Product Description 'It is a glorious and almost unfathomable truth that it only takes 51 strings (four on the violin and 47 on the harp) to produce immensely beautiful music. While violin soloists often have a piano or an entire orchestra to serve as accompanist, the lone harp in the Kent / Shulman Duo does a fantastic job of uplifting and supporting her counterpart in a more sonically unique fashion. Violinist Peter Kent and harpist Amy Shulman have played extensively apart and as a duo worldwide for a number of years. Both imbibe a true appreciation for the music they play and that sensitivity is evident in each piece. Throughout '51 Strings' the violin takes the lead melody with it's resonance and sustain qualities while the harp becomes the delicate percussive instrument keeping each piece flowing while hopefully getting a brief shining moment to run through a glissando. The opening number is Camille Saint-Saëns' "Fantaisie," which runs seamlessly through a series of different moods with each episode ebbing with the violin rubatto and then urged along by the harp. Both instruments have exquisite tone and sound most impressive in the higher registers at quiet dynamic levels. Kent and Shulman form an excellent musical team by intertwining their respective strings in a matched timbre. Continuing in the impressionist style with a more ethnomusicology flair, the duo performs Manuel de Falla's "Spanish Dance No. 1" from the opera La Vide Breve. After expertly plucking along the Latin countryside, the duo journey to the English moors with a masterful arrangement of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "The Lark Ascending." The succulent, passionate tune captures the air of rural life in the British Isles, similar to the composer's "Six Studies in English Folksong" for cello and piano, however the combination of violin and harp is sweeter. Jumping back to the European mainland is French composer Jules Massenet's sensual "Méditation" from the opera Thaïs displaying beautiful harmonics. In classical music there is no one more perfect than Johánn Sebastian Bach. These two stellar musicians perform the third and fourth movements from his Violin Sonata in E Major, the "Adagio" and "Allegro" respectively. The final selections on this wonderfully diverse album are from the 20th century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Two preludes are featured originally written for piano from his 24 Preludes, Op. 34. The first is a jumpy, humorous piece in A-flat Major with the harp carrying the left hand piano part adroitly as the violin jovially takes the melody. In the second, a musically inclined ear may pick up a snippet of the main theme from Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony in C-sharp minor. Lastly, rich in traditional Soviet drama and melancholy is "Romance" from the film The Gadfly. '51 Strings' not only demonstrates a more unique and aurally pleasing pairing of instruments but it also boasts a diverse assortment of musical styles sure to please any classical music lovers palette.' Review by: Kelly O'Neil Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) 'Peter Kent and Amy Shulman are each accomplished artists unto themselves. Harpist Amy Shulman, a graduate of Juilliard, has performed with numerous orchestral, chamber and contemporary music groups. She has also been heard in motion pictures, on television and on recordings by such greats as Frank Sinatra, Placido Domingo and Aretha Franklin. Violinist Peter Kent is a concertmaster in several orchestras in the Los Angeles area, and has performed on recordings by artists such as Michael Feinstein, Fiona Apple, Mariah Carey, Cracker and Shirley Horn. Beginning in 1982, the pair formed the Kent/Shulman duo, and has toured nationally to critical and popular praise. In 2012, the Kent/Shulman duo released their debut album 51 Strings. 51 Strings strikes it's first chord with Camille Saint-Saens' 'Fantaisie', a beautiful marriage of harp and violin that is subtly cast and sublime. Kent creates a beautiful framework from through which Kent's violin may dance. 'Spanish Dance No. 1' (Manuel de Falla) is a delightful turn, full of amazing energy and brilliant rhythmic counterpoints between Kent and Shulman. In contrast, the lyric beauty of Ralph Vaughan Williams' 'The Lark Ascending' is absolutely breathtaking, with Shulman providing subtle textures to highlight Kent's soaring melody lines. Johann Sebastian Bach gets fair time with "Adagio" and "Allegro". 'Adagio' mixes texture and lyricism, with each player carving out their own musical geography. There are moments of simple grace blending into sublime beauty here that captivate the listener's attention. Kent and Shulman build their resolutions slowly, leaving listeners on the very edges if their seats. 'Allegro' is a much more manic experience, with Kent bowing his way through undulating lines. 'Thais Meditation' (Jules Massenet) is contemplative and sweet, with a quiet vibrancy running underneath. The violin lines here are nothing short of gorgeous; most especially the high resolution with about 30 seconds to go. 'Berceuse' (Gabriel Fauré) finds Shulman as the perpetual 'yes, and' in a vibrant story told on four strings. It's a moment of beauty almost perfect in it's nature and mien. ?? Kent and Shulman close things out with three numbers from Dmitri Shostakovich. 'Prelude No. 1' plays off a vaguely Middle Eastern theme but quickly moves to a more classic Italian sound. The violin is vibrant here, while the harp is the glue that holds everything together. 