Resident artist at the 2021 International Festival, Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti is one of the world’s most inquisitive artists, with a repertoire stretching from the Baroque to contemporary music and a passion for music education.

She brings her enthusiasms together in the second of her three events at this year’s International Festival. The Story of the Violin is a brand new multimedia concert that offers nothing less than a history of this remarkable instrument – from its beginnings in 16th-century Italy right through to its technological connections today.

From the profound spiritual symbolism of early Baroque composer Heinrich Biber and the remarkable richness of Bach’s monumental Chaconne, Benedetti travels through the excesses of legendary Italian violinist Paganini to the intricate, folk-inspired solo violin Sonata by Eugène Ysaÿe, considered the greatest violinist of his time. She concludes with two new pieces from our own time, pushing a familiar instrument in entirely new directions.

Discover the surprising history and astonishing musical richness of the violin, in the company of one of its most compelling performers.

Supported by Claire and Mark Urquhart