Hope

Both playing violin and conducting the Zürcher Kammerorchester (Zurich Chamber Orchestra), Daniel Hope explicitly designates this album as a ray of hope in the time of coronavirus. There's a good deal of sentiment layered on, but those who might think it's all too much are invited to consider how original the music is here. Most of the music is arranged from some other medium, beginning with the Misa Criolla of Ariel Ramirez; this favorite of amateur choirs appears with the solo voice part transferred to Hope's violin and a vocal quartet replacing the choir. It's a delightful, joyous reading, and things remain at a high level throughout, with the small Ensemble Amarcord adding textural variety. Hope has a knack for mixing familiar material, including the so-called Albinoni Adagio (one of the most sentimental string pieces of all time), here correctly credited to its creator, Remo Giazotto, with novel pieces. Thomas Hampson contributes a lovely take on Stephen Foster's Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway, not often heard in this context, and Arvo Pärt sounds perfectly natural on a program with Amazing Grace. Everything hangs together nicely, and yes, Hope is sentimental in a way, but real sentimentality depends on an appeal to the familiar. What Hope accomplishes here is anything but familiar. This is bound to be a major success during the 2021 holiday season and beyond.