"The evening's musical feast.
A riveting program. There was a good deal to admire in Gottlieb's
obvious pleasure in performing and in his real insights into
the music. Each piece had shape and on-going logic..Virtuoso...Beautifully
colored and technically formidable. Excellent. Adventurous
brilliance." - THE NEW
YORK TIMES
"Jay Gottlieb is a virtuoso." -
THE NEW YORKER
"Pianist Jay Gottlieb delivered an exceptionally
witty and powerful performance. A proven talent in music...With
his virtuosity, the occasion was electric: a stomping ovation."
- THE VILLAGE VOICE, NEW YORK
"Intense pianist offers 9 powerful new pieces: Jay
Gottlieb's thrilling appearance at the Yerba Buena
Center for the Arts. Gottlieb, a brilliant
and engaged American interested in contemporary music, offered
a virtuosic tour through a gamut of recent writing for solo
piano. And Gottlieb's omnivorous taste is
matched by his capacious technique. In one piece after another,
he used rhythmic force and rhetorical fervor to make the music
yield up its secrets. His tone was robust and sonorous, the
dimensions of his attack stunningly precise. Beautiful."
- SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"Jay Gottlieb's extraordinary
touch and 'élan' stand out. One all too rarely hears
new music performed in a way that would do honor to old."
- OPUS, USA
"Gottlieb has a warm, intimate sound
and a corresponding sense of intimacy...A provocative and
beautifully played recital." - GRAMOPHONE,
GREAT BRITAIN
"Jay Gottlieb, the American pianist
- student of Boulanger and Kontarsky, took on this giant program
with its enormous technical difficulties with mastery. It
was a gripping evening: the sensitivity and conviction of
the pianist in the capacity-filled Akademie der Künste
made this possible." - DER
TAGES SPIEGEL, BERLIN, GERMANY
"Jay Gottlieb is a very versatile pianist.
In our concert halls, one almost never hears such virtuosic,
inspired, fascinating playing." - WESTDEUTSCHE
ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG, GERMANY
"A special discovery at the close of the Berliner Musikfestival
was the pianist Jay Gottlieb, who played
with the ease and assurance of a specialist."
- DARMSTADTER ECHO, GERMANY
"Jay Gottlieb's perfect performance
kept the audience holding its breath." - NEUE
RUHR ZEITUNG, GERMANY
"Gottlieb played in an attractive manner."
- ESSENER TAGEBUCH, GERMANY
"Extraordinary. A magisterial performance, spellbinding,
hypnotic...dense, rich and unforgettable timbre and colors.
Splendid" - IL GIORNALE
D'ITALIA, ITALY
"An interpretation worthy of 'cordon bleu' cuisine...rainbows
and cathedral-like stained-glass windows acquiring a new and
unforgettable savor. Refined playing that was much appreciated."
- STAMPASERA, TORINO, ITALY
"The pianist Jay Gottlieb, a particularly
inspired performer." - CD
CLASSICA, ITALY
"The difficult solo piano part was played by Jay
Gottlieb with a more than brilliant technique."
- L'UNITA, TORINO, ITALY
"The piano soloist with the Orchestra della RAI, Jay
Gottlieb, was extremely precise and admirable."
- GAZZETTA DEL POPOLO, TORINO,
ITALY
"Jay Gottlieb is a likeable musician:
enthusiastic, as generous as one could hope for, and doted
with a pianistic technique as infallible as it is irresistible...What
a fascinating sound palette, what a wealth of fervor and of
interiority, and also what daring! Jay Gottlieb
gave readings with an artistry of touch and temperament that
were simply magnificent...searching, nuanced and greatly differentiated
in its details, exciting and muscular in its long lines. Rhythmic
solidity, a sense of proportion and expansively-colored sonorities,
a maximum of enthusiasm, aplomb and conviction. A revelation."
- LUXEMBURGER WORT, LUXEMBURG
"Jay Gottlieb is a master...whether
it be with thunderous climates or with delicate, clear, linear
material...In passages with chords, he reveals great sensuality,
painting a tasty musical landscape, visiting all that the
88 keys of the keyboard can offer." - LA
LIBERTE, FRIBOURG
The French press
"Exceptional quality...real virtuosity...a
prodigious musician...Jay Gottlieb, a pianist
above all suspicion...Dazzling soloist, one must hail his
performance. The music flows naturally through a continuum
which starts rock-bottom with the notes and finally attaining
spheres of rare spirituality: he goes to the depths of all
he plays...an interpreter as well as clairvoyant. The pianist
renders. The pianist renders the works irresistible...fluid,
sumptuous, fine, intense, moments of mystery and of jubilation.