'Prelude No. 2' is 93 seconds of quiet grace in song, with a subtle melody line that dances and lilts as if it were the air itself. Kent and Shulman close with 'Romance', with the harp marking off time as Kent tells a love story on violin. Peter Kent and Amy Shulman don't have much to prove at this point. As musicians they are acknowledged as some of the finest in their respective crafts. Yet on 51 Strings they find a way to move together beyond simple mastery into fine art. The ability to play notes with precision and a certain amount of grace is the mark of a master. The ability to breathe life through your instrument into a composition and bring it to life is the mark of an artisan. Both Kent and Shulman exhibit that ability in significant measure on 51 Strings. This is pure chamber music; much too expressive and full of life to ever be relegated to the background.' Review by: Wildy Haskell Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)? An excellent album this. Violinist Peter Kent and harpist Amy Shulman have put together a varied and colorful program that plays to the strengths of their unusual combination of instruments. Musical variety is achieved through subtle gradations of dynamics, and through a wide range of tone colors. Peter Kent is clearly a versatile violinist, and he knows exactly the tone to go for to complement the harp. Amy Shulman is also capable of varying her timbre as the music demands, through differing percussive levels in her attack, and by allowing the reverberation of the strings to overlap and mix into each other's harmonics. Most of the works on the program are arrangements, but the first piece, Saint-Saëns' Fantaisie, is a violin and harp original. And what a wonderful piece it is. The composer makes adventurous use of the harp, employing it as a full duo partner and never as mere accompaniment. His use of repeated note effects is particularly effective, as are his endlessly varied broken chords. And most importantly of all, he conjures some magical melodies, ideally suited to both instruments. In Manuel de Falla's Spanish Dance No. 1, the harp takes the role of the flamenco guitar, providing the ideal Iberian flavor and gentle propulsion throughout. The Lark Ascending is well-known in a wide range of settings and transcriptions, but the advantage of the harp here is that the violin does not have to compete to be heard. Even in it's original orchestral form, the piece presents a paradox: how can the soloist float on the breeze when the orchestral backing dem Review 51 Strings ... a beautiful marriage of harp and violin ...full of amazing energy and brilliant rhythmic counterpoint leaving listeners on the very edge of their seats ... absolutely breathtaking.--Wildy Haskell It is a glorious and almost unfathomable truth that it only takes 51 strings (four on the violin and 47 on the harp) to produce immensely beautiful music. While violin soloists often have a piano or an entire orchestra to serve as accompanist, the lone harp in the Kent / Shulman Duo does a fantastic job of uplifting and supporting her counterpart in a more sonically unique fashion. Violinist Peter Kent and harpist Amy Shulman have played extensively apart and as a duo worldwide for a number of years. Both imbibe a true appreciation for the music they play and that sensitivity is evident in each piece. Throughout 51 Strings the violin takes the lead melody with its resonance and sustain qualities while the harp becomes the delicate percussive instrument keeping each piece flowing while hopefully getting a brief shining moment to run through a glissando. The opening number is Camille Saint-Saëns Fantaisie, which runs seamlessly through a series of different moods with each episode ebbing with the violin rubatto and then urged along by the harp. Both instruments have exquisite tone and sound most impressive in the higher registers at quiet dynamic levels. Kent and Shulman form an excellent musical team by intertwining their respective strings in a matched timbre. Continuing in the impressionist style with a more ethnomusicology flair, the duo performs Manuel de Falla s Spanish Dance No. 1 from the opera La Vide Breve. After expertly plucking along the Latin countryside, the duo journey to the English moors with a masterful arrangement of Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending. The succulent, passionate tune captures the air of rural life in the British Isles, similar to the composer s Six Studies in English Folksong for cello and piano, however the combination of violin and harp is sweeter. Jumping back to the European mainland is French composer Jules Massenet s sensual Méditation from the opera Thaïs displaying beautiful harmonics. In classical music there is no one more perfect than Johánn Sebastian Bach. These two stellar musicians perform the third and fourth movements from his Violin Sonata in E Major the Adagio and Allegro respectively. The final selections on this wonderfully diverse album are from the 20th century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Two preludes are featured originally written for piano from his 24 Preludes, Op. 34. The first is a jumpy, humorous piece in A-flat Major with the harp carrying the left hand piano part adroitly as the violin jovially takes the melody. In the second, a musically inclined ear may pick up a snippet of the main theme from Gustav Mahler s Fifth Symphony in C-sharp minor. Lastly, rich in traditional Soviet drama and melancholy is Romance from the film The Gadfly.51 Strings not only demonstrates a more unique and aurally pleasing pairing of instruments but it also boasts a diverse assortment of musical styles sure to please any classical music lovers palette. --Review by: Kelly O NeilPeter Kent and Amy Shulman are each accomplished artists unto themselves. Harpist Amy Shulman, a graduate of Juilliard, has performed with numerous orchestral, chamber and contemporary music groups. She has also been heard in motion pictures, on television and on recordings by such greats as Frank Sinatra, Placido Domingo and Aretha Franklin. Violinist Peter Kent is a concertmaster in several orchestras in the Los Angeles area, and has performed on recordings by artists such as Michael Feinstein, Fiona Apple, Mariah Carey, Cracker and Shirley Horn. Beginning in 1982, the pair