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
[Ohlsson's] exquisite dynamic control, beautiful variety of tone, and bel canto “singing” of the melody combined to form a treasurable rendering of this lovely piece
“The well-deserved standing ovation elicited one encore, Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2, another much-beloved staple of recitals. Once again, when Ohlsson chose to speak simply and affectingly to the heart, the results made the deepest impression: his exquisite dynamic control, beautiful variety of tone, and bel canto “singing” of the melody combined to form a…
...wspaniałe zróżnicowanie barw dźwięku, płynne zmiany nastrojów przy jednoczesnej klarowności wywodu – nic do dodania.
“Jako zrównoważenie dla jednej z ostatnich sonat Beethovena ze środkowego okresu (ostatniej według niektórych badaczy – niekoniecznie: e-moll op. 90 jest za mało medytacyjna i zbyt witalna jak na późne sonaty) Ohlsson wybrał fantazję Wanderer Schuberta. Bardzo dobry wybór – ten utwór doskonale da się połączyć zarówno z innymi dużymi formami klasycznymi, romantycznymi,…
After the last note and harmonics faded, the audience waited breathless, appreciative moments, allowing emotions to linger but then roared with a unison of approbation.
“Bach composed the WTC Book II (preludes and fugues in every major and minor key) two decades or so after the first. It possesses mature nuance, well-delivered by Ohlsson. The prelude of BWV 882 in F-sharp Major confers a precise and delicate mood, with two main, lightly articulated themes and several portions, hinting of French style. I felt the pianist’s interpretation reverential and…