Exciting debut recording of sonatas by Brahms and Prokofiev
from a young German violinist. Gilman is a name to watch.
(Classic FM)
With an impressing debut album the young German-Russian violinist Alexander
Gilman introduces himself to the public. He therefore approached the
fireworks of the violin art - with great success. [...] A fantastic debut.
(Ensemble)
Bayern 4 Classic represents the perfect recording-partner for a young
violinist, who clearly blossoms the rich sonorous, darkly grounded and
nevertheless flexibly versatile "tone" of an unmistakable Russian school.
Strict art of sonatas, virtuoso artistic full of variations and "folksy"
delicacy show a versatile, by no means arbitrary portrait of an already
amazingly matured artist with regard to his recital and the instrumental
dialogues.
(Salzburger Nachrichten)
Alexander Gilman - a new name in a crowded field of young violin talent -
received the final polishing touches in the same violin ‘forge’ that
produced Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin. Here now is his debut recording
with Oehms Classics with a challenging program that places enormous demands
on the player. […] he delivers in spades: surpassing technique and profound
musicality. Gilman consciously draws out the melodic line in the Second
Brahms Sonata, attacks the Prokofiev with tremendous strength, and in
Wieniawski’s Variations Op. 15 throws off sparks of scintillating virtuosity
– and always with a pleasing balance between intellect and emotion. A highly
successful start.
(Fono Forum)
[...] His fresh-faced, lightweight and uncommonly lyric approach to the
Brahms Second Sonata allows him to enjoy the beauty of its long, flowing
passages. [...] this expressively convincing reading, with an acceptable
degree of rhythmic freedom, is so totally likeable in its happy and
trouble-free approach that I will be returning to it many times. The crunchy
passages in the opening movement of the Prokofiev Second Sonata are well
served by Gilman´s impeccable intonation, and the technial fireworks of the
second movement are enhanced by his lightning traversal. With a
Russian-Jewish heritage, he knows how to capture the melancholy of the third
movement before embarbking on a trenchant final Allegro con brio. He flies
around the instrument with unfailing accuracy in the Wieniawski variations,
with his cross-string passages kept magically lightweight, left-hand
pizzicatos unflustered and double-stopping faultless. The dash to the
finishing line is as brilliant as any on disc. [...] The balance between
instruments is ideal, and the sound quality superb.
(The Strad Magazine)
The fact that Alexander Gilman is the pupil of the Russian Zakhar Bron in
Cologne and the violinist offspring of a musical Russian family is
demonstrated by his unmistakable performance style. In a concert [...] the
winner of last year’s "WestLB-Musik-Wettbewerbs Instrumentenvergabe"
competition played Brahms' Sonata for the Violin and Piano No. 2 in A op.
100 with a great tone, fluid, brilliant and often mellow […].
(Frankfurter Allgemeine)
[…] In the first half of the concert the orchestra, with a small
instrumentation, accompanied the young violinist Alexander Gilman as he
played Peter Tschaikovsky’s Violin Concert. The 23-year-old violinist had
already performed in March of this year in the Hallenburg Gartensaal and
enthused his audience with expression and technical maturity. With
Tschaikovskys Violin Concert he once again gave evidence of his mature and
yet youthfully fresh execution. He filled the concert hall impressively with
the great volume of his tones, while his playing never seemed cumbersome or
inelegant. The audience responded with ample enthusiastic applause.
(Giessener Anzeiger)
[…] In the past ten years the young Munich man had repeatedly drawn
attention to himself by winning competitions, and now demonstrated his
cultivated, mild bowing. When it came to Tschaikovsky, the worthy conductor
Michael Luig also ensured optimum interaction, with soloist and orchestra
complementing each other in a manner which was rich in contrast. Gilman
appeared particularly nimble in the pretty finale – both temperamental and
at the same time concerned with technical precision. […]
(Frankfurter Neue Presse)
[…] Alexander Gilman appeared as a young artist who clearly identified
deeply with the work. The great difficulties did not seem to worry him.
(Frankfurter Allgemeine)
[…] the violinist Alexander Gilman, who grew up in Munich, could be
experienced. The performance of the 23-year-old musician was particularly
distinguished by his perfect technical execution, particularly in the
filigree heights of the cadenza or the cleanly played flageolet passages of
the final movement. He harmonised with the orchestra so well that even the
encore was performed together, a movement from John Williams’ music to
"Schindler’s List". […]
(Wiesbadener Kurier)
[…] Only exceptional musicians who have truly virtuoso ability are equal to
this work. Alexander Gilman, always so surprisingly young, indisputably
belongs to this category. He is already known to the Schlitz audience thanks
to an inspiring duo concert in the Hallenburg Gartensaal. On Sunday he
worked magic with his Stradivari, which made listeners’ hairs stand on end
time after time. His precision is virtually unbelievable, and the tempo of
his runs is stupefying, as well as on the other hand his touching tenderness
in the lyrical moments. Technically and artistically, even at his young age
Gilman has more than earned the title of “virtuoso”. […]
(Schlitzer Bote)
[…] The young man, who makes a modest appearance, not only gave the audience
an opportunity to experience a world-class virtuoso, but also played on one
of the most valuable instruments existing. […] The young soloist completed
the Tschaikovsky concert with precision and heartfelt devotion. The soloist
gave in to the thunderous applause, with standing ovations, and gave the
audience an encore: the tender film music from “Schindler’s List”. […]
(Herborner Tageblatt)
[...] The achievement of the Zakhar Bron Student was for sure the most
professional, so that the tension at the public strongly rose.
