This was fresh, weightless Mozart — lines honest and well-lit.
Photo: Human Artist Photography + Cinema “Ohlsson, the 1970 Chopin Competition winner, has long been admired for his musicianship built on artistic breadth, patience, and unforced authority. He offered the first movement Allegro at a natural pace, shaping phrases with an economical touch and a clear objective. This was fresh, weightless Mozart — lines honest and…
Ohlsson’s virtuosity here isn’t speed or extremes of technique but rather exceptional clarity.
“Against any other recording of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27, this live, spatial one with pianist Garrick Ohlsson at Severance Music Center – available Aug. 1 on Apple Classical and Sept. 12 on other platforms – surely holds its own. Indeed, with this recording, Ohlsson, Welser-Most, and the orchestra accomplish a rare feat, underscoring Mozart’s potent economy of expression, his…
He could make the piano thunder in passages such as the grandiose openings of the first and third movements. He made it sparkle in effortless performances of rapid passages that decorate melodies in the orchestra.
“After intermission, the acclaimed American pianist Garrick Ohlsson took the stage to perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Ohlsson is known for his fine technique and huge hands, which allow him to tackle passages that challenge other pianists. He could make the piano thunder in passages such as the grandiose openings of the first and third movements. He made it sparkle in…
In Wisconsin to perform with the Madison Symphony...
Wisconsin Public Radio In Wisconsin to perform with the Madison Symphony, pianist Garrick Ohlsson and guest conductor Michael Stern get into a spirited conversation about what it takes to bring life to a piece of music and what it means to take risks during a performance. Garrick Ohlsson and Michael…
His ability to change his articulation from assertive to dreamy furthered both his and Beethoven’s cause.
“Ohlsson treated this early Beethoven work expressively, with sinuous rubato, keeping his rhythms precise, his touch light, and his rhetoric clear. Nothing, not even Beethoven’s many technical snares, seemed to faze him. And the pianist rarely pulled rank: every phrase seemed agreed upon rather than dictated to the Orchestra. Ohlsson’s many dialogues with individual players —…
"[Garrick Ohlsson] is a force of nature and an exceptional artist: his playing of Rachmaninov in his last visit to Manchester remains in the memory as an exhibition of mastery."
“[Garrick Ohlsson] is a force of nature and an exceptional artist: his playing of Rachmaninov in his last visit to Manchester remains in the memory as an exhibition of mastery.” The Arts Desk