Todd Crow, Piano : Acclaim

FANFARE

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"Todd Crow is an American treasure. He combines a solid technique and beautiful keyboard touch with complete mastery of the music. Recorded in 1992 and in 1995 by the BBC for broadcast on two different programs, the sound is excellent. Strongly recommended."---Susan Kagan -- FANFARE

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Mr. Crow serves his material; he does not exploit it...This was one of those uncommon piano recitals in which narcissism is absent. The instrument led listeners away from itself and toward music."---Bernard Holland -- THE NEW YORK TIMES

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"And Todd Crow gave the most heroic performance of all in a later recital, 'The Pianist as Orchestra,' wrestling Liszt's transcription of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique to the mat. Including sectional repeats that orchestras often skip, Mr. Crow showed endless flair, color and stamina."---James R. Oestreich -- THE NEW YORK TIMES

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"...An unusually serious, intelligent, and thought-provoking recital...Mr. Crow observed Debussy's rhythmic delicacies with Mozartean care. The first two preludes were magical."---Bernard Holland -- THE NEW YORK TIMES

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"Todd Crow performed the d'Albert sonata and Brahms's 'Handel' Variations with stunning control and a wonderful sense of musical architecture."---Mark Swed

-- THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

THE TIMES (LONDON)

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"In Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition he was highly impressive when under fire, and a spine-chilling Ballet of the Chicks was exhilaratingly detailed...His effect is made by the perfect finish of his playing." -- THE TIMES (LONDON)

THE FINANCIAL TIMES (LONDON)

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"The pianist Todd Crow led a stirring account of the [Mendelssohn] B minor Quartet, Op. 3 - taut and vital."---David Murray -- THE FINANCIAL TIMES (LONDON)

GRAMOPHONE

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"Once a repertoire piece of Gieseking amongst others, Todd Crow dispatches the work [Ernst Toch's First Piano Concerto] with great élan, ably supported by Botstein and the Hamburg orchestra.”---Guy Rikard -- GRAMOPHONE

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"The crowning glory here is the [Ernst Toch] First Piano Concerto of 1926, a work once championed by Walter Gieseking. It is a major virtuoso work, frisky and exciting, full of bold gestures that echo Hindemith and Mahler but are filtered through harmonies that are neither tonal or atonal. Get this terrific CD to hear what makes Toch tick."---John von Rhein -- CHICAGO TRIBUNE

THE AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

“Crow is a pianist of considerable stature: he has an ear for Schubert’s soaring melodies, and he responds generously to the emotional contrasts in a way that goes far beyond attending to phrase markings and dynamic contrasts...Crow is very good at conveying Schubert’s lyricism and he preserves the singing (almost lieder-like) quality that is so essential to this music. He feels this lyricism to his bones: his left-hand staccatos do not overpower the melodic line or impede the rhythmic momentum.”---John Beversluis -- THE AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"Todd Crow's 1990s BBC recordings benefit from the excellent acoustics of the Concert Hall of Broadcasting House in London (now fatally compromised) and of St George's, Bristol. It also gains from the 'old' radio philosophy of long takes and minimal editing....There are enjoyable accounts of nine of [Mendelssohn's] songs in Liszt's astonishingly creative reworkings, Moscheles's engaging fantasia in memory of Malibran, and Schumann's touching Variations on an Original Theme (****)." -- BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

RICHMOND (VA) TIMES-DISPATCH

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

“Crow’s contributions were remarkable, showing great sensitivity to sonic and expressive balance with the strings and maintaining full-bodied bass lines.”---Clarke Bustard -- RICHMOND (VA) TIMES-DISPATCH

DIAPASON/HARMONIE (PARIS)

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"Le lyrisme déployé par le pianiste américain Todd Crow est tendré et discret, d'une inspiration incontestablement musicale. Rien ne vient jamais heurter, rompre, agresser. Dans une certaine mesure, ce Schubert bien phrasé, aux sonorités toujours rondes, à la respiration aisée, sonne juste..."---Philippe Andriot -- DIAPASON/HARMONIE (PARIS)

CAHIERS FRANZ SCHUBERT (French Schubert Society Journal)

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

"Le vrai chef-d’oeuvre de ce disque, quoi qu’il en soit, est sans doute la dernière Sonata, D960, en si bémol majeur. L’agréable surprise vient ici de la maturité et de la profondeur avec lesuelles Todd Crow interprète ces pages si denses...Nous savons, pour le croire fortement, que Todd Crow, avec sa mesure, son contrôle, sa façon d’ « être contre » tout ce qui est excessif et vulgaire, incarne l’un des poètes les plus intenses de cette douce inexorabilité.”---Elvio Cipollone -- CAHIERS FRANZ SCHUBERT (French Schubert Society Journal)