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”.

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