The first time I listened to the premiere recording of James Horner’s Pas de Deux, a double concerto for violin and cello, I was unaware of his recent and tragic death. I immediately enjoyed the music for its rich orchestral texture and cinematic atmosphere. I thought it beautiful. When my colleague told me Horner had died only days beforehand, the music took on new meaning. To my ears, the opening notes from the cello transformed from romantic to elegiac, and the soaring violin from pastoral to plaint. In life Horner was best known as a film composer, writing scores for Titanic and Avatar among many others, but perhaps in death he will be remembered simply as a composer whose music bridged the gap between commercial and classical. I certainly hope so.

This disc features Norwegian sister and brother duo Mari Samuelsen (violin) and Hakon Samuelsen (cello), and, accordingly, the two share a sympathetic musical rapport, particularly evident in Paul Bateman’s arrangement of Ludovico Einaudi’s Divenire. Mari describes the piece as keeping a ‘unity of sound’, and while both are individually talented, the duo certainly plays as a team rather than as competing soloists.

In choosing repertoire for the album, the siblings wanted a selection of contemporary pieces with ‘a melody, or a beautiful piece of harmony’, and to ‘give audiences something to remember’. Among the selection, Pärt’s Fratres (by no coincidence meaning ‘brothers’ in Latin) will be most recognisable to listeners, in this version scored for solo violin, strings and percussion. Here, Mari’s playing is unmistakably soloistic. She is an assertive violinist with a pure tone and impeccable intonation. Hakon similarly shines in Giovanni Sollima’s Violincelles, Vibrez!, performed with Alisa Weilerstein. This CD is a fitting tribute to Horner and a wonderful celebration of contemporary music.

Alexandra Mathew