Igudesman - In My Garden 1 for Violin and Piano, Grade 1, 53 Pages, Universal Edition

Aleksey Igudesman might reasonably be described as a modern day Victor Borge. With his cabaret partner, Hyung-ki Joo, he has toured concert halls all over the world, wringing all that is humorous out of classical music with just the basic tools of violin and piano. In my Garden 1 shows Igudesman in another light, that of a violin teacher, providing excellent material for younger violin students. Each piece depicts a fruit or vegetable to be found growing in the garden and includes a short poem (in English, French and German) and pictures to inspire the pupil and help them to interpret the music.
But these are not just fun to play; they conceal useful study material to improve technique like staccato or lyrical smooth bowing. Clever use of double stops (one note always an open string) will help the student make a more rewarding sound and inspire confidence. Grade 1 students can enjoy some of the pieces and still be dipping into it a year or two later. A piano part is included to make these pieces ideal for an end-of-term concert and, for more ideas, Igudesman has also depicted animals in similar fashion in his two volumes In the Zoo. In My Garden 1 Composer: Aleksey Igudesman Publisher: Universal Edition Instrument: Violin Pages: 53