DUO MILSTEIN

“Milstein is a big personality with her own very recognisable sound. This already makes her a rare breed in the violin universe. Her tone is full of nostalgia, depth and a certain fragility – reminiscent of the young Menuhin… There are no technical limitations. The sisters feel totally free to play as fast and as soft as they want. The result is breathtaking.” Biëlla Luttmer, de Volkskrant, November 2017 (on La Sonate de Vinteuil)

“…… violinist Maria, with her expressive tone and acute sense of line and direction, and her sister Nathalia, who supports flawlessly and with initiative from beginning to end. It is a pleasure to finally hear the Saint-Saëns Sonata given the serious attention that it deserves. It is absolutely not soggy madeleine-music, but powerful and pure nostalgia, as Swann and Proust experienced it a century ago.” Peter van der Lint, Trouw, November 2017 (on La Sonate de Vinteuil) 

“…how do you play a piece in which a Frenchman juggles his own native language with an African-American genre? The Milstein’s approach it with Cartesian clarity, with modest swing and taste for the humorous side. In the Tzigane, Ravel’s take on gypsy music, Maria Milstein pushes the bow vigorously on the strings, never crossing the limits of good taste. In the meantime, Nathalia Milstein is one of the top accompanists at the piano. From delicate chimes to a rough chord: she doesn’t play keys but makes music.”  Volkskrant, October 2019: Guido van Oorschot (on Ravel “Voyageur”)

Sisters Maria and Nathalia Milstein grew up in a family of musicians, they started playing together as a violin-piano duo as soon as their age difference of 10 years allowed this. In 2017, the two released their first CD La Sonate de Vinteuil on the Mirare label. with works based on Marcel Proust’s literary work “In Search of Lost Time”. It immediately received high accolades from media throughout Europe, for the inevitable musical connection of family members, and the innovative programming. It was named best CD of 2017 by Dutch paper de Volkskrant.

Maria and Nathalia’s second album Ravel Voyageur, released in 2019, The album also received international recognition in the international press such as BBC Music Magazine, de Volkskrant, Trouw and was awarded a Diapason d’Or by the French music magazine Diapason! In 2024, the duo plans to record Franz Schubert’s complete works for violin and piano (Mirare).

Maria and Natlia regularly perform in Europe in venues such as the Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam, BOZAR in Brussels, Diligentia in The Hague, De Bijloke in Ghent, the Philharmonie in Essen and the Teatro Ristori in Verona and is regularly invited to appear at leading festivals such as La Roque d’Anthéron, La Folle Journée, the Colmar International Festival, Thüringer Bachwoche and in the Netherlands at the Oranjewoudfestival, Wonderfeel and the Chamber Music Festival Schiermonnikoog.

Maria Milstein is a prize winner of several international competitions such as Città di Brescia, Rodolfo Lipizer and the ARD Competition. In 2016, she received the Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship and in 2018 the Dutch Music Prize – the highest award for a classical musician in the Netherlands. Together with pianist Hannes Minnaar and cellist Gideon den Herder, Maria forms the successful Van Baerle Trio. Maria studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Ilya Grubert, in London with David Takeno and at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels,with Augustin Dumay. Maria plays on Michel Angelo Bergonzi’s “Herman Krebbers” violin and with the Léonard Tourte bow from the National Musical Instruments Fund. She teaches at the Amsterdam Conservatory of Music.

Nathalia Milstein won the Dublin International Piano Competition in 2015 and the Young Soloists Prize of the Médias Francophones Publics in 2017. As a recitalist, Nathalia can be heard on prestigious stages in both Europe and the US, in venues such as Wigmore Hall/London, Gewandhaus/Leipzig, Pierre Boulez-saal/ Berlin and Carnegie Hall in New York, and is invited to perform at festivals such as La Roque d’Anthéron, Flâneries Musicales de Reims, La Folle Journée, New Ross Piano Festival, Lille Piano Festival, Zaubersee Festival and Radio France Festival.

You Tube Channel Compris AM: Duo Milstein 

https://www.mariamilstein.com/milstein-duo.html 

https://www.mariamilstein.com/ 

https://www.nathaliamilstein.com/

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