Baiba Skride: Russian Souvenirs for Tchaikovsky

Latvian-born violinist Baiba Skride is back with a new album on Sony BMG Masterworks. After a release with her sister Lauma on “The Duo Sessions”, “Tchaikovsky Souvenir Russe” sees her return to solo mode again. Having said that, “Tchaikovsky Souvenir Russe” is of course not a solitary effort, with Andris Nelsons and the Birmingham City Symphony Orchestra supporting Baiba Skride on Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Cóncerto in D Major”, Alexander Glasunow’s orchestral transcription of “Souvenir d’un lieu cher” as well as two excerpts from the Russian composer’s ballet “Swan Lake”. Next to the musical qualities of the the Birmingham City Symphony Orchestra, there may have been an additional reason to work with Andris Nelsons: Just like Baiba Skride, he is an expatriot from Riga and his recent discography already includes a Violin concerto recording (with Arabella Steinbacher), so communication channels were wide open and filled with mutual understanding. Which will have been essential to Skride, for “Tchaikovsky Souvenir Russe” was an affair of the heart for her.