Notes by Greg Stepanich
The years 1901 and 1902 were crucial ones for Mahler, then at the height of his fame as the artistic director of the Vienna Court Opera. In the summer of 1901, he had enjoyed a great burst of compositional creativity, having recovered from a serious illness earlier that year; the fruits of that idyllic period included a sheaf of songs and two movements of his Fifth Symphony. In November, he met the beautiful 22-year-old Alma Schindler, fell passionately in love with her, and they were married in March of 1902.
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DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
“clarity and tonal opulence rare in recordings of violin music”
Fanfare Magazine
“I’ve had a listen to a few alternatives…including Isaac Stern with Daniel Baremboim and Lydia Mordkovitch, but this duo pretty much ticks all the boxes”
MusicWeb International
“laudable level of technical accuracy…tenderness and warmth”
The Palm Beach Arts Paper
“Evocative concert of Jewish classical music”
The Washington Post
“should leave listeners almost breathless…a vibrancy and attention to detail...strong individuality and… vitality”
Fanfare Magazine
“Cotik and the orchestra provided impressive advocacy for a multifaceted work that deserves to be heard more often. Cotik seamlessly handled the frequent changes in mood and adroitly traversed the work’s myriad technical challenges while always keeping the focus on the music.”
SOUTH FLORIDA CLASSICAL REVIEW
“Anche nell’interpretazione delle sonate di Mozart si evidenziano l’ottima cavata e la perfetta tecnica di Cotik negli staccati particolarmente brillanti.”
GBOPERA MAGAZINE
“ There are so many delightful details to savour that one hardly knows where to begin...a most rewarding Mozart cycle”
Gramophone Magazine
“intelligent and sensitive...glories in...colorations and shared emphasis”
Fanfare Magazine
“a treat from start to finish”
Musical Toronto
“One imagines the Nuevo tango master would be as captivated as any listener by such exquisite performances.”
TEXTURA
“a first-rate set of these of Mozart sonatas”
THE ARTS MUSIC LOUNGE
“una nueva forma de mirar, entender y percibir la música de diferentes épocas”
SONOGRAMA MAGAZINE
“un violinista excelente... que recoge una forma rigurosa, natural y fuera de lo común de entender e interpretar la música”
Docenotas
“Supersonic Award winner. Tomas Cotik’s Piazzolla is carnal, passionate and nowhere easy-going. Together with his group he has produced a riveting CD.”
Pizzicato
“recreating the visceral charge of Piazzolla’s legendary quintet concerts and recordings”
South Florida Classical Review
“Cotik vanta un violinismo costantemente brillante e un colore di suono caldo e avvolgente”
GBOPERA MAGAZINE
““Legacy” es, sin dudas, un álbum para emocionarse y escuchar continuamente. Excelencia pura. Imprescindible!”
CULTURALMENTE INCORRECTO
“I highly commend Mr. Cotik for his innovative interpretations and I hope many future audiences will experience his musical excellence”
Gary Burton
“short this is a great recording if you value warmth and sweetness in Mendelssohn. Here, though, nothing is forced, and, as I say, the world seems a better place.”
AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE
“Cotik transcends even the profoundly meditative”
FANFARE MAGAZINE
“Everyone who plays these works should hear these exemplary performances...you will never hear these Telemann Fantasias played so well ”
American Record Guide
“The Piazzolla album is not just Cotik as brilliant interpreter, but also as creative mind.”
Musical Toronto
“I find the Cotik and Lin performances most interesting and the sound on their disc is excellent”
Maria Nockin – Fanfare Magazine
“outstanding from the very beginning”
Fanfare Magazine
“NOMINATED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARDS 2018”
ICMA
“Some of the music is sultry while other works are fast, rhythmic, and ornamented to show the exquisite virtuosity of Cotik”
FANFARE MAGAZINE
“uplifting quality”
MusicWeb International
“an excellent violinist”
Michael Tilson Thomas
“among the very best Piazzolla albums”
David Denton for David’s Review Corner
“there is no question that this disc is, by some distance, Naxos's best Piazzolla recording ”
MusicWeb International
“The BBC Music team’s current favourites”
BBC MAGAZINE, Niel McKim
“Un disco revelador de la maestría de los jóvenes intérpretes que lo firman: Tomas Cotik y Tao Lin.”
REVISTA DOCENOTAS
“Cotik Kicks Butt in Piazzolla! A wild and wonderful CD.”
THE ART MUSIC LOUNGE
“an exemplary presentation of some marvelous music”
The Palm Beach Arts Paper
“exceptional...Piazzolla can be played differently than this, but provably not better.”
DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
“The joyful virtuosity and stylish musicianship that Tomas Cotik and Tao Lin brought to their superb cycle of Schubert’s violin-and-piano works for the Centaur label happily permeate their cycle of Mozart’s sonatas”
Gramophone Magazine
“This is an excellent recital. I enjoy the Piazzolla Tango Etudes more as played by Cotik than by anyone else. ”
American Record Guide
“Hace muy poco descubrí esta maravilla...dos extraordinarios instrumentalistas que uniendo su talento logran...algo genial.”
Luis Andarcia, VENUE MAGAZINE
“Las versiones son óptimas por la compenetración estilística del dúo y la prestancia instrumental del admirable violinista”
REVISTA SCHERZO
“conviction, commitment, diplomacy, and character”
The Strad
“A neglected stash of unrecorded Schubert”
NORMAN LEBRECHT
“excellent violin playing...extremely enjoyable interpretations of music that I love”
American Record Guide
“violinist Tomas Cotik is always up for a new challenge”
Julia Amacher – American Public Media
“Cotik makes Kreisler seem almost smarmy, Isabelle Faust almost mannered, and Julia Fischer as though she's filed down the detail”
Fanfare Magazine
“this superbly produced Schubert disc…comes warmly commended”
MusicWeb International
“Overall, these two discs featuring Cotik must be regarded as among the finest performances for their consistent artistry and idiomatic grasp”
Classical Net
“I marvel at the technical skill which effortlessly encompasses these deeply contrasting styles....a technical as well as expressive master stroke”
CONTEMPORARY RECORD SOCIETY
“un disco la cui qualità riesce a proporre la freschezza affascinante della cultura musicale germanica come nuova, come se non si fossero mai ascoltate prima”
GBOPERA MAGAZINE
“Un disco ideal”
SONOGRAMA MAGAZINE
“urgently recommended”
Fanfare Magazine
“Cotik and Tao Lin have…honored not only their professions as musicians, but the memory and work of Franz Schubert”
The Palm Beach Arts Paper
“bemerkenswert, kunstvolle und expressive Interpretationen...auf hohem Niveau und den jeweiligen Stilen perfekt angepasst”
PIZZICATO
“phenomenal technique”
Musical Toronto
“Cotik phrases this music with such feeling, making you wonder if it could possibly sound better in any other performance.”
Classical Net
“My first chamber choice for the year. ”
MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL Recordings Of The Year 2013
“absolutely impeccable, with intonation in the centre of every note, and his left hand flying around the fingerboard with remarkable agility”
David Denton for David’s Review Corner
“a musician who prepares thoroughly and has great respect for the music he performs”
The Palm Beach Arts Paper
“None of these pieces has ever sounded quite like this before.”
INFODAD.COM
“excellent style, which is not frequently found”
Daniel Binelli
“their lofty musicianship dwarfs their profound scholarship”
Fanfare Magazine
“I was immediately impressed by their virtuosity and also their understanding of Piazzolla’s music. I was anxious to see them perform in person”
Gary Burton
“brilliant Argentinean violinist”
David Denton for David’s Review Corner
“conviction, commitment, diplomacy and character”
The Strad
“unusual depth and broad compass...absolutely brilliant... unmistakable vitality...optimally recorded”
Audio Video Club of Atlanta
“If you love the solo violin, you won't find a better recording to suit your tastes”
OBSERVER TODAY
“true treasure...one of the latest gems to emerge from the season”
John Terauds – Musical Toronto
“this is one of the great Piazzolla discs, and in perfect sound quality, I urge you to buy it.”
David Denton for David’s Review Corner
“perfectly conceived”
Fanfare Magazine
“wonderful album…impressive for the elegance and sensitivity of the interpretations”
John Terauds – Musical Toronto
“un trabajo de mucha calidad, por la originalidad de los arreglos y especialmente porque se trata de un excelente instrumentista”
REVISTA RITMO
“this is clearly a team to watch. I am sure we will be hearing good things from them in the future”
MusicWeb International
“The technical qualities of the recording - which is on the NAXOS label, by the way - are excellent.”
Robert W. Plyer, THE OBSERVER
“None of these pieces has ever sounded quite like this before....Cotik handles it beautifully, with tremendous clarity of line and evenness of tone”
INFODAD.COM
Reviews
INFODAD, NOV. 2014
Review of DSQ CD
The warm string tone and elegant piano elements of this performance are winning,"..."the Delray String Quartet allows the music to expand and breath
The Palm Beach Post, Oct. 2014
The string quartet continues to blossom; attracts national attention.
It has been a decade since Don Thompson put together his dream team of string musicians. Since then, the Delray String Quartet has become a nationally recognized group, recording on some of classical music’s most illustrious labels. he new album, highlighted by a piece by Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, is the result of diligent work with Grammy-winning producer Judith Sherman at Miami’s famed Hit Factory of Florida recording studio.
Carlos Frias