Press Quotations
"He played Janacek's Sonata with sensitivity and vitality .. He tackled Robert Schumann's great B flat Humoresque with a great deal of vigour, and over long stretches of the work his interpretation sounded effortless, and beautiful in tone. After the interval came Liszt's Sonata in B minor. One often hears this work given as a mere virtuoso vehicle, without any serious content. On the contrary, Nelson Goerner showed us the profound seriousness of this Sonata. His performance was unusually rich in contrasts, differentiated in dynamic and touch to the most refined degree. Liszt's Sonata blossomed in all its palette of colours and there was nothing left of the 'ingenious steam engine' as Hanslick once described the piece ; what was left was stunning music, and stunning piano playing."
Lubecker Nachrichten, Germany
31 July 2007
"This ingenious work (Liszt Sonata in B minor) brilliantly combines single and multiple-movement forms, sending its main ideas through heaven and hell in the process ; with Goerner it does not fall apart episodically, but maintains its sharp contours... Goerner is no apostle of the drawn-out Adagio ; in the music of restraint he finds flowing, onward-leading impulses. And instead of just thundering away, he sees virtuosity as a way of turning speech into musical sounds ... His Liszt is no athletic superman of the keyboard, no demonic devil's accomplice, no pseudo-pious heartbreaker, but an intelligent composer obsessed with clarity, with a bright blazing heart. What a thrilling performance!"
Kieler Nachrichten, Germany
31 July 2007
"Nelson Goerner was the soloist in the Rachmaninov, a well-nigh perfect performance, witty, virtuosic and at times curiously sinister." (Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini)
Guardian, London
21 July 2007
"His playing was as notable for its sensitivity and quick-wittedness as for its keyboard fireworks. Both he and Sinaisky .. made much of the work's devilish qualities ..." (Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini)
Daily Telegraph, London
20 July 2007
"Goerner brought out the anguish of Janacek's forbidding Piano Sonata, and offered a stunning account of Liszt's Sonata in B minor that was demonic in its intensity.
Financial Times, London
27 June 2007
"Nelson Goerner fully addressed the concerto's (Rachmaninov 1) opulent pianistic action. He was in command over the thundering chords, the elegantly lightfooted passagework, with a rich nuance of touch. But even more importantly, Goerner knows how to control the ecstasy, and does not toy flirtatiously with kitsch. As is said of Rachmaninov's own performance style, Goerner maintains an intellectual approach and a tough, dry, cool tone. Superb."
Rheinische Post, Germany
10 October 2005
"The Argentinian Nelson Goerner played the devilishly difficult part (Rachmaninov 1) without a trace of corpulence, with light, sparkling elegance and transparency. That he also appeared to be quite without vanity almost made his incredible achievement seem a casual matter of course. John Fiore and the players of the Symphony Orchestra accompanied him attentively and with obvious delight."
Neue Rhein Zeitung, Germany
9 October 2005
"The recital given by Nelson Goerner must, without doubt, figure as one of the most notable events of the current musical season .. The home appearance of this young artist allowed us to appreciate a new phase of his development and opened up even more attractive perspectives, through his restless exploration in matters of expressiveness and colour .. To the admirable polyphonic touch employed by the pianist we must add the quality of sound that he extracted from the piano among the varied types of pianistic touch he has at his disposal ..."
La Nacion, Buenos Aires
29 June 2005
"Goerner performed it (Prokofiev 2) with extreme precision and just the right approach. In the first movement cadenza, and in the very different one in the fourth movement, he knew how to make the theme stand out against its complex setting, and at the same time managed to express all the angular lyricism of Prokofiev. He deserved the persistent applause of the audience..."
Diario de Navarra, Spain
23 January 2005
"He seems incapable of giving a routine performance of even the most overplayed repertoire - yet there is not even the merest hint of gimmickry in his performances. What makes his playing so special is its combination of glorious depth and richness of tone with fine musical intelligence ; he played even the luscious 18th variation of the Paganini with exquisite delicacy."
Guardian, Manchester
3 February 2004
"Friday's soloist, the Argentinian pianist Nelson Goerner, wove supreme sensitivity and limpid clarity into his performance. The final movement, in which he drew some surprising hints of romantic depth from the music, stood out as particularly impressive." (Mozart K 491)
Glasgow Herald,
20 October 2003
"This young Argentinian pianist, discovered by Martha Argerich ten years ago, is a marvel. He makes an intense, dark sound ... coupled with highly-focussed, extremely earthy playing."
