Violinist Francesca Dego has signed an exclusive recording deal with Chandos Records.

Her first project for the label will be a recording on Paganini’s violin 'il Cannone' - heard rarely on record - in repertoire from Rossini to Schnittke, and due out in February. Subsequent albums will include a recording of Mozart concertos with Sir Roger Norrington and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

'I have listened to Chandos recordings for as long as I can remember, always admiring the label’s insightful repertoire choices and superb sound quality so I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining the family as an exclusive artist,' said Dego.

Dego previously recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, in repertoire including Paganini and Wolf-Ferrari (of her performance of the latter's Violin Concerto, Jeremy Nicholas wrote 'Dego's sweet-toned advocacy shows the work in the best possible light'), and in January last year an album called 'Suite italienne', included in which were operatic fantasies by Castelnuova-Tedesco, which drew praise form Richard Bratby: 'Dego dashes and darts: she dispatches her fireworks with aristocratic hauteur'.

Ralph Couzens, managing director of Chandos Records said of the signing: ‘I am delighted that Francesca Dego has joined our small but important roster of exclusive artists, all of whom have something very special and unique to say musically.' Such artists associated with the label who have met recent high acclaim in our pages, and who Dego now joins on the label, include conductors John Wilson and Edward Gardner, pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and the Doric Quartet.