News
– November 2020 – 5 stars from Classical Source UK for the recording of the complete “Années de pèlerinage” by Liszt:
“Her Années de pèlerinage isn’t just about splendid technique. It’s about reverie and quest, colour and vocalisation, sound and silence. In best Lisztian manner, she rises to climaxes and prolongs cadences, she develops the sonority and power of her Steinway D from deep recesses. (…) The Third Year, damask-touched, long-lined, is epically penetrating and introspective. A glorious summation … possibly the finest single achievement of the set. (…) In her producer/engineer/editor, Cécile Lenoir, she has the perfect companion.”
Read the full article here:
https://www.classicalsource.com/cd/liszts-years-of-pilgrimage-suzana-bartal-naive/
– November 2020 – Great new review about the Liszt album on RCF Radio (in French) :
“Cela a été pour moi un véritable choc que d’entendre cette intégrale sous ses doigts, d’autant que je connais très bien ce cycle par d’autres pianistes, des pianistes tels que Brendel, Kempff, Arrau, Bolet, Ciccolini, Cziffra et tant d’autres. Et bien, Suzana Bartal n’a pas à jalouser ces grands maîtres du passé, elle se hisse à leur niveau et il va falloir désormais compter sur elle dans ce répertoire. C’est un Liszt essentiel qu’elle nous propose. […]
A l’écoute de Suzana Bartal, on comprend que ces pièces forment un tout. C’est la construction, l’architecture globale de ce cycle qui transparaît dans son interprétation de part sa volonté, tout d’abord, de par son intelligence musicale, mais également de par le fait d’avoir eu l’expérience de la scène, d’avoir joué plusieurs fois en concert cette oeuvre monumentale en son entier, avant de l’enregistrer.
Sur le plan de la réalisation pianistique, permettez-moi de souligner quelques points de détail. Tout d’abord, le travail sur le son, le travail sur la couleur et la matière. Le soin apporté par Suzana Bartal aux liens intérieurs de la polyphonie, sa manière d’équilibrer les accords sans aucune dureté, des accords nourris, pleins, majestueux. Nous sommes en présence d’un piano orchestral dans toute sa plénitude.
Prenons comme exemple “Orage”. Une oeuvre bâtie sur une succession d’octaves, une succession d’accords. Certains pianistes pourront nous donner par le biais de cette oeuvre une démonstration technique, démonstration totalement vide de sens et de contenu musical, or chez Suzana Bartal, les octaves, les accords ne sont autres que moyens d’expression. Dieu merci, aucune démonstration acrobatique de sa part! Elle est à l’écoute des résonnances de chaque octave, de chaque accord. Elle travaille sur les blocs harmoniques. Il y a, dans sa conduite des choses, une progression architecturale qui va mettre de la sorte en valeur, les différents points de tension et de détente de l’oeuvre. Suzana Bartal ne force jamais, elle a une technique pianistique naturelle, une technique basée sur la notion de poids, la notion de détente.”
(Philippe Soler – RCF)
Listen to the whole radio show on Youtube:
– October 2020 – The recording of the complete “Années de pèlerinage” (Naïve) receives recognition from the Liszt Society Budapest
The recording, released in March 2020, received a “Diploma of Honour” for outstanding interpretation of the Lisztian music:
– Septembre 2020 – Great review from Opus Klassiek in the Netherlands!
“Then there is Suzana Bartal, who was – and I say this not without some embarrassment – totally unknown to me, until this formidable set dropped in my mailbox.
In the CD booklet she states that the Annees form a part of her musical DNA and to musical matters always applies: hearing is believing.
And indeed, her rendition is in one word overwhelming, based upon a phenomenal technique which forms the sound foundation for the glittering play of colours, rightly having a large romantic range; with this she makes a really perfect connection between the rural Suisse with its fabulous painting of nature and the mesmerising world of Dante, Petrarca, Michelangelo and Rafael.
Phenomenal is also the way in which she does not allow the third year – with as expressive centre point the Villa dEste with its sublime renaissance palace and its wonderfully laid out gardens (I was there and I can certainly appreciate this) – to become blurred by pure virtuosity, but also allows the mystical vistas to come into full bloom.
This is playing that is supported by aristocratic refinement, from which so many breathtaking details are lighted out that it is a true pleasure for the ear and the soul.
This also applies to the three pieces which form the supplement “Venezia e Napoli”: here as well musical imagination, perfect articulation and dynamic precision are continuously present.
Thus she, almost “en passant” but irrefutably, provides proof of Liszts brilliant composing.
Then there is the recording which, thanks to the gleaming sonority in all registers of the perfectly tuned concert grand, also contributes considerably to this grandiose listening feast.”
