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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Find on Amazon Find on iTunes“This is an excellent recital. I enjoy the Piazzolla Tango Etudes more as played by Cotik than by anyone else. ”
American Record Guide
“Un disco ideal”
SONOGRAMA MAGAZINE
“intelligent and sensitive...glories in...colorations and shared emphasis”
Fanfare Magazine
“conviction, commitment, diplomacy and character”
The Strad
“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
“Cotik transcends even the profoundly meditative”
FANFARE MAGAZINE
“laudable level of technical accuracy…tenderness and warmth”
The Palm Beach Arts Paper
“Cotik Kicks Butt in Piazzolla! A wild and wonderful CD.”
THE ART MUSIC LOUNGE
“conviction, commitment, diplomacy, and character”
The Strad
“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
“Anche nell’interpretazione delle sonate di Mozart si evidenziano l’ottima cavata e la perfetta tecnica di Cotik negli staccati particolarmente brillanti.”
GBOPERA MAGAZINE
“this superbly produced Schubert disc…comes warmly commended”
MusicWeb International
“outstanding from the very beginning”
Fanfare Magazine
“un trabajo de mucha calidad, por la originalidad de los arreglos y especialmente porque se trata de un excelente instrumentista”
REVISTA RITMO
“None of these pieces has ever sounded quite like this before.”
INFODAD.COM
“I highly commend Mr. Cotik for his innovative interpretations and I hope many future audiences will experience his musical excellence”
Gary Burton
“urgently recommended”
Fanfare Magazine
“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
“Las versiones son óptimas por la compenetración estilística del dúo y la prestancia instrumental del admirable violinista”
REVISTA SCHERZO
“I marvel at the technical skill which effortlessly encompasses these deeply contrasting styles....a technical as well as expressive master stroke”
CONTEMPORARY RECORD SOCIETY
“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
“among the very best Piazzolla albums”
David Denton for David’s Review Corner
“Evocative concert of Jewish classical music”
The Washington Post
“violinist Tomas Cotik is always up for a new challenge”
Julia Amacher – American Public Media
“Cotik phrases this music with such feeling, making you wonder if it could possibly sound better in any other performance.”
Classical Net
“excellent style, which is not frequently found”
Daniel Binelli
“NOMINATED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARDS 2018”
ICMA
“I find the Cotik and Lin performances most interesting and the sound on their disc is excellent”
Maria Nockin – Fanfare Magazine
“exceptional...Piazzolla can be played differently than this, but provably not better.”
DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
“bemerkenswert, kunstvolle und expressive Interpretationen...auf hohem Niveau und den jeweiligen Stilen perfekt angepasst”
PIZZICATO
“unusual depth and broad compass...absolutely brilliant... unmistakable vitality...optimally recorded”
Audio Video Club of Atlanta
“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
“The BBC Music team’s current favourites”
BBC MAGAZINE, Niel McKim
“Editor's Picks”
DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
“should leave listeners almost breathless…a vibrancy and attention to detail...strong individuality and… vitality”
Fanfare Magazine
“excellent violin playing...extremely enjoyable interpretations of music that I love”
American Record Guide
“The technical qualities of the recording - which is on the NAXOS label, by the way - are excellent.”
Robert W. Plyer, THE OBSERVER
“a first-rate set of these of Mozart sonatas”
THE ARTS MUSIC LOUNGE
“One imagines the Nuevo tango master would be as captivated as any listener by such exquisite performances.”
TEXTURA
“Hace muy poco descubrí esta maravilla...dos extraordinarios instrumentalistas que uniendo su talento logran...algo genial.”
Luis Andarcia, VENUE MAGAZINE
“a treat from start to finish”
Musical Toronto
“Everyone who plays these works should hear these exemplary performances...you will never hear these Telemann Fantasias played so well ”
American Record Guide
“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
“perfectly conceived”
Fanfare Magazine
“Un disco revelador de la maestría de los jóvenes intérpretes que lo firman: Tomas Cotik y Tao Lin.”
REVISTA DOCENOTAS
“there is no question that this disc is, by some distance, Naxos's best Piazzolla recording ”
MusicWeb International
“recreating the visceral charge of Piazzolla’s legendary quintet concerts and recordings”
South Florida Classical Review
“an excellent violinist”
Michael Tilson Thomas
“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
“phenomenal technique”
Musical Toronto
“un violinista excelente... que recoge una forma rigurosa, natural y fuera de lo común de entender e interpretar la música”
Docenotas
“an exemplary presentation of some marvelous music”
The Palm Beach Arts Paper
“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
“The Piazzolla album is not just Cotik as brilliant interpreter, but also as creative mind.”
Musical Toronto
“A neglected stash of unrecorded Schubert”
NORMAN LEBRECHT
“uplifting quality”
MusicWeb International
“brilliant Argentinean violinist”
David Denton for David’s Review Corner
“Cotik makes Kreisler seem almost smarmy, Isabelle Faust almost mannered, and Julia Fischer as though she's filed down the detail”
Fanfare Magazine
“wonderful album…impressive for the elegance and sensitivity of the interpretations”
John Terauds – Musical Toronto
“My first chamber choice for the year. ”
MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL Recordings Of The Year 2013
“If you love the solo violin, you won't find a better recording to suit your tastes”
OBSERVER TODAY
“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
“ There are so many delightful details to savour that one hardly knows where to begin...a most rewarding Mozart cycle”
Gramophone 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
“this is clearly a team to watch. I am sure we will be hearing good things from them in the future”
MusicWeb International
“their lofty musicianship dwarfs their profound scholarship”
Fanfare Magazine
“clarity and tonal opulence rare in recordings of violin music”
Fanfare Magazine
“a musician who prepares thoroughly and has great respect for the music he performs”
The Palm Beach Arts Paper
“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
“true treasure...one of the latest gems to emerge from the season”
John Terauds – Musical Toronto
“Some of the music is sultry while other works are fast, rhythmic, and ornamented to show the exquisite virtuosity of Cotik”
FANFARE MAGAZINE
“Overall, these two discs featuring Cotik must be regarded as among the finest performances for their consistent artistry and idiomatic grasp”
Classical Net
“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
“una nueva forma de mirar, entender y percibir la música de diferentes épocas”
SONOGRAMA MAGAZINE
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