Violinist Anne Battegay's "The Essential Hebrew Violin"

Released on ARS Produktion, the disc explores the work of Jewish composers from the first decades of the twentieth century and features several world premiere arrangements

Violinist Anne Battegay recently released her new disc, "The Essential Hebrew Violin." Drawing on Battegay's cultural background and childhood, the album covers a range of lesser-known Jewish composers from the first decades of the twentieth century — such as Achron, Bloch, and Klein.

The disc is recorded alongside conductor Marc-Olivier Oetterli and the Kurpfälzische Kammerorchester Mannheim, as well as cellist François Robin and pianist Alessandro Tardino.

Born in Zurich, Anne Battegay spent her childhood dividing her time between that city, Washington D.C., and Basel. She studied with Nora Chastain at the Zurich University of the Arts, and also spent time in Munich learning from Ingolf Turban.

Following her studies, Battegay became a member of the Belenus Quartet and went on to win several competitions — including First Prize and the audience prize at the 2015 edition of the Franz Schubert und die Musik der Moderne competition.

Alongside her performing career, Battegay is a committed pedagogue, holding a second master's degree in this subject. She teaches high-school level students at both the Kantonsschule Zürcher Unterland and the Gymnasium Liestal.

"On the Day of Jewish Culture, back in 2020, I performed a concert of Jewish music, with pieces written almost exclusively by Jewish composers," Battegay said.

"I deeply enjoy playing this program, expressing myself through this music that feels like second nature to me. These works are completely unknown...and of course, this is very exciting, because you begin with a diamond in the rough and then slowly dig deeper."

"I really, really enjoy working with Marc-Olivier [Oetterli]," she added. "I think he approaches each project with a certain idealism, which I really appreciate. I can sense that he is always one hundred per cent dedicated and engaged."

You can purchase the album here, and hear more about it below.