(FONO FORUM)
German violinist Alexander Gilman, 23, won first prize in the inaugural
WestLB music competition, which was established to help young German
musicians by loaning fine instruments and providing them with recital
opportunities. Gilman, a student of Zakhar Bron, was awarded the 1684 'Croall'
Stradivari [...]
(The Strad Magazine)
Whatever Alexander Gilman played, he simultaneously transformed into a
self-forgetting dance with movements, mimicry and bodily movements. The
violinist enthused the audience with his piano partner, Marina Seltenreich,
[...] The congenial duo added further highlights [...] to the exquisite
musical series.
(Hamburger Abendblatt)
[...] Alexander Gilman, however, advanced to become the favourite of the
audience. The violinist, aged only 23, is seen by business insiders as being
a promising talent. [...] In Bielefeld too, listeners were beguiled by his
vibration-filled, highly romantic and lyrical tone ("Melody for Violin and
Orchestra") and bewitched by his virtually superhuman-seeming virtuoso
playing (Franz Waxman: "Carmen-Fantasie"), which did not dwell on the
finger-wrenching playing technique and brilliant intonation manipulation,
but instead showed a great deal of feeling and musicality - up to the
breath-taking Wieniawski-Caprice.
(Westfalen-Blatt)
[...] Alexander Gilman is the name of the highly-gifted young violinist who
delivered his remarkably clear tone at the beginning of a Tschaikowsky
"Melody" (op.42) without assuming any airs. Then, with the "Carmen-Fantasie"
piece by the film composer Franz Waxman, he let off a true firework of
notes: he let runs shoot up like New Year's Eve rockets, cascades of sound
give off their spray, flageolet melodies sparkle in the heavens, exploded
double-grip passages, and, in a manner which was technically disarming,
perfectly took the listeners by virtuoso storm, with the utmost temperament
and dedication. A stroke of fortune in which the young year had already seen
its first warmly applauded climax.
(Neue Westfälische)
The young Alexander Gilman from Munich, who according to the program booklet
had already managed to become an honorary citizen of his home town at the
age of twelve, performed the solo part in a very appealing manner. The
technical requirements afforded him no problems. In the finale he developed
very fast and stirring playing which was characterised by a good
interrelation with the orchestra. The continuation after the break was in
the same vein, with Schumann's "Spring Symphony". Why not play to the spring
in the approaching autumn? The idea gained well-deserved applause.
(Frankfurter Neue Presse)
[…] It was a stroke of fortune employing Alexander Gilman: the 23-year-old
violinist handled the finger-wrenching perils of the solo part with
breathtaking solidity. A resounding tone and brilliant intonation made for
pure listening pleasure, particularly as the promising artist, currently
still a student of Zakhar Bron in Cologne, retained space to communicate
with his musical partners. A piece from John Williams’ film music to
"Schindler’s List" resounded as an encore, forming a rather sharp contrast
in its constrained nature to the opulent sound of the Korngold concert.
Here, too, the exemplary partnership between the soloist and the tutti was
maintained. [...]
(Frankfurter Allgemeine)
[…] For the summer working phase the orchestra also gained a highly-gifted
soloist, the 2-year-old Alexander Gilman, who showed astounding maturity in
the violin concert D-major op. 35 by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Even in the
first movement, Gilman, who is a student of Zakhar Bron at the
Musikhochschule in Cologne, developed a warm sound which he did not give up
even in the virtuoso passages. With glissandi and intense vibrato he played
a very romantic version of Korngold. At the same time, he listened to and
reacted to the orchestra, which particularly in the first two movements was
still making music in a very restrained manner. It was not until the third
movement, a dance-like, wild finale – Allegro assai vivace, which Gilman
mastered with style, that the ensemble became more courageous in the tutti
passages. [...]
(Frankfurter Rundschau)
[…] With rare perfection, with the attitude of apparently simply doing
everything right, Alexander Gilman, on the violin, and Marina Seltenreich on
the piano, played Beethoven's Spring sonatas. Both musicians continued their
enjoyment of the melody and supple articulation in Prokofjew's second
Sonata. Spring awakening, beauty, clarity – everything was wonderful. [...]
(Süddeutsche Zeitung)
