“The idea for this album came about some years ago when I attended a performance of Haydn’s Piano Concerto No.11 in D. While reading the programme notes, I was struck by the suggestion that the concerto’s finale, Rondo all’ungarese, despite its title, was thought to be based on a Croatian or Bosnian folk melody. This got me very excited, due to my heritage: I was born in Sarajevo, a small city that is a melting-pot of cultures, nationalities, architecture, arts, history and humour. The region’s culture is incredibly rich and diverse, and I am always keen to celebrate this.” - Ivana Gavric Haydn’s famous ‘Hungarian rondo’ finale to his piano concerto in D may not be Hungarian but from another part of the Habsburg empire - might its origins be Bosnian or Croatian? This concerto, together with solo piano works in homage to Haydn by leading French composers, frame the world premier recording of Cheryl Francis Hoad’s piano concerto, which takes the traditional Bosnian folk song Kad ja pođjoh na Bentbaša, Bosnian folk tales and the Haydn as its inspiration. This album bridges the folk songs of Ivana’s childhood to the music of her professional life and reflects her varied heritage.

It has long been my desire to record works by Chopin, and more especially the Mazurkas. Chopin wrote the Mazurkas throughout his life and I like to think of them as his short, poignant diary entries. These miniatures have a rich emotional palette; they are wonderfully inventive in melody, harmony, texture, character, and tempo, while at the same time sharing the same DNA: the dance rhythms of Chopin’s native Poland.