Christmas Confusion for violin and piano; Aleksey Igudesman (Universal Edition)

In a true performance piece, Igudesman starts us off, appropriately, with Jingle Bells, but a Jingle Bells heard through his ears. This polite opening quickly morphs into an Igudesman-style Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, followed by other surprises of sacred and secular bent. His opening note, "Kind of Christmassy with a touch of Hannukah," is apt, as his (recommended) sung "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" leads directly into "I Have a Little Dreidel." Timid violinists are advised to stick with the generic Silent Night (which, surprisingly, also makes an appearance here, along with Auld Lang Syne). True performers of advanced skills will want to work this oddity into their holiday program this year. Christmas Confusion is challenging for both players, but will delight audiences with surprising quotes from familiar materials.