Together with its artistic director Julian Azkoul, the United Strings of Europe develop engaging programs with the aim of finding connections between different works and eras, music from different cultures, combining the familiar with the new and encouraging people to listen to works in different ways and discover new repertoire. With "Hommages", the ensemble celebrates musical traditions, from the myth of Apollo and the muses of ancient Greece to 20th century legends, Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla, reinterpreted through contemporary voices. This imaginative program presents the world premiere recording of Julian Azkoul's arrangement of Igor Stravinsky's neoclassical ballet "Apollon musagete", composed in the 1920s, as well as more recent works. While Dobrinka Tabakova's "Organum Light", recorded here for the first time, was inspired by Einstein's theory of quantum light, Osvaldo Golijov returns to his Argentinian roots for "Last Round", a tribute to two legendary compatriots. Olli Mustonen's "Second Nonet" is a timeless work with echoes of the Balkans, music from the Romantic period and Nordic moods. Another work by Mustonen, "Apotheosis", also a world premiere, concludes this varied program with a dramatic note inspired by Bach's chorale preludes.