OUT NOW | Itamar Zorman's Newest Release, "Violin Odyssey"

Born out of a lockdown project, Zorman's new disc explores hidden gems of the violin repertoire from all over the world

Israeli violinist Itamar Zorman has recently released his new album Violin Odyssey on First Hand Records. The disc has come out of a lockdown project entitled "Hidden Gems," which saw Zorman search for lesser-known repertoire and record it in a series of video performances.

The "Odyssey" element of the album's title refers to the wide range of locations from which the music derives: there are works from Sudan, China, Russia, Poland, Croatia, Czech Republic, Israel, Mexico, and New Zealand, as well as the United States.

Several of the works also have some kind of connection with Zorman himself. One of these is Wanderings, a work by Zorman's father Moshe Zorman, while the inclusion of Joseph Achron's Children's Suite serves as a nod to the time Zorman was able to spend with his young daughter during a COVID-19 lockdown.

The 2011 winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition and a 2013 recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Itamar Zorman was born in Tel Aviv and studied in Israel, the United States, and Germany. He has performed as a soloist with the Mariinsky Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, and the New World Symphony, among others. Violin Odyssey is his third album and is supported by the Borletti-Buitoni Trust.

You can purchase the album directly from First Hand Records here.

For a taste of the repertoire Zorman explores on the disc, you can watch excerpts from the Violin Odyssey release party below: