Women Esther Abrami

• Ethel Smyth (1858 - 1944): March of the Women:
• 1 Smyth: March of the Women (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra by Esther Abrami) 02:33
• Yoko Shimomura (b. 1967): Valse Di Fantastica:
• 2 Shimomura: Valse Di Fantastica 03:49
• M. Cyrus, Michael Pollack, Gregory Aldae Hein: Flowers:
• 3 Cyrus, Pollack, Hein: Flowers (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra by Jan-Peter Klöpfel) 03:08
• Pauline Viardot (1821 - 1910): Hai Luli!, VWV 1106:
• 4 Viardot: Hai Luli!, VWV 1106 (Arr. for Violin, Harp and String Quintet by Jan-Peter Klöpfel) 03:18
• Ilse Weber (1903 - 1944): Wiegala:
• 5 Weber: Wiegala (Arr. for Violin and String Quintet by Esther Abrami) 03:02
• Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847 - 1935):
• 6 Gonzaga: Corta Jaca (Arr. for Violin and String Quintet by Jan-Peter Klöpfel) 02:39
• Anne Dudley (b. 1956): Medhel an Gwyns:
• 7 Dudley: Medhel an Gwyns 02:49
• Hildegard von Bingen (1098 - 1179): O Virtus Sapientiae:
• 8 Bingen: O Virtus Sapientiae (Arr. for Violin and String Quintet by Penelope Axtens) 04:53
• Rachel Portman (b. 1960): Apple Tree:
• 9 Portman: Apple Tree 01:59
• Ina Boyle (1889 - 1967): Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (To the memory of my mother):
• 10 Boyle: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (To the memory of my mother): I. Lento, ma non troppo 06:56
• 11 Boyle: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (To the memory of my mother): II. Adagio 04:23
• 12 Boyle: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (To the memory of my mother): III. Allegro, ma non troppo 06:07
• Teresa Carreño (1853 - 1917): Mi Teresita "Little Waltz":
• 13 Carreño: Mi Teresita "Little Waltz" (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra by Jan-Peter Klöpfel) 03:20
• Chiquinha Gonzaga: Lua Branca:
• 14 Gonzaga: Lua Branca (Arr. for Violin and Piano by Esther Abrami) 03:40
• Rita Strohl (1865 - 1941): Solitude:
• 15 Strohl: Solitude (Arr. for Violin and Piano by Esther Abrami) 03:49
• Esther Abrami (b. 1996): Transmission:
• 16 Abrami: Transmission 04:01
• Total Runtime 01:00:26

Info for Women

Violinist Esther Abrami sheds new and illuminating light on female composers on her album "WOMEN."

"Women" focuses on the extraordinary talents of 14 female composers from diverse eras and genres and includes new compositions by Oscar winners Rachel Portman and Anne Dudley, as well as new arrangements of works by historical female composers such as Pauline Viardot, Chiquinha Gonzaga, Teresa Carreño, and Ethel Smyth. Esther Abrami has rearranged some of these pieces herself and composed an original orchestral piece, "Transmission," for the album. At the heart of "Women" is the world premiere recording of Ina Boyle's Violin Concerto, a poetic, late-Romantic composition. Esther Abrami selected each piece for the album based on a special emotional connection to the different women behind the music:

"For as long as I can remember, the only classical music I've ever heard was written by male composers. I studied classical music for over 15 years at prestigious music schools, but in all those years I never played a single piece by a woman. It wasn't that I actively avoided those pieces—they just weren't part of the canon. I asked myself, 'Have women ever composed classical music?'" And it turns out they did, and I discovered a hidden treasure. I spent months researching and immersed myself in a whole new world of music and fascinating stories of women who had remained in the shadows of history. This album is my homage to them and a journey through centuries of music, told through the voices of women who composed, fought, lived, and created against all odds. These women's stories inspired my career path and showed me how important it is for future generations to discover them. I hope 'Women' can inspire a new generation of young girls to compose."

