INDIE Award Nominee

“Quite simply, this is the finest violin recording I have ever encountered by one of the truly great performers of the day…Go buy this disc!”
   —Listener Magazine

“…[an] arresting collection…Ilya Kaler, an explosive virtuoso, assaults the ears and compels with his sheer fluency.”
   —BBC Music

“…a singing, luminous tone like no other violinist I've heard on discs…Kaler’s Hindemith is irresistible…he is a star performer, a magician bewitching our ears”
   —Fanfare

“Ilya Kaler…makes his debut for Ongaku Records in an attractive mix of works for solo violin, establishing once again his considerable gifts…Bold bowing and beautiful control of chords mark this stunning rendition [of Ysaÿe Solo Sonata No. 2] in which technical difficulties never mar the perfect voicing of thematic lines…breathtaking…laced with expressive detail…This is both an unusual and rewarding CD played with convincing mastery.”
   —The Strad

“For those who enjoyed the experience of listening Kaler’s recording of Paganini’s Caprices, this CD is absolutely a must-buy. Although a solo violin program is not material for wide audiences, this champion of all major violin competitions was able to put together some of the best modern representatives of this genre, with a rarely matched interpretation. Highly recommended!”
Five Stars (top rating)
   —Amazon.com

“The Moscow-born violinist plays with a sculptural perfection and rapt purity that invest each phrase with heightened significance. The Heifetzian pyrotechnics seem etched against the darkest of night skies, the slow passages infused with an aching inwardness…And Ongaku’s engineers capture this remarkable playing—not just the instrument, but the airy, church-like space around it—with startling clarity and resonance. The eloquent voice of the single string instrument emerges as if from an immense darkness to enthrall us with its joyful exuberance, its soaring cantilenas, its noble melancholy, its heartbreaking beauty.”
   —Fi

“A rapt purity…superb virtuosity…recorded sound of stunning realism…It’s so beautiful it makes you ache: the playing demands your absolute and complete attention…You will never hear the violin played more perfectly.”
   —American Record Guide

“Kaler displays a complete virtuoso arsenal: rhythmic vitality, warmth of tone and sentiment.”
   —Los Angeles Times