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Violinist Kaler, Stradivari Society recital/Chicago

Feb. 17, 2010

"This performance was an inspired and inspiring clinic on great music-making and great violin playing. You are without peer among violinists of the past or present - meaning, you have found a way to combine all that is best among both "breeds" of artists: the one you described as "vanishing," and the one that audiences demand today. You have the impeccable technical equipment to dazzle those who wish only to move from one dazzling experience to another, true children of the 21st century. But you have recovered the art of the earlier violin-playing geniuses who placed greater value on musicianship and communication than on mere technical display. And you do this without exaggeration or self-indulgence, always well within the boundaries of good taste and authoritative style. An hour of hearing you play makes all barriers disappear: the music prevails, time stands still and the experience is magical."

Alan Heatherington, Music Director
Lake Forest Symphony

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Biography

Described by London’s Gramophone as a “magician, bewitching our ears”, Ilya Kaler is one of the most outstanding personalities of the violin today. Ilya Kaler has many awards to his credit and is the only violinist to have won Gold Medals at the Tchaikovsky (1986), Sibelius (1985) and Paganini (1981) Competitions. The Washington Post lauds him as "a consummate musician, in total control at
all times, with a peerless mastery of his violin."

Ilya Kaler was born in Moscow, Russia into a family of musicians. Major teachers at the Moscow Central Music School and the Moscow Conservatory include Zinaida Gilels, Leonid Kogan and Victor Tretyakov. Ilya Kaler later continued his studies under the guidance of Abram Stern. Mr. Kaler has earned rave reviews for solo appearances with distinguished orchestras throughout the world , which include the Leningrad, Moscow and Dresden Philharmonic Orchestras, Montreal Symphony, Danish and Berlin Radio Orchestras, Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Seattle Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic and Moscow and Zurich Chamber Orchestras, among others. His solo recitals have taken him throughout the former Soviet Union, United States, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, South Africa and Israel. Mr. Kaler’s orchestral career includes guest Concertmaster appearances with San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony, as well as regular tours with the World Orchestra for Peace under the direction of Valery Gergiev. He was concertmaster of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1996-2001.

Kaler’srecordings of the Paganini Caprices have been deemed by American Record Guide to be "in a class by themselves" combining "the perfection, passion, and phrase sculpting of Michael Rabin with the energy, excitement, and immediacy of Jascha Heifetz." Other highly acclaimed recordings include Sonatas by Schumann and Brahms, concertos by Paganini, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Schumann, Dvorak, Glazunov, as well as Taneev Suite, Bach sonatas and partitas, to name a few.

An active chamber musician, Mr. Kaler has appeared at many major music festivals throughout the US and Europe with many of the most prominent musicians of our time. One of the most sought-after teachers in the world, Ilya Kaler has served as Distinguished Professor at Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, IN, Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and is currently a Professor of Violin at DePaul University School of Music in Chicago.

He lives in Wilmette, IL with his wife Olga and two young sons Daniel and Ariel. Mr. Kaler performas on a "Sennhauser" Giuseppe Guarnerius del Gesu violin, 1735, on generous loan from the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

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Articles
"Violinist Kaler, symphony shine in performance of Tchaikovsky"
"Peninsula Music Festival wrapped up: ILYA KALER ALWAYS DELIVER"

Press

Violinist Kaler, symphony shine in performance of Tchaikovsky

March 5, 2010

By David Williams
For the Gazette-Mail

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The violinist Ilya Kaler's performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major with the West Virginia Symphony drew a tremendous response Friday night at the Clay Center. That was from the orchestra, with players patting their legs and shuffling their feet on the floor, both time-honored ways of showing approval by players with instruments in their hands. Some even managed to balance their instruments on their laps and clap, vigorously.

The audience fairly went wild, showering Kaler with shouts of acclaim, a standing ovation and cries for an encore. After four curtain calls, Kaler did oblige with a bit of Bach, which drew more enthusiasm from the audience and the players. Tchaikovsky's music is safe programming. Audiences still love it and turn out to hear it. I lean more to the view that Tchaikovsky's music has started to wear out its welcome (although I will always love the Sixth Symphony).

But only the heartless could find anything to complain about in Kaler's, and the orchestra's, stunning performance of the Violin Concerto. His tone was creamy and rich and his passagework vibrant in the opening movement. The cadenza was all light-hearted brilliance with some impish humor. The slow movement dripped lyrical warmth. Kaler had arching lines of true sweetness. The finale bubbled with rhythmic vitality while his fingers flew around the strings. Gorgeous harmonics at the top of his range and a marvelously warm low register were exploited completely.

The orchestra was spot-on in support. The solo chairs in the winds, flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon played with lovely expression in little duets with the violin.

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Peninsula Music Festival wrapped up: ILYA KALER ALWAYS DELIVERS

Aug 2009

Peninsula Music Festival wrapped up its three week concert series with an array of great music and three very fine soloists.

The Aug. 18 event was an all-Russian evening and featured the Khachaturian violin concerto with Ilya Kaler as soloist.

Kaler stepped in at the last moment to replace Valentin Zhuk, who was unable to appear. It was very unfortunate that governmental bureaucratic complexities prevented Zhuk, also scheduled to be concertmaster, from appearing. Not only was he to play one of his favorite works, PMF was using the occasion to honor his 75th birthday.

Yet, small miracles do happen. It was quite astonishing that on very short notice PMF was able to attain a musician of Kaler’s caliber who happens to have the work in his repertoire.

I found Kaler to be a no-nonsense violinist. He played Khachaturian’s sweeping melodies with expressiveness and eloquence. His delivery was confident, and he displayed total involvement with the orchestra. Kaler’s stage demeanor reminded me of the legendary Jascha Heifetz. The violinist played music of Bach as an encore.