Throughout her still-young career as a professional musician, Esther Abrami has been committed to giving voice to female composers. In her podcast "Women in Classical," she talks to influential female musicians about their careers. She has already literally shone a spotlight on female composers with her EP "Spotlight" with the London-based "Her Ensemble," which consists exclusively of women and non-binary musicians. "Women" continues this path consistently, bringing together a number of exceptional collaborators, including the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Irene Delgado-Jiménez, pianist Kim Barbier, harpist Lavinia Meijer, and the Esther Abrami Quintet.

"I am incredibly happy to be working with such a great orchestra and amazing musicians on such a personal project. Bringing these compositions to life with an orchestra is a memory I will never forget." (Esther Abrami)

Esther Abrami, violin
Kim Barbier, Piano
Lavinia Meijer, Harp
Esther Abrami Quintet
ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna
Irene Delgado-Jimenez,Conductor

Esther Abrami
Abrami’s story is that of a young, modern day women of the internet age who has succeeded on international stages and secured a coveted recording contract with a major label due to her courage, determination and willingness to share the ups and downs of her own remarkable life as a musician with a wide online audience.

Born in 1996 and raised in Aix-en-Provence, Esther Abrami knows how it feels to grow up in a culture far from towering classical institutions. “I had a countryside childhood” she says. “I went to a small, country school and I was always outside as I loved nature. We had a wild garden at home; my dad built me a little bench up on the hill where I could go to read and play my violin”.

Aged just three, Esther was given her first tiny violin by her grandmother, who herself had been a gifted violinist but, as was the custom at the time, gave up her own music-making when she got married. “I remember her trying to teach me how to hold the little violin” Abrami recalls. Although enchanted by this small, beautiful object, it would not be until the age of ten before Esther started to learn how to play in earnest, taking to the violin immediately. “I loved the feeling of the violin tucked in so close to me, like a living creature. I loved the sensation of the warm sound traveling through my body. After just half an hour with the bow in my hand, I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life”, she recollects fondly.

Always serious about her art, even as a child, Esther would watch concerts on television and try to recreate the sounds she heard. Being extremely motivated and having studied incredibly hard, at the age of 14 she eventually became a boarding student at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, often getting up very early at 5am to spend extra time in the rehearsal rooms.

Her hard work paid off and in 2017 Esther was accepted as a student at the world-leading Royal College of Music in London. Alongside her lessons, Esther also began to build her online career, playing popular classical music on her social media channels. She was more surprised and gratified by the positive response, however, when she started uploading practice videos, sight-reading videos and tips and helpful techniques for aspiring young musicians.

Esther has approached social media with the same open mindedness with which she performs her music. She has a sense of fun and fashion and delights in her collaborations with leading fashion houses like Givenchy. She has also entertained people online by demonstrating the difference between the sound of a priceless Stradivarius and a copy and is not averse to including the rescue cats she fosters in her posts. A recent YouTube video of her practising with a kitten snuggled in a pouch around her waist has received over 10 Million views.

Of her upcoming debut single on Sony Classical showcasing Clara Schumann, Esther Abrami notes: “I’m passionate about highlighting the work of women composers overall. It is such a pleasure to discover and perform their works, some of whom are only just beginning to be celebrated. For International Women’s Day, I’m especially delighted to be recording a piece by the wonderful Clara Schumann”.

Esther believes people have connected with her because she has opened up and told her own real story - not just one of the glamour of international travel and performing on stage but also the truth about the hours of practice and toil that otherwise goes unseen and unnoticed. Esther confirms: “It actually makes me feel vulnerable to put practise videos out there as it’s rather intimate, but I do want other people to see what happens behind the scenes, because I think that is much more inspiring. When I first came to England, I often felt that I was behind many of my peers in terms of technique and at times that was discouraging, but I’ve come so far. I’ve learned that it’s never too late and that you can always improve – that’s the positive message I wish to convey. I am always humbled and heartened by the messages I receive from people all over the world, telling me that somehow I have encouraged them to start to learn to play an instrument. That never fails to inspire me”.

In 2019, Esther Abrami became the first classical musician to be nominated in the Social Media Superstar category at the Global Awards. She has been awarded a full scholarship for a master's degree at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire under the guidance of Professor Wen Zhou Li.

Esther Abrami plays a fine Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin, kindly loaned to her through the Beare's International Violin Society.

Booklet for Women