The Violin Player
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| The Violin Player | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | Feb. 1995[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1993–1994 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:50 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer |
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| Vanessa-Mae chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Violin Player | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
The Violin Player is the first synth-pop album by classical and pop musician Vanessa-Mae, released in 1995. It is the first album Vanessa-Mae released on the EMI label. The album was mostly produced by Mike Batt.
The Violin Player features a varied blend of music – covers of classical music (J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor), remakes of old favourites (including American composer Mason Williams' "Classical Gas"), original compositions (seven tracks composed by British musician and songwriter Mike Batt), and one original track by Vanessa-Mae herself, co-written with Ian Wherry ("Red Hot").
Singles
Three singles were released from the album: "Toccata and Fugue", which reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart, "Red Hot", which reached number 37 and "Classical Gas", which reached number 41.[3]
Commercial performance
The Violin Player reached number 11 in the UK Albums Chart in February 1995, and was certified Gold by the BPI in June 1995. It has sold over 1.2 million copies worldwide.[4] The album has been reissued as a multi-channel hybrid SACD by EMI Music Hong Kong.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Mike Batt, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" | Johann Sebastian Bach, arr: Batt | 7:47 |
| 2. | "Contradanza" | 3:49 | |
| 3. | "Classical Gas" | Mason Williams | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Theme from Caravans" | 5:06 | |
| 5. | "Warm Air" | 3:38 | |
| 6. | "Jazz Will Eat Itself" | 3:30 | |
| 7. | "Widescreen" | 3:58 | |
| 8. | "Tequila Mockingbird" | Ludwig van Beethoven, arr: Batt | 3:26 |
| 9. | "City Theme" | 4:32 | |
| 10. | "Red Hot" | Ian Wherry, Vanessa-Mae | 3:16 |
| 11. | "Classical Gas" (reggae version; Aswad and Vanessa-Mae (bonus track)) | ||
| Total length: | 46:31 | ||
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]
Musicians
- Vanessa-Mae – violin
- Mike Batt – keyboards (tracks 1–9)
- Gareth Cousins – synthesisers (tracks 1–9)
- Martin Bliss – guitars (track 10)
- Clem Clempson – guitars (tracks 1–9)
- Dick Morgan – oboe (track 1)
- Maurice Murphy – trumpet (track 1)
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – orchestra; conducted by Mike Batt
- Phil Todd – saxophones
- Vasko Vassilev – violin/viola section (track 10)
- Ian Wherry – keyboards (track 10)
Production
- Tracks 1–9 produced and arranged by Mike Batt
- Tracks 1-9 engineered by Gareth Cousins
- Track 10 produced and arranged by Ian Wherry and Vanessa-Mae
- Track 10 programmed by Ian Wherry; mix engineer: Ben Robbins
- Mastered by Ray Staff
- Music typesetting: John Zaradin
- Photography: John Paul
- Sleeve by Stuart @ Peacock Marketing Design
- Recorded and engineered by Gareth Cousins at Abbey Road Studios and Whitfield Street Recording Studios, London