Incomparable Jay Gottlieb."
- LE MONDE, FRANCE
"The transcendent American pianist, Jay Gottlieb...a
prodigious technique, an exceptional musical intelligence,
and a temperament of fire. One of the most astonishing artists
that I have heard in a long time." - LE
MATIN DE PARIS
"The pianist Jay Gottlieb: superb...
Possessing a solid technique... Remarkably interpreted by
Jay Gottlieb...The incomparable pianism of
Jay Gottlieb, magnificently musical... A
genius" - LE FIGARO, FRANCE
"Jay Gottlieb, an exceptionally gifted
pianist. If you have already heard this extraordinary pianist,
it is sure and certain that you will go hear him again in
one of his skillfully constructed programs. Nothing gratuitous,
either in the choice of works or in their substance."
- LIBERATION, FRANCE
"At the piano, Jay Gottlieb is luminous;
the word is not too strong. The brilliant American pianist
succeeded in revealing the intrinsic architecture. Contrary
to numerous interpretations which are beginning to encumber
record stores, this one never bores...Strength, devotion,
also courage, not to mention a bared sensitivity: Jay
Gottlieb possesses all of these attributes, and many
more...His recording of the piano works of Ives will remain
the reference, far in front of the others...Sparkling and
very skillful Jay Gottlieb, who one imagines
devouring his piano. This magnificent program devoted to the
music for 'non-prepared' piano of John Cage is taken on with
absolute freedom, a brilliant acuity...In a way that nobody
else has done, Gottlieb underscores and exalts Cage's stylistic
evolution over a fifty-year period. An irreproachable and
impressive program in its generosity." - REPERTOIRE,
FRANCE
"Jay Gottlieb is one of the most adventurous
pianists today. With these pieces, often technically daunting,
the talented Jay Gottlieb does more than
well...Jay Gottlieb's interpretation inspires
no reservations...The agility of his playing, the care for
clarity of sonic layers...The pianist explores this special
piano music with a care and a passion that he succeeds in
conveying...His CD 'Continents' marvelously crystallizes his
panoramic and polymorphous virtuosity. He has brought to our
ears extremely beautiful music, all the while rendering manifest
the judicious choices of a truly fine musician. This CD provides
a precious intoxication. " - CLASSICA,
FRANCE
"Jay Gottlieb gives a worthy interpretation,
dazzling and refined. This is an opportunity for the listener
to receive a heady lesson in technique as well as a course
in esthetics. Jay Gottlieb is a rare personality.
One that, right from the first notes, gives you the impression
of rediscovering these works. Perhaps Jay Gottlieb
has acquired that extra-musical dimension particular to the
great: the sense of measure, the moment when the note enters
into communication with silence. An impalpable space of which
the pianist remains the faithful mediator, attentive and inspired...Sovereign
playing that flirts with perfection." - LES
INROCKUPTIBLES, FRANCE
"There are musicians who surpass mere virtuosity to attain
that fragile, sensitive, ineffable sphere that is the essence.
A sphere that can be reached only the by the intelligence
of the text, that cannot be explained in either analytical
or technical terms. A sphere that you can feel opening itself
up to our hearing, that seems self-evident, that moves us,
convinces us that here is music without pretense or affectation,
without lies or theatrics. Jay Gottlieb belongs
to this race of musicians...Jay Gottlieb
is magnificent here, dominating his subject...an immense virtuosity,
poetry...rigorous...perfectly free...His touch is of unbelievable
precision, his phrasing of astonishing clarity, and what suppleness!
Masterful." - DIAPASON,
FRANCE
"Gottlieb is without a doubt one of the strongest personalities
among contemporary pianists. Jay Gottlieb
makes these pieces come alive. He dares to use colors, nuances,
never losing sight of his intentions or falling into the trap
of mechanical gestures: he interprets, in the strongest sense...In
this recording, Jay Gottlieb plays with imperturbable
precision and seriousness, drawing from his piano extraordinary
and mysterious sonorities. Gottlieb takes pleasure in enabling
you to discover the dizzying depths...Jay Gottlieb
gives his all and accomplishes a veritable show of fireworks
while steering clear of facileness or vain virtuosity. Exemplary!"
