In a step beyond the pay-what-you-wish experiment undertaken by Radiohead and Barbara Hendricks, British violinist Tasmin Little is issuing her next recording as a digital download available completely free of charge.

The recording, her first new release in four years, is titled The Naked Violin^© and features three works for the unaccompanied instrument: Bach's Partita No. 3 in E major, Ysaяe's Sonata No. 3 ("Ballade") and the new Luslawice Variations by English composer Paul Patterson. Little herself provides a spoken introduction to each work, intended as a guide to interested music lovers and as a resource for music educators.

"Many people who are new to classical music are understandably reluctant to take the plunge of spending money on a commercial CD," said Little in a statement about this project, "which in most instances will focus on a single composer or on pieces which are stylistically linked in some way.

"I wanted to create an accessible product on as many fronts as possible," she continued, "in which [both] listeners who are familiar with my style of playing and those who are completely new to the solo violin can enjoy a recording of the violin as in concert. The broad range of styles gives them the chance to experience the beauty and purity of Bach and the fireworks of Ysaяe. I love to support British composers and Paul Patterson's witty showpiece is a tremendous introduction to all the tricks that can be produced by a solo violin."

The new recording will also offer the opportunity to compare the sound of two exceptional violins: Little's own 1757 Guadagnini and the 1708 "Regent" Stradivarius, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.

The Naked Violin^© will be available for download beginning on January 19 at www.tasminlittle.net.

By Matthew Westphal