​Powerful tone and captivating narrative power

​ Violist Dana Zemtsov is praised for her “powerful tone and compelling narrative power” (NRC). Her interpretations are brilliant, full of fire and life, and benefit from the dark and rich timbre of her instrument.  

Her solo programme juxtaposes solo pieces by Bach and Paganini, two composers who expanded the violin’s possibilities with their innovative and imaginative solo works. Bach made the violin sound more polyphonic and colourful in his Six Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, completed around 1720. A century later, Niccolò Paganini conquered European musical life with his unparalleled virtuosity.  

 Some critics still dismiss Paganini’s music as showmanship. They are wrong. His music is rich and complex. Paganini took La molinara, a popular song of the time, as a theme for breathtakingly difficult variations that only the greatest violinists dare to tackle. Dana Zemtsov takes on the challenge of playing the variations on her larger viola, adding even more depth and colour to Paganini’s masterpiece.