The Serbian violinist Julija Hartig moved from Novi Sad to the Netherlands in 1994. She perfected her playing there and found employment with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Now there is one fascinating album, Dark Velvet, with the subtitle ‘an autobiography in music’. In ten compositions (including eight record premieres), Hartig sheds light on her Serbian-Dutch character. All the pieces were written or arranged for her.
Earliest music: playful duos for violin and cello by father Tibor Hartig from 1990. Youngest notes: Air & Riffs for violin and piano by the 23-year-old Veljko Nenadic. Despite the variety, it is not a hodgepodge. For an album, Hartig navigates passionately between noise and colour.
The biggest discovery is Oh, Die, My Love by the Serbian composer Isidora Zebeljan, who died in 2020. After a piano intro, Hartig plays and sings about the furious, destructive sides of female love. “Ah!” is the raucous closing cry. “Ah!” we repeat after the violinist.
Julija Hartig
Dark Velvet
Classic
★★★★ ren
challenge
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