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. 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 (23) 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 (24) [...] 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)