Deutsche Grammophon is pleased to announce the upcoming release of David Garrett’s latest album. Garrett’s album, Iconic, features over 20 tracks inspired by the renowned violinists he admired as a child. It will be available in all formats on November 4, 2022. New arrangements for violin, guitar, and orchestra (by Franck van der Heijden and David Garrett) feature music by Bach, Dvořák, Gluck, Kreisler, Mendelssohn, and Schumann, among others. David Garrett is accompanied by his guitarist Franck van der Heijden, who also conducts Orchestra The Prezent, and is joined in duet arrangements by his former instructor Itzhak Perlman, famous tenor Andrea Bocelli, flautist Cocomi, and trumpeter Till Brönner.
David Garrett’s particular musical tastes recall the golden age of violin virtuosos, when performers like Zino Francescatti, Arthur Grumiaux, Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Kreisler, and Yehudi Menuhin pleased audiences with popular encores and other minatures. As a young musician, he admired these and other historical performers, aspired to their skill, and immersed himself in their historic recordings.
“Sadly, in the last few decades, many violinists have stopped performing some of the short, instantly memorable works the greats of the 20s and 30s played in their recitals,” according to Garrett. “That’s why it means so much to me to get the chance to bring all these beautiful works back to life.”
Iconic begins with the sensual romance of Estrellita by Mexican composer Manuel Ponce. The program contains famous tunes such as Saint-Saëns’ The Swan and Danse macabre, Foster’s Jeanie with the light brown hair, Raff’s Cavatina, Fauré’s Après un rêve, and the middle Largo of the “Winter” Concerto from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Garrett collaborates with Andrea Bocelli on Schubert’s Ave Maria, Itzhak Perlman on Shostakovich’s Praeludium, Japanese flautist Cocomi on Debussy’s La fille aux cheveux de lin, and German trumpeter Till Brönner on Dinicu’s virtuoso Hora staccato.
“Pieces like these shaped my musical thinking,” the violinist explains. “I’ve made many great albums myself, and this time it was very crucial for me to dwell on the essentials, on what truly speaks to the heart. The works on Iconic aren’t just about virtuosity. They have beautiful melodies that bring listeners closer to what truly counts in life: harmony!”
Iconic will be available as a normal CD and double-disc LP. It will also be available as a Deluxe CD with three bonus tracks, including Paganini’s magnificent Moto perpetuo, as well as a digital album with the bonus of Kreisler’s Schön Rosmarin.
David Garrett started playing the violin at the age of four. He made his stage debut at the age of 10 and became the youngest musician ever to sign with Deutsche Grammophon only three years later. By his mid-teens, he had established a successful solo career, recording all twenty-four of Paganini’s notoriously difficult Caprices. He went on to become one of Itzhak Perlman’s first students at New York’s renowned Juilliard School. Over the last two decades, he has performed with many of the world’s best orchestras and conductors, reaching new audiences all over the world with concerts featuring rock anthems, classical sonatas, solo showpieces, and film themes. His autobiography, Wenn ihr wüsstet (“If you only knew”), published earlier this year, reveals his journey from kid prodigy to successful adult artist, despite challenges.