Legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman is known the world over as one of the most recognizable and beloved classical artists today. The 16-time Grammy winning Perlman celebrates his 70th birthday on August 31; the milestone is marked with multiple releases paying tribute to his catalog as well as Perlmans first new solo recording in 16 years. Fauré & Strauss Violin Sonatas with pianist Emanuel Ax will be released on August 28 on Deutsche Grammophon/UMC, on the heels of the 25-CD box set Itzhak Perlman: Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon, released May 26 on DG/UMC. Itzhak Perlman and Emanuel Ax each winners of multiple Grammy Awards among a myriad of other honors have teamed up for the exquisite album of Romantic-era masterpieces: the Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major by Gabriel Fauré and the lone Violin Sonata by Richard Strauss. In addition to this being Perlmans first new solo recording in over a decade, it is also the first recording by this violin-piano team after years of performing together on stage, and the first time Perlman has recorded these two major sonatas. Perlman and Ax will also kick-off a series of concert dates later this year (see below for itinerary). Describing the Fauré sonata, Perlman says: It smells like ambrosia the essence of French music, a lovely piece. For a violinist, its phrases are a real satisfaction to play, as theyre so rich. As for the Strauss sonata, Perlman says, Its by the young Strauss emotionally heroic, very appassionato. I like to write stories in my mind about the music I play, to help me with the phrasing. This is a dramatic story although in the slow movement, I imagine it in a coffeehouse, intimate and warm.