Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst (1812–65) was one of the leading musicians of his day, a friend of Berlioz, Chopin, Liszt and Mendelssohn, and for Joseph Joachim ‘the greatest violinist I ever heard’. This sixth album – in a series of seven presenting all his compositions for the first time – begins and ends with some of the most difficult music for solo violin ever composed: Ernst’s Six Polyphonic Studies and his transcription of Schubert’s song, Der Erlkönig. Between them comes less familiar fare: five Schubertian piano pieces, and two settings of Goethe.

Sherban Lupu, born in 1952, is the leading Romanian violinist of his generation and was for decades, until his recent retirement from academic life, one of the most sought-after violin teachers in North America. For Toccata Classics he has recorded six of the seven volumes in this complete recording of the works of Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst as well as music by his compatriots, George Enescu and Theodor Grigoriu.

Ian Hobson, pianist and conductor, began his international career in 1981 when he won First Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition. He is in increasing demand as a conductor, particularly for performances in which he doubles as a pianist. He made his debut in this capacity in 1996 with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and also performs extensively as pianist-conductor with Sinfonia da Camera, a group he formed in 1984 and which quickly gained international recognition through its recordings. He is half-way through conducting a six-CD series the early orchestral music of Bohuslav Martinů for Toccata Classics and a recording of Moszkowski’s symphonic poem Johanna d’Arc is imminent.

Yvonne Redman, professor of voice at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has had a distinguished career on the operatic stages of the world, not least the Metropolitan Opera, where she appeared for eighteen consecutive seasons.