Aleksey Igudesman is a prodigious violinist and enigmatic artist who continuously probes at the boundaries of what you might expect from a ‘classical’ player. Growing up in St. Petersburg, Aleksey was a precocious musical talent, and at 12 years old he received a place at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School in England, founded by another virtuoso violinist and conductor—the eponymous Yehudi Menuhin. Here, he met the pianist Hyung-ki Joo and formed a strong friendship that has lasted to this day.
After creating their first show ‘A Little Nightmare Music’ in 2004 as Igudesman & Joo, the two musicians have since performed on television and in stadiums as well as classical concert halls, alongside pop music luminaries like Simple Minds, Sinead O’Connor, Tears for Fears, Kim Wilder, and Robin Gibb. The duo’s theatrical blend of comedy, classical music, and popular culture has been met with much acclaim, and garnered over 45 million views on YouTube.
Upon graduating from the Yehudi Menuhin School, Igudesman was accepted to the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (formerly the Vienna Conservatory), where he studied violin with the renowned teacher Boris Kuschnir. Since then, Aleksey has built a glittering career playing concerts around the world and composing music, as well as pursuing filmmaking, acting, and writing.
As a performer Aleksey Igudesman has featured alongside numerous orchestras across Europe including Kremerata Baltica, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Belgrade Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra Vorarlberg, and the Tonkünstler Orchestra. Igudesman has also contributed music to film soundtracks including Inferno, Madagascar 3, and The Lone Ranger; as well as collaborating closely with Hans Zimmer on The Road to El Dorado, Spanglish, and Sherlock Holmes—the latter receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score in 2010. In fact, Zimmer hasn’t been shy in expressing his admiration for the Russian violinist, describing him as “My ultimate secret weapon.”
Not content with just being a top tier instrumentalist, Aleksey's cup truly runneth over when it comes to his array of creative talents. He’s a tireless and imaginative composer, and admits “The first thing I do when I wake up is to go and write a piece of music or a crazy new idea.” Igudesman’s compositions have been performed worldwide by soloists, ensembles, and orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and Vienna Symphony Orchestra, often with his own participation as a solo violinist and conductor. His quest for originality as a composer leads him not in search of music that safely fits any mould, but pieces that are full of “Moments where {you hear} this unique voice screaming out.”
Aleksey has also written a musical theater piece called The Music Critic, that he toured with John Malkovich in 2019; directed and starred in a feature-length film Noseland, featuring Sir Roger Moore; and published a book with Hyung-ki Joo titled Save the World, which describes how the world can be redeemed through creativity and humor.
Taking all the above into account, it’s clear that Aleksey Igudesman is a unique figure in the world of classical music, and it’s fitting then, that his collaboration with Orchestral Tools—Igudesman Solo Violin—is a solo violin library like no other. Orchestral Tools co-founder and CEO Hendrik Schwarzer describes the collection as being “ideal for outside-the-box composers looking to draw from an unconventional palette of tones and textures for sound design, experimental scores, and contemporary compositions.”
Inside Igudesman Solo Violin you’ll find an array of sounds that you mightn’t expect from a violin, via eccentric articulations like Neo-electric—fiery, distorted-sounding tones that replicate harmonic feedback; Percussive non-pitched—atonal percussive parts like scratches and chops; and Rhythms—sampled patterns recorded with a variety of tempos, octaves, and dynamics. As well as this the library includes ‘standard’ articulation patches played with Aleksey’s inimitable verve and commitment.
Everything in the collection was recorded on the legendary Teldex Scoring Stage in Berlin, and performed by Igudesman on his exquisite early 18th century violin from Italian luthier Santo Serafin. Now, you can channel Aleksey Igudesman’s boundary-pushing artistic style and unique sonic palette for your own projects.