Irina Muresanu writes of this release: It all started when I tackled Mark OConnors Cricket Dance. It is a short, straightforward tune that requires the skills of an intermediate player, and yet it took me an absurdly long time to learn. To put things in context: I was capable of learning whole violin concertos in a matter of weeks, so why was the OConnor piece so hard to get under my fingers? Could it have been because it was written in a musical style completely different than my classical training? And if so, how many more different languages were there outside of the traditional/standard repertoire? With this idea, I started my exploration of works reflecting the ways the violin (including its ancestors and relatives) is employed in musical settings worldwide. What resulted is Four Strings Around the World, a celebration of diverse cultures refracted through the unifying voice of solo violin, a project which immersed me in sounds and colors I didnt even realize could be produced by my own instrument irresistiblenot just a virtuoso but an artist (The Boston Globe) Musical luster, melting lyricism and colorful conception made Irina Muresanus performance especially admirable (LA Times)