Sharon Ruchman – From the Heart

Sharon Ruchman has been writing for piano and strings for years, but From the Heart marks the first time she’s narrowed the frame to just violin and piano for a full release. It’s a focused setup that suits her writing. She comes from a classical background: New England Conservatory, Yale – and her work often drifts between chamber phrasing and more contemporary lyricism. Her collaborator here, violinist Artemis Simerson, plays with the kind of close control you get from years in orchestras and chamber groups. Together they sound like players who understand each other’s timing and leave space when it matters.

The title track sets the tone clearly. The recording is dry and close, almost like the pair is playing in the next room. The melody leans romantic without leaning too far into sentimentality, and the steady piano keeps it moving in a natural way. “Enraptured” starts more direct, with Ruchman playing a sharper pattern before Simerson joins her. The piece moves with a sense of forward motion that feels almost like escape, built on a simple tension between the left-hand rhythm and the violin’s longer lines.

“An Embrace” is lighter, almost songlike. The phrasing is smooth and steady, built for warmth. “Fireflies” pushes even further into brightness. It’s short, playful, and has the kind of lift that would fit well in a scene built around motion or discovery. “Lullaby in G” slows things down again. Ruchman keeps the piano soft and steady while the violin moves gently above it. It has the tone of something you could imagine in an animated film or a quiet transitional moment.

The pacing shifts with “Hungarian Dance in F Minor.” It’s one of the more upfront pieces here, played with a little more attack: not aggressive, but more pointed and lively. “Adoration” returns to a smoother, romantic space, while “Forgiveness” stays understated, built around patient phrases that avoid big peaks.

The final three tracks make up the Sonata for Viola and Piano No. 1 in G Minor. The first movement has a measured, formal feel. The second movement is shorter and more direct, almost conversational. The third closes the album with a quicker pace and tighter ideas, wrapping the record in a way that feels consistent with its small-room character.