"How strange that no one has taken the trouble to review this beautiful haunting CD at the time of this review. The music was composed by John Crigliano to accompany that very fine film "The Red Violin" by Francois Girard. Much as I enjoyed the film the abiding memory from it was the glorious music. It was the sort of music you listen to and decide there and then that you must have at all costs, which is what I did of course. I will not pretend to be an expert on music, it is simply a case of listening to what I like and that varies considerably across the whole musical spectrum. Quality goes the distance whether it is desert blues from Mali or Mozart at Covent Garden, and make no mistake "The Red Violin" is top quality throughout.

The story of the film covers the sometimes bloody history of a violin made by a master craftsmen in Cremona, Italy the ancestral home of the violin makers. The story commences in the 1600s to the present day. We even have a bizarre episode in China. So there are many dramatic mood and historical changes which the music has to keep up with and convey. This it manages with ease. I particularly enjoyed the gay abandon of the gypsy section. Great fun. But above all this composition is a hymn to the violin. Whoops, an unintended bit of poetry there. Joshua Bell that wonderful exponent of that beautiful instrument is given full rein and uses his rare gift to stunning effect.

If you love the violin or come to think of it if you just love good music then I believe you will enjoy this beautiful music. I did. (Amazon Review)"