Catalogue

Summary:

“A strong, characterful violinist impresses in a satisfying east-meets-west recital … a satisfying sequence with some illuminating juxtapositions” – Gramophone

“Can take a meandering train of thought and spin it out into a melody of exquisite beauty-this is playing of rare sensitivity”. – BBC Music Magazine

“A star performer with a unique interpretation… in this impressive release. This disc is highly recommended.” – Kevin Sutton, MusicWebInternational.com

“Truly impressive … Meyers is a genuinely unique voice among violinists …” ★★★★★ – Dave Lewis, AllMusic.com

A convincing pairing of 20^th century French music with contemporary Japanese works, Anne Akiko Meyer’s enduring album East Meets West receives a refresh in this remastered version which is also available in Dolby Atmos and on vinyl for the first time.

Superstar violinist Anne Akiko Meyers’ enduring album East Meets West, first released in 2003, receives a refresh in this remastered version which is also available in Dolby Atmos and on vinyl for the first time. Anne convincingly pairs the world of 20th century French music with contemporary Japanese works. Sonatas by the fathers of French impressionism – Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel – foreshadow Olivier Messiaen’s “Thème et variations”, whose chordal structure is evoked in Toru Takemitsu’s “Distance de Fée”. Anne’s close association with Somei Satoh resulted in the world-premiere recording of the Japanese composer’s “Birds in Warped Time II”, a work that made such a strong impression on architect Michael Arad that he incorporated Anne’s recording into his winning submission for the design of the World Trade Center Memorial.

The ninth annual National Album Day (NAD) will take place on Saturday, 17 October 2026, and among the featured titles is the reissue of Anne Akiko Meyers’ enduring and best-selling album from 2003, East Meets West. This year’s NAD theme celebrates “Icons” – legendary, cultural and contemporary artists and recordings – a description befitting the GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist who is one of the world’s most esteemed and celebrated musicians. On an occasion that has recognised such musicians as The Beatles, David Bowie, Oasis and The Spice Girls, Anne is a rarity representing the classical genre.

National Album Day celebrates an art form which in recent years has increasingly gained traction and encourages album discovery and listening across generations and genres. Anne says, “I am so thrilled that East Meets West will be featured on National Album Day. This self-produced recording, created nearly 25 years ago, brings together the great 20th-century French composers Claude Debussy, Olivier Messiaen, and Maurice Ravel with contemporary Japanese composers Somei Satoh and Toru Takemitsu. I have always been fascinated by the connections between these musical worlds — their extraordinary colours, luminous textures, and shared language of sound, space, and beauty having grown up with both Japanese and Western cultures. I am deeply grateful to AVIE Records for bringing this transcendent music vividly to life in a newly remastered edition, available on vinyl, CD, digitally, and for the first time in Dolby Atmos. I hope you enjoy rediscovering the timeless beauty of these extraordinary works!”

When first released in 2003, Gramophone magazine found East Meets West a “satisfying sequence with some illuminating juxtapositions”, whilst AllMusic.com, in its five-star review, called the album “truly impressive … Meyers is a genuinely unique voice among violinists”. The reissue’s standout packaging includes a 180gsm vinyl LP in a sturdy, cardboard printed inner sleeve, and the album’s first availability in the Dolby Atmos digital format.

National Album Day originated in 2018 and is organised jointly by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), with support from BBC Radio 2, Association of Independent Music (AIM) and Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL). East Meets West and other featured NAD albums will be celebrated by leading record retail outlets including Presto Music (Leamington Spa), Pie & Vinyl (Portsmouth) and Rough Trade (London, Liverpool and other locations throughout the UK), among others.

Tracklist:

SOMEI SATOH (b. 1947)
1. Birds in warped time II (10:24)

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862–1918)
Sonata for violin and piano
2. Allegro Vivo (4:32)
3. Intermède: Fantasque Et Léger (3:36)
4. Finale: Très Animé (3:52)

OLIVIER MESSIAEN (1908–1992)
5. Théme et Variations (7:09)

TORU TAKEMITSU (1930–1996)
6. Distance de Fée (6:18)

MAURICE RAVEL (1875–1937)
Violin Sonata
7. Allegretto (7:50)
8. Blues: Moderato (5:17)
9. Perpetuum Mobile: Allegro (3:48)

Total duration: 52:54

Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Li Jian, piano

Recorded 27 & 28 August 2002, at Seiji Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood, Massachusetts
Recording producer: David Frost | Recording Engineer: Tim Martyn | Editing: Tim Martyn

2026 Remaster: Silas Brown
℗ & © 2026 Anne Akiko Meyers under exclusive licence to Avie Records