Cinéma

With a captivating collection of lush new arrangements for violin and orchestra of film and TV scores, classical music from the movies, anime hits and new compositions by Oscar-winning composers, Cinéma showcases Esther Abrami’s versatility, musical sensitivity and technical mastery. She carefully curated each piece on the album, noting: “I am so thrilled about my new album. I wanted to curate a diverse collection that reflects my classical background, my French and Jewish heritage, my support of women in music, the films & anime that moved me the most and to offer a rich tapestry of music that spans genres, cultures & generations.  I often reflect on the similarities between film music & classical music – the intricacy of the orchestral arrangements, the emotional depth, and the timeless beauty of both – and I hope that listeners will fall for the music of ‘Cinéma’ just as I have.”

Cinéma features unique new arrangements of blockbuster hits such as ‘Naruto’, ‘Demon Slayer’, ‘The Witcher’ and ‘The Hunger Games’ alongside iconic French music such as ‘Amélie’ and ‘Les Choristes’ as well as beloved classics by Pjotr Tchaikovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich and Astor Piazzolla. The album also includes two world premiere recordings by OSCAR-winning composers Anne Dudley and Rachel Portman. Anne Dudley wrote her new work especially for Esther Abrami and Rachel Portman has reworked her music for ‘The Little Prince’ with Esther in mind. Esther Abrami came to the violin through her grandmother, has Jewish roots and since childhood already established a particularly emotional connection to the movies ‘Life is Beautiful’ and ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’, hence their inclusion on Cinéma. Another particularly emotional piece on the album is a new arrangement of the protagonist's theme ‘Zeyn’ from the Lebanese social drama ‘Capernaum’. The Oscar-nominated movie from 2018 is about the survival of a young boy in the slums of Beirut. Composer and film producer Khaled Mouzanar wrote this new arrangement especially for Esther Abrami.

Esther Abrami has been working closely with a variety of arrangers to create her own, unique arrangements for Cinéma. With stunning clarity, virtuosity and expression, she brings this range of repertoire to life with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Ben Palmer.  For two of the pieces on the album, however, Esther Abrami chose a very different type of instrumentation. In one - ‘Comptine d'un autre été, l'après-midi’ from ‘Amélie’, originally written for piano - Esther incorporated a loop station and thus accompanies herself on the violin.  In another, young guitarist Marcin features as her duet partner in ‘Libertango’ by Astor Piazzolla from ‘Le Pont du Nord’.

For the recording of Cinéma, Esther Abrami chose the legendary Smecky Studios in Prague, one of the busiest soundtracks recording studios in the world.  In its 80-year history, many famous composers have recorded soundtracks there, including Rachel Portman, Daniel Pemberton, Philip Glass, Howard Shore, Alexandre Desplat, Bear McCreary, Johann Johannsson and Brian Tyler.

Cinéma by Esther Abrami is available for pre-order now and will be released digitally in Stereo and the immersive audio format Dolby Atmos as well as on CD and limited edition 180g Colour Vinyl.