Violinist Maya Magub and pianist Matthew Schellhorn perform Valse Mauresque by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
The work is the fourth of Coleridge-Taylor’s Four Characteristic Waltzes, which Magub and Schellhorn have recorded to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the composer. The waltzes were written in 1903 and arranged by Coleridge-Taylor for violin and piano. The waltzes showcase Coleridge-Taylor’s blend of English musical tradition and African heritage, echoing influences from Dvořák to Elgar.
On uncovering these works, Magub says: ’When great music exists but has been unjustly neglected, it is almost a moral duty to bring it to life and ensure that it can be heard. It was a joy to discover these waltzes and record them as a set for the first time, but also a challenge that pianist Matthew Schellhorn and I took on with the acknowledgement of great responsibility.’
Magub is a British violinist based in Los Angeles. As a soloist, she has performed concertos by Vivaldi, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Bruch and Tchaikovsky, the complete Brandenburg concertos in London’s St Martin in the Fields, and Dvořák’s Romance in the Royal Albert Hall. She received scholarships to attend the Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music, is a graduate of Cambridge University, with further studies at Vienna’s Hochschule and at Aspen as an ESU scholar.
She was a founder member of the Mainardi Trio and has been a guest performer with the Calder Quartet, Emperor Quartet, the London Mozart Players Chamber Ensemble and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Four Characteristic Waltzes is released on CRD on 15 August 2025.
Read: Coleridge-Taylor 150: ‘A message of hope and resilience’
Read: Coleridge-Taylor violin and chamber music: From fame to footnote
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