Ohlsson spun out the main tune in clear, serene phrases, then made the sprawling middle section into eloquent play of shifting colors and ardent snippets of melody. The finale was a headlong burst of virtuosity.

Chopin Recital in Houston03 Nov 2021

“The concert’s sole sonata—the Sonata in B minor—gained a near-symphonic scale.

The first movement embraced turbulence and punch as well as Ohlsson’s richest, silkiest lyrical playing of the night. Other hands have given the dashing scherzo more quicksilver precision, but Ohlsson made it red-blooded and exuberant.

In the Largo, Ohlsson spun out the main tune in clear, serene phrases, then made the sprawling middle section into eloquent play of shifting colors and ardent snippets of melody. The finale was a headlong burst of virtuosity.

Ohlsson simmered down the excitement and touched on one more genre with his sole encore: Chopin’s Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, no. 2. Much of it was cozy and intimate, but Ohlsson ended it with a touch of breeziness that helped usher the audience out into the night.”

The Classical Review