Spectrum

Violinist Benjamin Beilman makes his debut as an exclusive Warner Classics artists with Spectrum, an album uniting works by Schubert, Janáček, Stravinsky and Kreisler. With his regular duo partner, pianist Yekwon Sunwoo - a fellow alumnus of Philadelphia's prestigious Curtis Institute - Beilman explores a multitude of colours and expressive possibilities, evoking them with the finest technical nuances.

"Yekwon and I have performed these pieces together for years," explains Beilman. "As we looked to choose the repertoire for our debut album, we realised that the four works featured on Spectrum - while seemingly disparate at first glance - share many common bonds. The natural lyricism and tenderness of the Schubert [Sonata in A major D. 574 'Grand Duo'] highlights the moments of intimacy in the Janáček [Sonata for violin & piano], which so often expresses pure violence and terror. Stravinsky's dance rhythms and insistent pulse [Divertimento from Le baiser de la fée] are echoed in the waltz section of the Kreisler [Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta]."