With Heart of Diamonds, Hungarian violinist and composer Bernadett Nyari presents a programme of eleven original works that not only showcase her exceptional sensitivity as a performer but also signal her maturation as a composer of considerable emotional insight. This release, under the Magneoton label, marks a significant milestone in Nyari’s journey—from international soloist to artist with a singular musical voice.
The album’s title suggests both resilience and radiance, and Nyari’s playing lives up to that promise throughout. Each work here is carefully constructed, the melodic material unfurled with a grace that eschews ostentation in favour of poise and nuance. Nyari’s classical pedigree is evident in her refined tone and exacting intonation, but the music speaks in a distinctly modern idiom—rooted in tradition yet unconstrained by it.
The opening track, Heart of Diamonds, establishes the emotional tone with remarkable clarity. It is at once lyrical and reserved, the violin line unfolding with patient deliberation against a subdued harmonic backdrop. Nyari is unafraid of space and silence, letting the phrases breathe, allowing the listener to lean in rather than be overwhelmed.
Dance with Fire follows with a heightened sense of urgency. Rhythmic motifs and modal inflections lend it an almost folkloric vitality. The piece evokes the energy of Bartók, albeit through a cinematic lens, and Nyari navigates its shifting dynamics with assurance. Her control over articulation and colour here is particularly striking—there is fire, certainly, but it is always disciplined.
Of particular note is Redemption, a work that first appeared in 2022 as a standalone single. It re-emerges here in a revised and expanded arrangement, more harmonically rich and emotionally complex. Nyari’s playing reveals the architecture of the piece with great care; the rising lines in the central section are rendered with a sense of quiet struggle that is deeply affecting.
The album’s centrepiece, Radiance, is a study in restraint. Nyari’s tone in the upper register is particularly captivating—clear yet soft-edged, like light diffused through glass. The accompanying textures remain subdued, never intrusive, functioning more as atmosphere than accompaniment. The effect is meditative and introspective, a moment of stillness that lingers long after the track concludes.
Elsewhere, Summer Breeze and Wings of Love offer contrasting pastoral interludes. These works, simpler in structure, allow Nyari to explore warmth and tenderness. Racing Hearts provides a needed jolt of momentum, its rhythmic drive tempered by lyrical interjections that recall Ravel’s more extroverted violin works.
Throughout the album, Nyari demonstrates a remarkable ability to balance emotional expression with formal integrity. Her phrasing is unhurried, her vibrato never excessive, her bowing fluid and attentive. The production values are also worth commending—the recorded sound is spacious and natural, allowing the subtleties of her playing to be fully appreciated without the distractions of overproduction.
While the album may not aim to challenge or revolutionize the classical canon, it succeeds admirably in its own ambition—to offer music of sincerity, elegance, and emotional clarity. Heart of Diamonds is an artist’s intimate offering, rendered with care and conviction, and it rewards repeated listening with new shades of meaning.
Nyari’s work here serves as a reminder that the violin, in the right hands, still possesses the capacity to speak across genre and generation. This is an album not of grand gestures but of thoughtful, finely wrought detail—and it is all the more compelling for it.
–Renee Smith