- TELERAMA, FRANCE
"Jay Gottlieb, one of the masters of piano today. With
a beautiful program, the pianist gave proof of his immense
talent. An interpretation both deep and full of grace, Gottlieb
for a moment becoming a glorified personification of the mythic
figure of Liszt...Jay Gottlieb offers a remarkable interpretation,
never losing the sense of mystery or architecture. In this
music he deploys colors seldom heard. Jay Gottlieb offers
an admirable lesson in simplicity and sonic beauty...a science
of detail and of breathing...finesse and spontaneity...Listen
to his mastery of rhythm and of melody, where each note, each
chord reveals its own intensity...An inspired pianist, attentive
to a space where all is music...Transcendent." -
LE MONDE DE LA MUSIQUE, FRANCE
"A complete musician, the pianist Jay Gottlieb
embraces the totality of his repertoire of predilection with
renewed sensitivity and talent, finding for each work the
ideal illumination." - PIANISTE,
FRANCE
"Jay Gottlieb, an encylopedia of contemporary
piano music...Jay Gottlieb's rapid-fire and
supple mind seizes just what is necessary to give the music
what it needs...the American pianist caresses mystery...a
dreamy work that Jay Gottlieb interprets
with subtlety, and with pedaling that would have enchanted
the composer...Jay Gottlieb creates a sense
of space with infinite delicacy." - PIANO
MAGAZINE, FRANCE
"
All of the qualities of Jay Gottlieb's playing were heard
in this recital: precision, clarity, balance. Everything sounds
with a rare evidence. A tour de force of other-worldly beauty.
Electrifying fingers." - LA LETTRE DU
MUSICIEN, FRANCE
"The pianist Jay Gottlieb never ceases
to astonish us by the vitality and freshness of his playing...An
accomplished energy and sense of nuances." -
ZURBAN, FRANCE
"Extraordinary Jay Gottlieb...magnificent
both in power and in subtlety, displaying an almost infinite
range of colors. And that, to tell the truth, surprised no
one. His recital was perhaps the most memorable moment of
the Messiaen Festival, not only because he dominated the sometimes
formidable difficulties of his program, but because he gave
proof of an imagination that one witnesses too rarely these
days." - CONCERTO
NET.COM
"Jay Gottlieb brings to these scores
the vision of a pianist full of curiosity and invention, the
reading of an artist who clearly cherishes the text and its
flow." - VIRGIN MEGAPRESSE,
FRANCE
"An absolute treat: the inimitable Jay
Gottlieb presented a terrific program...The Ives
was given a spacious, romantic reading filled with sensuous
sonority...The Scelsi was played with color and conviction...Played
with great power, the Wolpe gave an invigorating shot of adrenaline
to the ears...Gottlieb proved equal to the
extremes of touch demanded by Messiaen...The
suite of 'Four Pianissimo Pieces' was a masterstroke of programming...The
Adams was a magical moment. His reading was effervescent and
impressive. I can't remember a program with so much music
on it I wanted to hear. Gottlieb's taste
in repertoire can hardly be improved on." -
SEQUENZA 21.COM
"The remarkable pianist, Jay Gottlieb,
a veritable walking charged battery who plays wonderfully."
- 7 A PARIS, FRANCE
"...magnificently served by Jay Gottlieb."
- CADENCES, FRANCE
"Jay Gottlieb, a prodigious pianist."
- LE POINT, FRANCE
"Jay Gottlieb, by far more original
in his programming...Class...His recording stands out from
the heap." - L'EXPRESS,
FRANCE
"At the keyboard, Jay Gottlieb is immediately
himself. And a pianist of phenomenal capacities. He masterfully
dominated the tumult of sound that, with his fingers, he created
and animated...Jay Gottlieb's readings were
absolutely remarkable...a dazzling recital...a solid pianist...sculptures
in diamond...an ideal interpreter." - DERNIERES
NOUVELLES D'ALSACE, FRANCE
"Jay Gottlieb is an immense pianist.
Fascinating. A 'phenomenon' with a phenomenal technique, exceptional
temperament and musical intelligence. His interpretation was,
quite simply, fabulous. His art is based on the quality of
touch and well-calculated gradation of sonic intensity. This
is great artistry. A major musical event." -
LA DEPECHE DU MIDI, FRANCE
"A prestigious interpreter, one of the foremost pianists
of our time: wonderful and surprising Jay Gottlieb!
The American pianist cast a spell on the music-loving audience
which responded warmly to his quest to communicate. It has
been said that Jay Gottlieb had a particular
talent for contemporary music, but this label is clearly incomplete.
Whatever style or period he tackles, Jay Gottlieb
knows how to respect its canons of interpretation while bringing
to it his own personality. Which is immense. An incomparable
technician, a cultivated interpreter, refined, a sure sensibility
which avoids the trap of sentimentality. An intense interiority
which burns in him but that he is capable of sharing with
his listeners. Jay Gottlieb's phenomenal
talent manifested itself so completely that the massive audience
accorded him a triumph." - NICE-MATIN,
FRANCE
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