REVIEWS


 
Fanfare Magazin, USA
Manfred Wagner-Artzt’s Haydn pleases enormously. His graceful, sensitive performances demonstrate love and understanding of the music—and, as his program notes attest, of the man. His touch is light, his interpretations serious but leavened with wit. Our attention is riveted to the music, rather than instrument, virtuosity, or agenda. It doesn’t matter whether the speed matches Haydn’s tempo marking, the spirit always does. Wagner-Artzt’s prestos ripple with laughter; the D-Major’s Largo e sostenuto stops time and stills the world. His C-Major Andante does not match the depth of Cerasi’s, but his Presto is just what her performance needs. The recorded sound is natural, never exaggerated in any way. Repeats? No agendas, please.

The bonus tracks, Hommage à Haydn, take us back to 1909, celebrating the 100th anniversary. Six French composers were commissioned to each write a piece based upon a five-note motif derived from the name Haydn (by circuitous, multilingual reasoning). Hahn imitates Haydn, unsuccessfully; Widor produces a winning little fugue, d’Indy a harmonically complex minuet. The Ravel and Debussy have become well enough known to be played and recorded. Dukas’s Prélude élégiaque is a stunning work, sounding more like Debussy than that master’s own contribution, and all the more impressive for not trying to imitate Haydn. Wagner-Artzt’s beautiful reading is more atmospheric than two other recordings I have sampled. This is a fitting close to a lovely disc, the cream of the current crop. James H. North



Journal of the International Federation of Chopin Societies
Soloist shine at the opening concert in the Charterhouse
... It was an excellent idea of the organiser, in this commemorative Haydn year, to add Haydn's Piano Concerto in D major to the programme. ...
The Austrian pianist Manfred Wagner-Artzt is a skilled soloist who is not interested in any demonstration of manual dexterity but presenting the music with loving earnestness bringing out the entertaining and witting musical ideas in a natural harmony. His Haydn was played with delicate tone and elegance; his solo had a songlike quality in harmony with the orchestra and featuring admirable symmetry. The outer movements were presented finely and effectively, above all the vivacious Rondo all' ungharese expressed the Hungarian spirit perfectly.



Joe McLellan, The Washington Post
Manfred Wagner-Artzt is an accomplished solo pianist and also a superb partner for the dialogue of violin and piano.



Wiener Zeitung
A distinguished pianist with a highly developed musical sensibility.



Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany
An accompanist with all virtues of a musician cut out for chamber
music.



Paris, Revue musicale
The excellent interpretation of Beethoven’s Variations showed all the enormous abilities of this young artist: a very sure technique and an effective performance, restoring the grandiosity and heroism.



Salzburg
Wagner-Artzt sets high value on a special transparency of interpretation. We listen to a Schubert-sonata full of clear harmony, a rarity today.



Bolzano, Italy
Manfred Wagner-Artzt disposes of a strong musical personality and an absolutely steady technique.



Brussels
A brilliant pianist full of profundity



Spain
A memorable concert! A fascinating program, performed with a masterely control of his instrument, colorful, delicate, with exquisite sensitiveness, an interpretation which seems unsurpassable.



Sowjetskaya Adsharia
The virtuosity, the ease of his extraordinary technique, the warmth and lyricism of Manfred Wagner-Artzt will long remain in the audience’s memory.



Fanfare , USA
Manfred Wagner-Artzt gives his partner a sympathetic and atmospheric support.



Luister , CD review, Netherlands
In the Beethoven-sonata for Manfred Wagner-Artzt the transparency of the interpretation stands on the first plan and any forte or pedalisation makes a change in this.



Rheinische Post, Germany
Manfred Wagner-Artzt shaped his part as an ideal mixture of mastered restrain and solistic brilliancy.



Klassik heute, CD review, Germany
The viennese pianist Wagner-Artzt acts as an excellent accompanist who follows his partner even in the most stylized agogic finenesses.



Badener Zeitung, Austria
Manfred Wagner-Artzt seemed to reanimate the nearly extincted art of Lied-accompanist. An artist of mark and proficiency.



Neue Ruhr-Zeitung, Germany
Manfred Wagner-Artzt: A first class pianist !



The Washington Post
Manfred Wagner-Artzt provided colorful pianistic support with powerful expression.



Berliner Morgenpost
Manfred Wagner-Artzt: a well versed man at the piano, who knows to give vital impulses.



The Star, Capetown
Manfred Wagner-Artzt is a pianist of great excellence. His tone is focused and superbly controlled and he has the rare ability to make the piano at once intimate and individualistic.



Eisenstadt, Austria
Manfred Wagner-Artzt - a poet at the piano.



Luxemburger Wort
The playing of Manfred Wagner-Artzt is distinguished by an expressive, directions off-marking cooperation, which adapts in a very discreet but co-shaping manner. His sensitive, precise and well-devised accompaniment, marked by a rarely nobleness and brilliance made of this musical evening a highgrade event.



Die Presse, Vienna
Manfred Wagner-Artzt let Liszt’s “Funérailles” sound not at all thunder-like but full of misgiving and ambiguous and continued with Debussy-Préludes as an example of backgrounded-musical comtemplativeness.