★★★★★
“Ilya Kaler is superb, the tricky stopping so natural and strong, with Rasa Vitkauskite the perfect conversationalist partner... the dovetailing of instruments a joy... The high-octane energy is specifically Beethovenian... the musicians know when to foreground each other to perfection... Vitkauskaite’s left-hand trills are absolutely textbook. The tempo for the second movement is again perfectly chosen, and Kaler’s tone is almost impossibly sweet. Once more Vitkauskaite’s trills stand out, now transferred to the right hand. Together, they dare to give the music space to grow, the balance between melody and supporting chords. Kaler’s hints of portamento sound totally idiomatic. There is so much maturity of interpretation here, and so much mature attention to detail... The darkening at the Minore and the subsequent emphases of line are superbly judged... Various forms of power inform the finale: the granitic piano chord of the opening, and the sheer kinetic energy that follows. That energy never flags through all of Beethoven’s twists and turns. A towering performance... But the musical climax is Paquito d’Rivera’s Bridgetower Reimagined: Contradanza Mulattica for instrumental ensemble and inspired by Bridgetower’s surviving MS, Henry which is taken for a long walk to South America. Jonathan Cohler joins on clarinet, Dave Eggar on cello, and bassist Gregg August. And if it sounds like I am introducing a jazz line-up, that’s pretty accurate as instruments take turns to jam. This performance is just so slick (clarinets transmuting into proper jazz liquorice sticks), and d’Rivera’s imagination knows no bounds. Rita Dove reads her own poetry... brilliantly and evocatively. She reads wonderfully: earthily in one sense, narrating the story, enunciating faultlessly, and yet telling us the most amazing story of Beethoven’s “Bridgetower” sonata...

A stunning release... Ongaku is a fine label, and this is a real jewel in their crown.”
   —Colin Clarke, Fanfare

★★★★★
“...an excellent performance by Ilya Kaler, who bears the distinction of being the only violinist to win the Tchaikovsky, Paganini, and Sibelius competitions all together. Born and trained in Moscow, Kaler has a discography spanning four decades... Kaler is in thorough command of the sonata, playing with an air of easy authority and flawless technique.

In Rasa Vitkauskaite the sonata and Kaler get the kind of strong, knowing pianism they deserve, which is also attested to by the positive reviews that Vitkauskaite has regularly received in Fanfare... Vitkauskaite brings playing of soloist caliber. The first movement is rousingly heroic, and the excellent recorded sound allows the unflinching presence of both players to come through... a genuinely satisfying balance between the two voices.

Bridgetower’s only surviving composition, titled Henry, is the basis for a new work by the Cuban-American saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Paquito D’Rivera. Born in Havana in 1948, D’IRivera is the only artist to win a Grammy in both the Latin Jazz and Classical categories... Bridgewater’s theme is charming enough to have come from a Mozart serenade, and D’Rivera’s creation, which features some lively clarinet riffs (tossed back and forth by D’Rivera and the acclaimed Jonathan Cohler), is just as serenade-like. If you find yourself lounging on a veranda in twilight Havana, bring this music with you...

This release is a complete success... An imaginative concept album beautifully carried out.”
   —Huntley Dent, Fanfare