Elias David Moncado, the 21-year-old German-Spanish-Malaysian violinist, has won many 1st prizes and is regarded as a potential top classical artist of the near future. Each of the three composers featured on his new album of violin sonatas dealt in some special way with psychological stress and anxiety in their lives.

"In the Poulenc sonata I find a concealed passion, harsh brutality, and overwhelming pain. The Hindemith sonata contrasts and juxtaposes somber, dancelike, and heroic elements. The timbres in the Bartók are incredibly elaborate, and a general mood of suffering imbues the entire work." --Elias David Moncado