The Essential Midori (2-CD compilation)

Works by Paganini, Bach, Kreisler, Beethoven, Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Bartók, Bruch, Sibelius, Dvořák and Mendelssohn

The Essential Midori available:
in the U.S. from 29 July 2008;
in Germany from 8 August 2008;
in Japan from 27 August, 2008;
in the U.K. from 8 October 2008

CD (88697 30111)

Bach and Bartók

Bach: Sonata No. 2 in A minor BWV 1003
Bartók: Sonata No. 1 (with Robert McDonald)

Available on CD (82796 97745)

Mendelssohn & Bruch Violin Concertos

Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor, Op. 64
Bruch: Concerto No.1 for Violin and Orchestra in G Minor, Op. 26

Mariss Jansons, conductor
Berlin Philharmonic

"If ever a disc offered a reason to duplicate repertoire, then this one does. To hear it is to fall in love with these works all over again, and no praise can be higher than that."
(www.ClassicsToday.com)

"...[Midori is] dazzling on her latest disc from Sony Classical, Mendelssohn & Bruch Violin Concertos, recorded live with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Mariss Jansons. Under Jansons, the Berliners play with authoritative richness, while Midori's unfailingly sweet yet sturdy renditions of the solo lines hover as if in midair, making for a captivating light-and-dark contrast in both works." Boston Herald

Available on CD and multi-channel SACD format. (SK87740)

Midori's 20th Anniversary CD

Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Robert McDonald, piano

Wieniawski: Concerto No.1 in F-sharp Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14
Debussy: La fille aux cheveux de lin (arr. Arthur Hartmann)
Kreisler: La Gitana
Prokofiev: Tales of an Old Grandmother, Op. 31
Amy Beach: Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23
Poldini: The Dancing Doll (arr. Fritz Kreisler)
Elgar: Chanson de nuit, Op. 15, No. 1

Available on CD (SK89700)
This CD is not currently available in the USA

Poulenc: Sonata for Violin and Piano
Debussy: Sonata in G Minor for Violin and Piano
Saint-Saëns: Sonata No.1 in D minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 75

Robert McDonald, piano

" Rarely has a recording of Midori's seduced us this much ... In this recital of French sonatas it is the abundance of brilliance, panache and imaginativeness that beguile us from the outset. Midori brings to the too rarely heard Poulenc sonata a unique amalgamation of anxiety, fervour and nostalgia, so much so that she makes the Saint-Saëns pulsate with all her exuberance and energy - the effervescence of the Finale, with her impressive virtuosity, recalls Heifetz's legendary recording. ... Throughout the recording Midori and her long term recital partner Robert McDonald are marvellously compatible. A dynamic collaboration, beautiful balance of voices, and naturally shared eloquence make their association an indubitable duo." Diapason

This recording won the German Record Critics' Quarterly Prize in the chamber music category (Fourth Quarter, 2002)

Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major,
KV. 364/320d
Mozart: Concerto in D Major, KV. Anh. 56 (315f)

Nobuko Imai, viola
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor and piano
NDR Symphony Orchestra

" Violinist Midori and violist Nobuko Imai make an incredible team - and it shows in their luxuriantly romantic reading of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. ... The second concerto for violin and piano (by Christian Eschenbach) is a dramatic performance that is embraced by a spirit of elegance and subtlety. The German NDR-Sinfonieorchester, under Eschenbach's direction, fills in the musical tapestry with a richly tinged accompaniment. But throughout both concertos, it is the performance of the immensely talented Midori that will keep the listener enthralled." ChamberBiz

Available on CD and multi-channel SACD format. (SK89488)

Tchaikovsky: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 35
Shostakovich: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No.1 in A minor

Claudio Abbado, conductor
Berlin Philharmonic

"A very grand performance, full of swaggering confidence and interpretative panache ... effortless technical security and notable artistry." Gramophone

Available on CD (SK68338)

Franck: Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major
Elgar: Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor,
Op. 82

Robert McDonald, piano

"Midori's recital was a sustained display of consummate technique and musicianship. Midori offers something unmistakably personal - a mesmerising demonstration." London Times

Available on CD (SK63331)

Sibelius: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 47
Bruch: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46

Zubin Mehta, conductor
Israel Philharmonic

"Commanding performances of both works, at once pure in tone and warmly expressive. [...] It is a tribute to Midori's mastery that her playing has all the precision one would expect in the studio, exceptionally clean and precise. Then there is the gain in tension one would expect in live performances, with the main lyrical themes of the first two movements of the Sibelius given rapt intensity and with the coda of the first movement as thrilling as I have known it. The finale is remarkable for the clean precision of her playing with detail sharply defined even in the heaviest bravura passages. [In the Bruch] there is a magical moment at the very end when ... her final slow cadenza has an ethereal purity leading to a momentary reference back to the theme of the first movement; at a whispered pianissimo it is breathtaking." Gramophone

Available on CD (SK58967)

Encore!

Robert McDonald, piano

Kreisler: Praeludium and Allegro
Sarasate: Habanera
Paganini: Cantabile
Cui: Orientale
Bacewicz: Oberek, No. 2
Elgar: Salut d'amour
Kreisler: Miniature Viennese March
Shostakovich: Four Preludes
Elgar: Chanson de matin
Sarasate: Introduction and Tarantella
Dvořák: Slavonic Dance
Prokofiev: March
Tchaikovsky: Mélodie
Szymanowski: La fontaine d'Aréthuse
Kreisler: Syncopation
Gluck: Mélodie
Fauré: Berceuse
Scriabin: Etude in Thirds
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances
Ysaÿe: Rêve d'enfant

"When you hear the performances, don't be surprised if words such as 'definitive' and 'perfection' come to mind -repeatedly." CD Review

Available on CD, Mini Disc (SK52568)

Dvořák: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 53
Dvořák: Romance in F minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 11
Dvořák: Carnival Overture, Op 92

Zubin Mehta, conductor
New York Philharmonic

"Midori's full-blooded playing and exquisitely pliant tone are intoxicating, especially in the second movement, where her phrasing and coloration truly touch the heart." The New York Times

"A magnificent performance of the concerto - passionate, lyrical, and distinguished by enormous dash and aplomb. A tour-de-force by the young violinist" Billboard

Midori "Live At Carnegie Hall"

Robert McDonald, piano

Beethoven: Sonata No. 8 for Piano and Violin
R. Strauss: Sonata for Violin and Piano
Chopin: Nocturne
Ernst: Variations on The Last Rose of Summer
Debussy: Beau Soir
Ravel: Tzigane

"Her playing [is] that of a mature artist who feels the music, knows what she wants to say about it and has the technique to put her ideas across unequivocally." New York Times

Available on CD (SK46742)

Available on VHS (SK46394)

Bartók: Concerto No.1 for Violin and Orchestra, Op. Posth.
Bartók: Concerto No.2 for Violin and Orchestra

Zubin Mehta, conductor
Berlin Philharmonic

"The sheer beauty and intimacy of Midori's playing are astonishing. Behind the alluring sounds one detects a fine analytic mind" San Francisco Examiner

"Midori sympathetically unlocks Bartók's potent score, revealing its sensible mysteries and agonizing over its personalized anguish." CD Review

Available on CD (SK45941)

Paganini: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op.1

"The tonal spectrum Midori produces is a veritable collage of the best sounds ever brought to this music. The intonation is as accurate as exists, the bow technique is under perfect control, the left-hand pizzicato resembles a machine gun, the energy level is overwhelming and the lyricism is captivating. ... a listening experience that transcends all expectation." American Record Guide

Available on CD (SK44944)