of the Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival.