Robert Schumann: Abendlied, Op. 85 No. 12
Jules Massenet: Meditation from Thaïs
Sergei Rachmaninov: Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14
Franz Liszt: 6 Consolations
Bach/Gounod: Ave Maria
Fritz Kreisler: Liebesleid
Kreisler/Rimsky-Korsakov: Chant Hindou from Sadko
Dushkin/Paradis: Sicilienne
George Frederic Handel: Largo from Xerxes
Felix Mendelssohn: On Wings of Song, Op. 34 No. 2
Felix Mendelssohn: Songs without Words, Op. 19 No. 1
Robert Schumann: Träumerei
Frederic Chopin: 'Raindrop' Prelude

It seems that all we've heard about over the last two years, and still hear about on a daily basis, is the pandemic. Throughout all this time I promised myself that I would never mention Covid or the pandemic within these pages as this is not the time, place or platform to bring up something that we are bombarded about 24/7. But since the opening paragraph of this recording's booklet notes sounds so apropos, I felt the need to include it here: "The global pandemic gave the world reason to look for consolations. The true power of art has been drawn upon by so many. And what greater consolation than music, an art form which expresses that which cannot be expressed in words."

Collections like this one are usually a dime a dozen, especially when all they are is a patchwork of unrelated pieces that share nothing in common. But in this case, the overall focus or concept brings everything together quite nicely. The core of this concept is obviously the 6 Consolations by Franz Liszt, five of which are new transcriptions for violin and piano by British-American violinist Maya Magub, which makes these world premiere recordings (No. 3 is the famous Nathan Milstein transcription). And all of the pieces gathered together on this CD fit well within the concept of consolation and commiseration, as none of them detract from the emotional bereavement and profound feeling of solace so characteristic to each one. Even the remote Chant Hindou from the Sadko opera, when given the proper treatment as it is here, doesn't disrupt the mood.

Maya Magub along with pianist Hsin-I Huang recorded the audio seperately during the lockdowns, each from their individual home studios. Had I not read this bit of information, I never would have even taken this into account. The care and attention to minor expressive details they bring to the music would have you believe they are in the same room, attentive to each other's suggestive input.