Brahms: Sonatas Nos.1 to 3 for Violin and Piano

"The Brahms...violin sonatas represent the composer at his finest, the music a noble balance of passion and control. And the new Naxos recording of the sonatas, by violinist Ilya Kaler and pianist Alexander Peskanov, goes right to the top of the pile. These are emphatically not sonatas for violin with piano accompaniment. At any given moment, the most important material is as likely to be presented by the piano as by the violin. These Russian musicians are a real partnership, trading the spotlight back and forth. This is warm, deeply felt music-making, Brahms' lines eloquently formed and propelled. The warm, true sonics are ideal."
- Scott Cantrell Dallas Morning News 5 May 2002 (circ. 800,000)

Ilya Kaler was born in Moscow in 1963. He was accepted at the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied under Zinaida Gilel and Yury Yankelevich. He continued his studies with Leonid Kogan at the Moscow Conservatory, where he received both a Master and a Doctorate and graduated with the Gold Medal Award. He is the only violinist ever to win Gold Medals in three of the most prestigious violin competitions: Tchaikovsky (1986), Sibelius (1985) and Paganini (1981). He participated as a judge in the 1990 International Sibelius Competition.

His appearances with such distinguished orchestras as the Leningrad Philharmonic, Moscow Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony, Danish Radio Orchestra, Berlin Radio Orchestra, Budapest Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Moscow Chamber Orchestra and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra have elicited rave reviews from critics and the public alike. The Great Russian violinist Igor Oistrakh wrote of Ilya Kaler: "He astonishes first of all by his phenomenal virtuosity. Ilya Kaler possesses perfect self control and composure of the real master who is not afraid of the results."

As a recitalist, he has been a favorite in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Canada, Singapore, Taiwan, Czechoslovakia, as well as in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and other cities of the former Soviet Union. He played to great acclaim in music festivals, including the Mai Musical in Bordeaux, France, the Nordic Arts Festival in Sweden and Finland, the Newport Chamber Music Festival, and Prague Spring.

In April of 1992, Mr. Kaler toured Italy with great success, where he performed the 24 Caprices by Paganini. In Milan, the concert was held in the Conservatorio Verdi for a "standing room only" audience of almost two thousand. He recorded all 24 Caprices in October 1992.

In June of 1992, Mr. Kaler played in Scandinavia along with Ashkenazy, Argerich, Davidovich, and others. In July, he opened the Newport Music Festival with a gala solo recital. He took part in 16 other chamber music concerts there as well.

In March of 1993, he performed the Mendelssohn violin concerto with the Detroit Symphony on their regular subscription series. In the summer of the same year, he performed with the Baltimore Symphony at Oregon Ridge, at the Newport Music Festival in Rhode Island, and the Peninsula Music Festival in Wisconsin. In the fall, he performed the Glazunov violin concerto with the Seattle Symphony. Abroad, he played in Germany, Italy, Singapore, and Korea. Having spent a month in Japan, he played eleven recitals, and the Tchaikovsky violin concerto with the New Japan Philharmonic and the Century Symphony Orchestra in Osaka.

In September of 1992, Mr. Kaler recorded Paganini's Concerti Nos. 1 and 2. In the fall of 1993, he and Boris Slutsky recorded Sonatas for violin and piano by R. Schumann. His other recordings include the compositions of Dvorak, Glazunov and Miaskovsky Concertos. One of his CDs, "Ilya Kaler Plays Violin Suites," was issued to critical acclaim-the American Record Guide said "The program is played with great panache by both violinist and pianist, whose ensemble work is tasteful and dynamic. Their clarity of voicing is remarkable and the balance between instruments is beautifully handled. It comes highly recommended." His other two CDs--Paganini's Violin Concerti Nos. 1 and 2 and the 24 Caprices-establish him firmly as one of the great violin virtuosos of our time.