Debut Album Press Release
When Coco Tomita won the Strings Final of the BBC Young Musician competition in 2020, it was a watershed moment: as she says, the experience “has opened so many doors for me and given me so many opportunities. I treasure them.” This album came about as a direct result of Coco Tomita’s performance in the contest. Orchid Classics Director Matthew Trusler was a guest commentator at the competition, and was so impressed with Tomita’s playing that he immediately offered her the chance to record with the label. It’s a collaboration that has proven to be a hugely positive experience for Coco Tomita and has resulted in a stunning album. As she recalls, Orchid encouraged her to take time to “think of a programme, think of a concept and prepare for it… they were really generous with the time they gave me to prepare for this.”
The choice of repertoire is also entirely Tomita’s own: “Having complete freedom over what I wanted to share with the world was amazing, a true privilege. Put simply, I love all the pieces I’ve chosen deeply. They’ve resonated with me over the years. When putting this programme together I found really interesting connections between every piece and composer. It also related to key figures of the 20th century, especially female violinists I hugely respect.” Those violinists include Ginette Neveu, the driving force behind Poulenc’s Violin Sonata, as well as two figures who influenced Ravel’s violin writing: Hélène Jourdan-Morhange, for whom he wrote his Violin Sonata No. 2, and Jelly d’Aranyi – who in turn was taught by Jenő Hubay, whose Carmen – Fantaisie brillante is one of the pieces on the album that Tomita played to such acclaim during BBC Young Musician. She is particularly fascinated by the Poulenc and Ravel Sonatas, which are at the heart of the album: “I love them, there’s so much to explore and express.”
Another connection came via George Enescu, whose ‘Country Fiddler’ begins the album. Enescu knew Ravel and taught Yehudi Menuhin, and Coco Tomita in turn studied at the Menuhin School for almost a decade, which makes her feel part of a kind of family tree of violinists. Her own family background was similarly nurturing, with pianist parents who encouraged her talents on the violin without piling on the pressure. This led to ten years of lessons with Natasha Boyarsky, whom Tomita credits with much of her musical development: “I owe her a lot, she was the one who really put me on the path.” Another family friend is the pianist Simon Callaghan, with whom Coco Tomita performs on this album: “Working with him made this experience so easy and really fun; we connected well as a duo and I look forward to more collaborations with him”.
Alongside these collaborations and other chamber music, Coco Tomita has a tour of Japan to look forward to; she was born there before moving to the UK but has never given concerts there and will be performing at Suntory Hall among other venues. She continues her studies in Berlin, and above all relishes the prospect of more opportunities to share her love of music with new audiences: “Being able to make music is what makes me happiest… the adrenaline you get with performing is the most rewarding feeling.”
by Joanna Wyld
On this disc, Coco plays on a violin by Antonio Stradivari kindly loaned to her by a generous sponsor through the Beare’s International Violin Society.