Centaur Records Launches a New CD Completing Tomas Cotik's and Tao Lin's Recording of Schubert’s Integral Works for Violin and Piano

Centaur Records releases Argentine violinist, Tomas Cotik’s and Chinese-American pianist, Tao Lin’s third album as a duo. The CD includes Schubert’s Sonata in D major (D.384), Sonata in A minor (D.385), and Sonata in G minor (D. 408). This highly anticipated second installment of Schubert’s complete works for violin and piano follows the duo’s Centaur Records release from December 2012 (CRC 3250). The first disc, which includes Schubert’s Duo in A major, Rondo in B minor, and Fantasia in C major, was selected as “Recording of the Year” by Albert Lam from the British publication MusicWeb International, was broadcast all over the United States by American Public Media, and received excellent reviews.

American Record Guide: “excellent violin playing, excellent piano playing, and extremely enjoyable interpretations of music that I love.” Fanfare Magazine: “outstanding…geniality...brilliance...pure tone...[and] rich timbral nuance…Cotik and Lin make Kreisler seem almost smarmy...Isabelle Faust almost mannered...and Julia Fischer...as though she's filed down the detail…Urgently recommended.” MusicWeb International: “I’ve had a listen to a few alternatives…including Isaac Stern and Daniel Barenboim on Sony Classics and Lydia Mordkovitch and Gerhard Oppitz on Chandos, but this duo on Centaur pretty much ticks all the boxes.” Palm Beach Arts Paper: “Tomas Cotik and Tao Lin have…honored not only their professions as musicians, but the memory and work of Franz Schubert.” Musical Toronto: “...wonderful album…impressive for the elegance and sensitivity of the interpretations...true treasure...one of the latest gems to emerge from the season..." Brian Newbould: (Professor Emeritus of Music and Schubert expert): “an enlightened, historically-informed approach to the music… you have gone further than others in this direction.... You both hold [the] balance… between the undeniable virtuoso character of much of the music and the 'inner' spiritual quality… most effectively and the performances place the music credibly as a product of its time and its composer. In other words, I find the combination of brain and heart compelling. You capture the spirit of the music… I very much doubt that Paganini could have come near to playing this music with your understanding.”



Cotik and Lin’s primary goal in approaching these pieces was to make informed decisions and interpretations inspired by knowledge of Schubert’s times. To this end, they researched the historical context of each piece in order to know what the usual practices in interpretation were at the time of its composition. Examining all of those issues gave them a greater understanding of notational and stylistic practice in Schubert’s time and allowed them to re-contextualize and perform Schubert’s work today with greater authority and creativity. At the same time, they recorded with modern instruments and tried to incorporate their own modern esthetical understanding of the pieces into the historical frame. In addition, they managed to preserve the creativity and spontaneity of live performances by capturing the natural sound of the concert hall and recording takes from whole movements during the recording.

Schubert composed these Sonatas, his first three pieces for violin and piano, in March and April of 1816, when he was 19 years old. The Sonatas on this album are exact contemporaries of Schubert’s fourth Symphony, named “Tragic” by the composer himself. Schubert was a very prolific composer around this time, but his music had not yet been performed publicly in Vienna.

Tomas Cotik Hailed by Michael Tilson Thomas as "an excellent violinist," Tomas Cotik (www.tomascotik.com) was a first-prize winner at the National Broadcast Music Competition in his native Argentina in 1997 and the winner of the Government of Canada Award for 2003-2005. A former rotating concertmaster of the New World Symphony, and a member of the Harrington and Delray String Quartets, Tomas Cotik earned a doctorate of music from the University of Miami, writing his dissertation about Schubert’s music. He also studied at the Freiburg University of Music in Germany and the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. Recent discography includes an album of music by Astor Piazzolla, several string quartets and one solo violin disc. He is currently working on a recording of Mozart’s complete sonatas for violin and piano with pianist Tao Lin. He has performed with several internationally prominent conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Valery Gergiev, Roberto Abbado, Yakov Kreizberg, Marin Alsop, Stephan Deneve, Roger Norrington and Robert Spano at important venues including Carnegie Hall. He has also participated in extensive chamber music collaborations and worked closely with renowned musicians including members of the Cleveland, Miami, Pro Arte, Bergonzi, Vogler, Vermeer, Tokyo and Endellion String Quartets. Tomas Cotik and Tao Lin are represented by Lisa Sapinkopf Artist Management. Tao Lin

Described by critics as possessing “keen musical intelligence and excellent facility” (Miami Herald) as well as an “opulent and romantic tone” (Fanfare), Chinese-American concert pianist and Steinway artist Tao Lin has performed in Asia, North America, and Europe. A versatile musician, he is equally at home as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. As a recitalist, he has performed at such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, 92nd Street Y, Rockefeller University, Chautauqua Institute, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Minnesota Orchestra Hall, Izumi Hall (Osaka, Japan), and the Edvard Grieg Museum in Norway. A devoted chamber musician, Mr. Lin has concertized throughout the United States as a member of the Berlin Piano Quartet (with Jacques Thibaud String Trio) and the Brahms Piano Quartet (with St. Petersburg String Quartet). He has also appeared in concerts with the Miami, Bergonzi, Alcon, Rosalyra, and St. Petersburg String Quartets as well as distinguished musicians such as Elmar Oliveira, Roberto Diaz, William De Rosa, Charles Castleman, Eugenia Zukerman, Claudio Bohorquez and members of the Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia, St. Louis, National, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Berlin Staatskapelle orchestras.

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