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Heitor Villa-Lobos’ three violin sonatas date from a key period in his career: the moment at which he matured as a composer, established his personal idiom and achieved his first professional triumphs. Each sonata shares some influence from French late Romanticism or Impressionism, as well as revealing Villa-Lobos’ skill as a string player. The First Violin Sonata’s subtitle of "Désespérance" (‘Despair’) suits its melancholy lyricism, while the ‘infinite abundance of musical ideas’ in the Second Violin Sonata is characterised by a wide range of emotions. The sophisticated Third Violin Sonata is steeped in the influence of Debussy, but also anticipates Villa-Lobos’ new directions in the 1920s. Emmanuele Baldini is the winner of numerous international competitions, who has performed as a soloist or recitalist across the world. Following a successful career as a violinist, Baldini has pursued new musical ventures as a conductor. He founded the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP) Quartet, and has collaborated with internationally renowned artists. Since 2005, Baldini has been concertmaster of the OSESP. Brazilian pianist Pablo Rossi won the first Nelson Freire National Competition for New Brazilian talents in 2003. He has won numerous competitions and has given more than 80 recitals as a member of the Keyboard Charitable Trust. He has performed as a soloist with many orchestras at home and abroad.