formed the Kent/Shulman duo, and has toured nationally to critical and popular praise. In 2012, the Kent/Shulman duo released their debut album 51 Strings.51 Stringsstrikes its first chord with Camille Saint-Saens Fantaisie, a beautiful marriage of harp and violin that is subtly cast and sublime. Kent creates a beautiful framework from through which Kent's violin may dance. Spanish Dance No. 1 (Manuel de Falla) is a delightful turn, full of amazing energy and brilliant rhythmic counterpoints between Kent and Shulman. In contrast, the lyric beauty of Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending is absolutely breathtaking, with Shulman providing subtle textures to highlight Kent s soaring melody lines. Johann Sebastian Bach gets fair time with Adagio and Allegro. Adagio mixes texture and lyricism, with each player carving out their own musical geography. There are moments of simple grace blending into sublime beauty here that captivate the listener's attention. Kent and Shulman build their resolutions slowly, leaving listeners on the very edges if their seats. Allegro is a much more manic experience, with Kent bowing his way through undulating lines. Thais Meditation (Jules Massenet) is contemplative and sweet, with a quiet vibrancy running underneath. The violin lines here are nothing short of gorgeous; most especially the high resolution with about 30 seconds to go. Berceuse (Gabriel Fauré) finds Shulman as the perpetual yes, and in a vibrant story told on four strings. It's a moment of beauty almost perfect in its nature and mien. Kent and Shulman close things out with three numbers from Dmitri Shostakovich. Prelude No. 1 plays off a vaguely Middle Eastern theme but quickly moves to a more classic Italian sound. The violin is vibrant here, while the harp is the glue that holds everything together. Prelude No. 2 is 93 seconds of quiet grace in song, with a subtle melody line that dances and lilts as if it were the air itself. Kent and Shulman close with Romance, with the harp marking off time as Kent tells a love story on violin. Peter Kent and Amy Shulman don t have much to prove at this point. As musicians they are acknowledged as some of the finest in their respective crafts. Yet on 51 Strings they find a way to move together beyond simple mastery into fine art. The ability to play notes with precision and a certain amount of grace is the mark of a master. The ability to breathe life through your instrument into a composition and bring it to life is the mark of an artisan. Both Kent and Shulman exhibit that ability in significant measure on 51 Strings. This is pure chamber music; much too expressive and full of life to ever be relegated to the background. --Review by: Wildy HaskellAn excellent album this. Violinist Peter Kent and harpist Amy Shulman have put together a varied and colorful program that plays to the strengths of their unusual combination of instruments. Musical variety is achieved through subtle gradations of dynamics, and through a wide range of tone colors. Peter Kent is clearly a versatile violinist, and he knows exactly the tone to go for to complement the harp. Amy Shulman is also capable of varying her timbre as the music demands, through differing percussive levels in her attack, and by allowing the reverberation of the strings to overlap and mix into each other s harmonics. Most of the works on the program are arrangements, but the first piece, Saint-Saëns Fantaisie, is a violin and harp original. And what a wonderful piece it is. The composer makes adventurous use of the harp, employing it as a full duo partner and never as mere accompaniment. His use of repeated note effects is particularly effective, as are his endlessly varied broken chords. And most importantly of all, he conjures some magical melodies, ideally suited to both instruments. In Manuel de Falla s Spanish Dance No. 1, the harp takes the role of the flamenco guitar, providing the ideal Iberian flavor and gentle propulsion throughout. The Lark Ascending is well-known in a wide range of settings and transcriptions, but the advantage of the harp here is that the violin does not have to compete to be heard. Even in its original orchestral form, the piece presents a paradox: how can the soloist float on the breeze when the orchestral backing demands an almost symphonic approach. But here the piece is all about lightness and delicacy, and Peter Kent uses the opportunity to present one of the most agile and attractive performances of the solo violin part you are likely to hear. The Bach Adagio and Allegro that follows is taken from the E Major Violin Sonata. As Bach interpretation goes, this is a bit on the reverential side, with steady tempos and little in the way of ornamentation. But it is ideal in the context of this program, as it provides a sense of cleansing Baroque order to an otherwise emotionally-rich Romantic program. Massenet s Méditation, and Shostakovich s Romance are almost guaranteed appearances on albums like this. Of the many arrangements of both for solo violin and miscellaneous instrument, these violin and harp versions are as good as any, and are as beautifully played as everything else there. Fauré s Berceuse is a wistful and fleeting affair. Here, for the first time, Shulman acts as stand-in pianist, a role she fulfills well by giving each of her notes a definite and precise attack. Two of Shostakovich s Op. 34 Piano Preludes are also included and, brief as they both are, they show yet another side to Kent and Shulman s musicianship. Shostakovich demands an angular and slightly acerbic tone, which both players are able to achieve, yet without even the hint of ugliness. The sound quality is excellent, with both instruments presented in a clear but warm acoustical setting. All round, then, an excellent recording, and a testament to the wide range of musical possibilities offered by this most unusual of instrumental combinations. --Review by: Gavin Dixon