"I remember the first time I heard the name “Petteri Iivonen”. It was late in the evening, and my phone rang at home. “Hello Bob”, a dark voice greeted me, before I could say hello myself.  “My name is Hagai Shaham... I know a young violinist you must hear right away. He comes from Finland. His name is Petteri Iivonen”.

Petteri’s affable personality galvanized as much support for this debut recording as did his exceptional talent with the violin. Listen to the colours Petteri employs in the first movement of the Debussy sonata, especially in the flautando sections. Or the extreme tenderness of the second movement of Ysaÿe’s Sonata No.2.

And then compare that with the icy brilliance of the same sonata’s fourth movement after the one-minute mark. Note too the yearning of an entire nation, perhaps the entire Twentieth Century, in the arrival of the Eli Eli theme in tracks twelve and thirteen (Yarlung Artists commissioned David Lefkowitz to write Eli Eli for Petteri, in honor of Hagai Shaham).

And then evaluate this music in comparison with the titanic Bach Partita, and enjoy the world of colour and emotion that Petteri delivers in this final work on his recording." - Bob Attiyeh, producer

Live concert performances of Eli Eli and the Bach Partita.