Read the full article (in Dutch) here:
– June 27, 2020 – New article about my Liszt album on Fidelio magazine Hungary!
– My album “Années de pèlerinage” by Liszt (Naïve) broadcast on radio in France, Italy and Switzerland in May/June 2020!!
- France Musique, En pistes: https://bit.ly/2UbNArE
- Générations France Musique: https://bit.ly/370bawG
- Rai 3 Radio (Italy): https://bit.ly/2TBm8Ua
- Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS): https://bit.ly/3gT4TaL
– May 2020 – Great news from Canada 🇨🇦 Very moved to be selected recording of the week in Vancouver Opera’s Offstage Podcast.
Thank you very much Leslie Dala for your pick!
https://bit.ly/3fIgDwm
https://spoti.fi/2SOBZOx
– April 2020 – More praiseful reviews and articles on the “Années de pèlerinage” album on Naïve: read here the full review by Jean-Charles Hoffelé for Artamag (http://www.artalinna.com/?p=12955), as well as the article by Anne-Sandrine Girolamo for Gang Flow (https://gang-flow.com/2020/04/08/inoubliables-annees-de-pelerinage-par-suzana-bartal/?fbclid=IwAR2glPBnKbYlVyl1YhP1yhP-xR8yE4DmDjURwHbf5qW20p9hBaty0W_ntqk)
– March 2020 – The complete “Années de pèlerinage” now released on Naïve! Already a first article published in Crescendo Magazine Belgium:
– October 2019 – Official release date on the label Naïve announced: thrilled that my recording of the complete “Années de pèlerinage” by Franz Liszt (a triple CD) will be available on March 6, 2020!
– July 2019 – France Musique announces Suzana Bartal’s nomination as the new Artistic Director of the Festival Piano à Riom starting its 34th edition in 2020.
The Festival has a very prestigious past, having invited many of the leading artists (Bertrand Chamayou, Vlado Perlemuter, Jean-Claude Pennetier, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Jean-Marc Luisada, Alexandre Tharaud, Catherine Collard, Aldo Ciccolini, Marie-Josèphe Jude, etc). It will be an honor for Suzana to continue the great work in the spirit of excellency and artistic diversity.
– October 2018 – A beautiful article in Vaucluse Matin to announce my season opener concert with Orchestre Avignon Provence performing Brahms Concerto nr. 2 under the baton of Samuel Jean
– August 2018 – Festival Berlioz – the performance of the complete Années de pèlerinage receives critical acclaim:
Many thanks to the Dauphiné Libéré and to Victoria Tomoko Okada from Toute la culture for this very enthusiastic reiews:
– August 2018 – Finnish debut at the Turku Music Festival acclaimed in the press:
“One can assume she [Suzana Bartal] has played Szymanowski’s mazurkas and Debussy’s Preludes more than once before, so fabulously did she play her way through them. She played by heart, looking relaxed and smiling with her whole body.(…)”
(Turun Sanomat)
– April 2018 – Praiseful reviews of my concert at the Festival de Pâques Aix-en-Provence in Le Figaro and on Concertclassic:
Thank you to Thierry Hillériteau (Le Figaro), who characterized our performance with Lise Berthaud of the world premiere of Eric Tanguy’s “Rhapsodie” for viola and piano as being of “jubilatory virtuosity”.
Big thanks also to Alain Cochard, who published a very nice review on the concert on Concertclassic:
– November 13, 2017 – New live recording available on Youtube featuring Book 2 from the Debussy “Préludes” from my recital at Yale University on October 26, 2017. Visit my updated “Media”page:
https://suzanabartal.com/repertoire/
– October 10, 2016 – My collaboration with Agence Artistique Paul Massendari is officially announced
Very happy to be represented by this wonderful management and very much looking forward to upcoming projects!
http://www.paulmassendari.com/artistes/suzana-bartal
– September 28, 2016 – Very nice review about our recital with Henri Demarquette at the Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice (Italy)
-August 14, 2016 – Nice interview announcing our duo recital with cellist Henri Demarquette at the Opéra in Vichy in “La Montagne”
– August 2016 – Very happy about our newest review of our concert with violinist Anne – Sophie Le Rol in “La Montagne”
– July 2016 -Beautiful review in the magazine “Diapason”
– May 9, 2016 – Great review on Radio France Internationale (RFI) – my Schumann CD is “coup de coeur”
My Schumann CD was reviewed on RFI by Gilles Bencimon this Monday. Very touched by his beautiful words:
“La pianiste fouille et va au fond des partitions avec une grande intelligence, elle interroge véritablement chaque page. Si je vous dis spontanée, intense ou sensible, vous aurez une idée de ses interprétations. Une approche qui s’appuie bien sûr sur une technique parfaite: le toucher est raffiné, les couleurs subtiles, la richesse et l’intensité du discours musical sont là. On est captivés du début à la fin de chaque pièce. Là où on admire encore la pianiste c’est qu’elle rend à merveille l’audace de l’écriture et surtout la cohérence des recueils, le lien intime qui relie les pièces entre elles, des pièces parfois moins disparates qu’elles n’en ont l’air.”
