American Violinist Benjamin Beilman Signs to Warner Classics
October 20, 2015
Warner Classics is proud to announce the signing of an exclusive recording contract with Benjamin Beilman, whose “handsome technique, burnished sound and quiet confidence showed why he has come so far so fast” (The New York Times).
Born in 1989, the American violinist is one of his generation’s most promising stars, having taken First Prize and the People’s Choice Award at the International Music Competition of Montreal at the age of 20. He went on to receive an Avery Fischer Career Grant in 2012, and a prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship in 2014, with the latter supporting his first album for Warner Classics. At 25, Beilman has already performed as soloist at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Auditorium du Louvre and other major venues around the world.
“I grew up listening to many of the great violinists associated with Warner Classics like Itzhak Perlman and Maxim Vengerov, and am excited and honored to now work with a company with such a rich history,” said Beilman of the signing.
For his Warner Classics debut, entitled Spectrum, Benjamin Beilman carefully put together a wide-ranging and ambitious program, from the virtuosic elegance of Kreisler’s Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta to the energetic, mercurial Divertimento from Stravinsky’s The Fairy’s Kiss; from stately Schubert to impassioned, melancholic Janáček. Joining him for this album is his regular duo partner and fellow Curtis Institute of Music alumnus, Yekwon Sunwoo. At 26, the South Korean-born pianist is a seasoned chamber musician, having already played at the Verbier Festival.
“Yekwon and I have performed these pieces together for years and as we looked to choose the repertoire for our debut album, we realized that the four works featured on Spectrum – while seemingly disparate at first glance – share many common bonds,” explains Beilman. “The natural lyricism and tenderness of the Schubert highlights the moments of intimacy in the Janacek which so often expresses pure violence and terror. Stravinsky’s dance rhythms and insistent pulse are echoed in the waltz section of Kreisler’s Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta.”
Jean-Philippe Rolland, Warner Classics and Erato Executive Vice-President of Artists and Repertoire, said: “Benjamin Beilman is the embodiment of excellence in the American school of violin playing; he continues this tradition as the leading violinist of his generation, with a thoughtful, intelligent and inspired approach entirely his own. We are delighted to welcome him to Warner Classics.”