Guernsey-born violinist/composer David Le Page conjures up an extraordinary range of styles in this debut album of his own material. Featuring strings, harpsichord and percussion these 12 tracks owe as much to the virtuoso Baroque world of Vivaldi as they do to the genres of film music, minimalism and pop. Effortlessly held together by the gloriously searing and emotional qualities of Le Page's solo violin playing the whole album is an uplifting and beautifully atmospheric celebration of imagination and inventiveness. 'Le Page was both virtuoso and poet' The Classical Source Born in Guernsey, David began playing the violin at the age of seven. “I was encouraged to improvise by my father from the first moment I picked up the violin. There was an immediate understanding of how the instrument worked and I clearly recall playing along to recordings of Grappelli, Bach, Brubeck, Bruch and Mendelssohn. There was no mystery to me. That came later. There were years when I forgot how important the freedom to improvise was and it was slightly frowned upon by some of my teachers in the Classical world. It helps me write and puts me back in touch with my most natural way of playing and making music.” At the age of twelve David was sent to the Yehudi Menuhin School where he came into contact with a broad range of musical personalities. “As well as receiving tuition from a number of high profile visiting teachers just being surrounded by fellow  students who played so well was probably the biggest influence on me at that time.” After a short period of study in Switzerland with Igor Ozim he returned to England, aged nineteen, and began working with chamber groups, orchestras, in musical theatre and as a soloist. “Although I didn’t know  it, this was my real musical education. I was aimless and I wasn’t ready but I learnt on the job. When I was at school the emphasis was on being good young but I gradually began to realise that it was ok to develop at your own pace. To keep on developing is the important thing. It’s only in the last 10 years that I’ve really begun to play and write the way I want to. This is because I understand it now  in a way that I didn’t in my 20’s. It was instinctive then but a bit ‘hit or miss’. Now I know where I’m going.” David has worked with a diverse selection of artists and ensembles including Keith Tippett, Michael Tippett, John Woolrich, Nicholas Daniel, Thomas Ades, Roger Eno, Billy Jenkins, Harvey Brough, The Gogmagogs, Errolyn Wallen, Huw Watkins, David Gordon, Matthew Sharp, Chroma, Continuum, James, Joe Duddell, Composers Ensemble and many more. He formed his own groups, the Le Page Ensemble, Subway Piranhas and most recently The Harborough Collective. He is the Artistic Director of Harborough Concerts presenting around 25 concerts a year in Market Harborough alone. He is leader of Stratford-upon-Avon’s Orchestra of the Swan and an Ambassador for the European String Teacher’s Association. Composing and arranging has always been part of his musical identity. “The idea of the composer/performer has fallen out of fashion, at least in the Classical world which I think is a shame. It had a healthy profile from the Baroque period through to the Late-Romantic era but fell out of favour during the 20th century for some reason. It’s important to realise that the music you compose is going to have to communicate directly with an audience. I’m always aware of this when I write. It’s not about trying to please an audience but it is about reaching out and striving to present a worthwhile and unforgettable experience.” “In terms of my music there are some obvious influences. There’s an undeniably Baroque flavour which sits comfortably, I think, with my Pop and Minimalist tendencies. Spilling out over the top is this quite ‘Romantic’ sounding violin which seems to permeate much of what I write. It’s fascinating to me that during the last 6 or 7 years my early Blues influences have been forcing their through into the mix. I used to try and suppress the urge to include that colour but now I’m welcoming of its presence.” “A question I almost always ask my students is this: ‘Why are you doing this?’ Quite often they don’t have an answer beyond the notion of wanting to play an instrument. In answer to my own question I would say that I’m wanting to communicate and reach out to people in a way that you can’t in everyday life. As an artist I’m aiming to alter lives for a moment or sometimes even longer. The violin is a tool, a way to achieve all of this. The best performances happen when you forget you are playing the violin and the instrument becomes a voice, a simple, direct way of touching forgotten areas of the soul. That’s why Art is so important. It leads us to places we don’t go to in our normal lives. To attempt this you have to risk everything. You have to put yourself on the line and not be afraid of failure.”