Violin Concerto No 1 / La Campanella / Moses Fantasy for violin & piano

Rosette Recording Penguin Stereo Guide

Itzhak Perlman:
"Ilya Gringolts is a wonderful young violinist with a unique gift combining musical intellect with technical mastery in the grand tradition. He has a bright future ahead of him."

There are plenty of fine musicians in the world. And then there are a few really exceptional talents whose abilities seem to defy all normal human limitations. A year or so after picking up their chosen instrument they are able to play it flawlessly. And they evince such a precocious musicality in performance that it is impossible to believe that they have not been studying music for many decades. Outright winner of the 1998 Paganini Competition, Ilya Gringolts is just such a rare talent. Whether performing pieces by Paganini that have taxed the technique of even the most brilliant of violinists or Alfred Schnittke's A Paganini that demands the virtuosity of a Paganini together with a developed understanding of the development of musical idiom, Ilya Gringolts seems totally at one with the music. Here is a great musician who puts his flawless technique entirely at the service of the music. There is not the slightest element of 'showing off' in his performances; only an utter dedication to the music.