Works for violin and piano

Although he was admired by illustrious figures such as Rossini and Verdi, violist-composer Giuseppe Austri is largely forgotten, in contrast to his great contemporaries Paganini, Sivori and Bazzini. These première recordings demonstrate how inventive and virtuosic his works for violin and piano are, suggesting that he must have been a performer with transcendent technical and expressive abilities. Austri followed in the footsteps of the great travelling virtuosos of his time and although his compositions may display Paganini-like texts, he combines fiery passages with graceful cantabile and intimate finesse.