Shining Night— Anne Akiko Meyers violin; Jason Vieaux guitar; Fabio Bidini, piano (Avie 2455)
This album began with a question. Anne Akiko Meyers asked composer Morten Lauridsen if he had written any duos which include the violin. Though the answer was no, the question inspired Lauridsen to make arrangements for Meyers of two of his most popular choral works, Sure on This Shining Night and Dirait-On (‘So they say”). From that starting point comes an eclectic album filled with music of light and hope. Did we say eclectic? Arcangelo Corelli’s La Folia Sonata, an arrangement of the Elvis hit Can’t Help Falling in Love, Astor Piazzolla’s magnum opus Histoire du Tango and Duke Ellington’s Solitude are all here, with Manuel Ponce’s Estrellitta, Paganini’s Cantabile and the Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Violinist Meyers says this eclecticism has a point: “The common themes throughout the music reflect on one’s relationship with nature, love, and poetry. And how in dark and challenging times, kindness profoundly affects our souls and opens infinite possibilities when living our lives.”