The World Premiere of Jacob’s Dream Sonata Fantasia for Violino Piccolo: Performed by Grigory Sedukh

A studio recording of Jacob’s Dream, a sonata fantasia for violino piccolo and piano, is now available on Baruch Berliner’s YouTube channel.

The piece was recorded on November 5 and 6 at the Mravinsky School of Music in St. Petersburg, performed by the exceptional violinist Grigory Sedukh and pianist Natalia Erte.

Grigory Sedukh, a unique performer, is the world’s only soloist who plays the violino piccolo—a remarkable instrument created in the mid-20th century by the American acoustician Dr. Carleen M. Hutchins. This instrument is the culmination of Dr. Hutchins’ three decades of inquiry into string instruments crafted from the 18th to the 21st centuries.

The violino piccolo’s range is an octave above that of a standard violin. To play in the upper register, special E strings measuring 0.178 mm in thickness are used. These strings were developed at Bell Laboratories in collaboration with NASA and the renowned Super-Sensitive Musical String Company.

Natalia Erte is the laureate of multiple international competitions, such as the 13th Maria Yudina International Competition (2017, 1st prize), the 4th International Competition “Contemporary Art and Education” (2009), the 5th Maria Yudina International Competition (2003, 2nd prize), the Gartow Stiftung Chamber Music Competition (2004, 3rd prize), and the International Chamber Music Competition “Charles Hennen Concours” (2006, 1st prize and special award).

Ms. Erte is a prominent presence in the concert scene of St. Petersburg and other cities across Russia. She regularly performs solo programs, supplemented with her own commentary and discussions about the music. She has premiered numerous works by contemporary composers.

Audio Recording, editing, and mixing by Alejandro Contreras Koob

Video recording, editing, and mixing by Andres Izmaylov

Produced by Nachum Slutzker