Blazing bravura pianism was to be expected from Mr. Ohlsson, but he was at least as impressive in the subtleties of the assorted Chopin pieces in the first half of the program, particularly in quiet changes of harmony, exquisitely prepared and breathtakingly executed.

Taking a New Concert Hall Out for a Spin or Two13 Jun 2010

After the opening concert, already reported on, the repertory was well calculated to test the dynamic extremes. On Friday the big, burly pianist Garrick Ohlsson, who can easily fill any hall with booming sonority, played Chopin. A canny professional, he managed to scale down his sound while also grappling with a Steinway piano still new enough that the action may have been a little stiff (to judge from some of the rippling passagework in the Opus 28 Preludes, taken at blistering tempos).

Blazing bravura pianism was to be expected from Mr. Ohlsson, but he was at least as impressive in the subtleties of the assorted Chopin pieces in the first half of the program, particularly in quiet changes of harmony, exquisitely prepared and breathtakingly executed. As often as Mr. Ohlsson has played some of these works (very often indeed), he seemed genuinely to be sharing the listener’s surprise and delight in whatever inventive turn would come next.

James R. Oestreich
The New York Times
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