Introducing Shannon Lee
Telarc International
April 2007
Shannon Lee, violin
Pamela Mia Paul, piano
At the age of fourteen, Shannon Lee made her Telarc debut recording with Introducing Shannon Lee, a recital packed with gems by a range of 19th and 20th century composers, including Wieniawski, Kreisler, Ernst and Bazzini.
"Shannon Lee plays both very brilliantly and very engagingly... Urgently recommended." Fanfare
"Just 16, she displays a technical command and fearless virtuosity that would be astounding in someone twice her age, let alone a musician in her mid-teens. " Gramophone
"... Ms. Lee is a dazzler. No technical challenge seems beyond her, and her shining tone is gorgeous... listen how expressively she shapes Elgar's Salut d'amour, complete with juicy and stylish slides, and the lyric middle section of the Kreisler Tambourin chinois." Dallas Morning News
"...she [Shannon Lee] already shows blazing technique and fine musical instincts. The album is mostly a sampler comprising short pieces designed to showcase Lee's across-the-board virtuosity. With the exception of Vitaly's 'Chaconne,' selections range from a little over a minute to just over five minutes. The desired effect is achieved. Lee's suave, singing tone enchants in Debussy's 'Beau soir' and Carol Engel's 'Sea-Shell,' and she negotiates impossibly difficult finger-twisters by Wieniawski and Bazzini with grit and confidence...one track shouldn't be missed -- Lee's heartrending rendition of Elgar's 'Salut d'amour' will soften the most ardent prodigy skeptics." Birmingham News
"...Shannon Lee, a wizardly musician who makes her way around the fiddle with easy virtuosity. But there's more than an acrobat here. Lee also makes music, going to the emotional and structural core of such pieces as Ernst's 'Der Erlkönig (after Schubert),' and Vital's Chaconne in G minor. For sheer charisma there are works by Kreisler, Rimsky-Korsakov, Bazzini, Wieniawski, Scriabin and others. Grade A" Cleveland Plain Dealer