(“The pianist searches and goes into the depths of the scores with great intelligence, she questions truly every page. If I say spontaneous, intense or subtle, one gets an idea of her interpretations. An approach that relies of course on a perfect technique: the touch is refined, the colors subtle, the richness and intensity of the musical discourse are there. One is captivated from the beginning to the end of each piece. What we also admire the pianist for is that she renders marvelously the audacity of the writing and most of all the coherence of the cycles, the intimate link that ties the pieces among themselves, pieces that are sometimes less disparate than they would seem.”)
http://www.rfi.fr/emission/bande-passante
May 6, 2016 – My Schumann CD on Belgian radio RTBF
Very happy that the Waldszenen op. 82 from my Schumann CD were broadcast on RTBF Belgian radio in “Demandez le programme” by Camille de Rijck!
http://www.rtbf.be/musiq3/emissions/detail_demandez-le-programme?programId=8775
April 18, 2016 – Interview broadcast by Radio Classique
Listen here to the beautiful interview for the “Journal du Classique” with Laure Mézan on Radio Classique:
http://www.radioclassique.fr/player/progaction/initPlayer/podcast/2016-04-18-13-03-19.html
April 8, 2016 – Interview on radioclassique.fr
Thrilled to have given an interview to Albina Belabiod from Radio Classique. Available at the link below:
http://www.radioclassique.fr/index.php?id=322
April 1, 2016 – Interview on Classical Music & Co
My interview with Thierry Vagne has been published. It is available in French:
http://vagnethierry.fr/suzana-bartal-interview/
and in English:
http://vagnethierry.fr/en/meeting-suzana-bartal/
March 31, 2016 – The review of my recital in Chambéry at the beginning of the month
… is online (in French) at the following link:
http://1soiropera.blogspot.fr/2016/03/le-billet-de-mado-venet-suzana-bartal.html
Thank you very much Mado Venet for this beautiful review!
March 2016 – My Schumann CD receives a warm welcome on radio France Musique
This month I had the great pleasure to be invited in several radio shows on France Musique to talk about my CD: La Matinale Culturelle (with Nicolas Lafitte and Vincent Josse), Génération Jeunes Interprètes (with Gaëlle le Gallic). My recording also received a very nice presentation by Emilie Munera in the show “En Pistes”.
February 23, 2016 – First review of my Schumann CD to be released by Paraty (Harmonia Mundi distribution) on March 4
A very nice review by Thierry Vagne: “Pas de minauderies, d’effets calculés, de recherche artificielle de couleurs : la partition, dans un tempo tenu, avec de superbes sonorités et un chant toujours très élégant. (…) Plus qu’un disque prometteur, une réussite !”
(“No simpering, calculated effects, artificial quest of colors: the score, in a held tempo, with superb sonorities and an always very elegant singing quality. (..) More than a promising disc, a success!”)
Read the whole article here:
http://www.vagnethierry.fr/schumann-par-suzana-bartal/
May 16, 2015 – Documentary on DUNA TV!
Very honored that the Hungarian television Duna TV has aired a short documentary on the occasion of my recent performance of the Liszt Concerto in Timisoara. You can watch it at the link below (between 11’12” and 14’58”):
http://www.mediaklikk.hu/video/terkep-2015-05-16-i-adas/
May 8, 2015
Very happy after our performance of the Liszt Concerto nr. 1 with the Timisoara Philharmonic and conductor Nicolae Moldoveanu: lots of fun and 4 encores!!!
February 23, 2015: Quarterfinalist of the Honens Piano Competition!
I am extremely honored to be selected for the Quarterfinals of the very prestigious Honens Piano Competition 2015! Next stop, London on April 15 at the Guildhall Schoolf Music and Drama:
http://www.honens.com/quarterfinalists
February 3, 2015: Great review of my last minute step-in in Le Marseillais:
January 30, 2015: very last minute step in for Marie-Josèphe Jude with the Orchestre Avignon-Provence! On January 30 I was called at noon to step in for the evening concert with the Orchestre Avignon-Provence!! What an adventure and what an immense pleasure to play the Grieg Concerto with the orchestra under the baton of Wolfgang Doerner! A memorable evening in all respects: http://www.orchestre-avignon.com/Actualites/Nouvelle/_URGENT-Modification-du-programme-du-concert-du-30-janvier