Le Monde de la Musique, Paris
September 2003
"Nelson Goerner's playing of Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto on Saturday was so good that it eclipsed the rest of the BBC Philharmonic's programme ... Goerner had full measure not only of the concerto's formidable technical feats but also of its effervescence.There is a genuine thrill in hearing a pianist tackle this music head-on, giving the impression, maybe, of impetuous abandon but in reality having every facet of it under control. He played fast, but the rhythms were taut ; he tapped the concerto's lyrical seam, but knew how to colour it with those citrus harmonies and pepper it with Prokofiev's wit."
Daily Telegraph, London
4 August 2003
"Nelson Goerner played with aplomb - a virtuoso rendition, lyrical when needed, unfazed by the occasional moments of utter simplicity - and giving great pleasure." (Prokofiev 3)
www.classicalsource.com,
August 2003
"...This very concerto (Rachmaninov 3), all too often left to languish on the borders of film-music, is basically classical, transparent, controlled. Very few capture this tone ..but one pianist who knows exactly how to do it is currently guesting in a Rachmaninov concerto cycle. It's Nelson Goerner ... and the reputation of the unpretentious Argentinian - who belongs to the topmost rank of pianists of our time - has become so great that the Gewandhaus was overflowing. Already in the first bars .. Goerner sings ....then the piano texture broadens out into polyphony, and Goerner allows the aesthetic of intensification to speak out emotionally, without any molly-coddling. He perfumes the melodic line elegantly, the counter-melodies, the figurations, colourations, arpeggios. And even the storm of chords does not thunder unchecked, but remains sensuous, disciplined ... Impressive, moving, captivating."
Leipziger Volkszeitung, Germany
20 May 2003
"Argentinian pianist Nelson Goerner exquisitely communicated the range of Rachmaninov's writing, from sheer virtuoso brilliance to a sensitive and shapely eloquence. He presented a kaleidoscope of pianistic expression, using dynamic flexibility as a tool to convey emotion rather than his perfect technique."
The Guardian, London
29 March 2003
"Goerner began his recital with the Arabesque in C, whispered into existence as though still unfurling from the composer's imagination. Goerner's effortless and instinctive rubato, ripening into rhapsody at the heart of the piece, gave the music an apt sense of dreamlike ecstasy. And his playing found within it seemingly endless after-thoughts and asides .. Within the turbulence (Schumann : Fantasy in C) the exuberance and the sheer impetuousness of his playing, there was always a sense of eavesdropping on a private and extended improvisation on one song cycle after another .. The percussive power of the finale Etude (Debussy), fiercely focused by Goerner, led nicely to Stravinsky's Petrouschka - a little splashy and overlit here and there, but with a febrile energy and virtuosity which was never less than thrilling."
The Times, London
1 January 2003
"After the interval there was a considerable imaginative leap to the world of late Debussy and his second book of Studies. Some of these pieces focus on a technical challenge, such as repeated notes or arpeggios, but the more you hear them, the more strongly their expressive content makes itself felt. Goerner is a very quiet player to look at - his face gives nothing away - yet these were very warm and poetic performances. He is also quite tiny, almost fragile in stature - yet his technique is big and strong, and in the final Study for chords separated by treacherous jumps, there was no sign of struggle, but just an appropriate degree of rhythmic licence to give a rugged impression."
The Independent, London
1 January 2003
"The best music-making of the evening came at the beginning of the second half, with Book Two of Debussy's Etudes. These six pieces still sound extraordinarily modern. They are plays of texture, colour and gesture, abstract poems in which the focus is on sound as sound - precise, exquisitely refined objects. Goerner was in his element. He positively relished the immense technical demands of these six exquisitely refined objects while offering much in the way of delicate nuance."
Evening Standard, London
30 December 2002
"When concert soloists receive a standing ovation, it may be in recognition of their media image, rather than the performance they have just given. But those who stood to acclaim the virtuoso Nelson Goerner in the Bridgewater Hall did so because his performance of Rachmaninov's D minor concerto was an experience of rare, inspirational beauty."
Daily Telegraph, London
27 May 2002
"His technique is formidable, but he never uses it for mere effect, and his performance of the concerto (Rachmaninov: Concerto No 3) and of Rachmaninov's delicate G major Prelude as an encore, was lucid and beautiful. Here was glorious pianism at its most intelligent and musical."
Guardian, London
27 May 2002
"Nelson Goerner presents a breathtaking recording (Liszt: Transcendental Studies / Cascavelle) ... the artist, who attracted attention with a remarkable Chopin CD (EMI), constructs with skilful dramatic sense a powerful piano sound and unfolds the work in gorgeous orchestral colouring ..."
Fono Forum, Germany
February 2002
"...Nelson Goerner's poised yet brilliant piano playing ..."
The Times, London
18 January 2002
"A Champs-Elysées theatre full to overflowing gave the Argentinian pianist Nelson Goerner an ovation fitting such a momentous evening. After having caused a sensation playing in chamber music in the last festival in Lyon, this little man with the modest smile performed the 3rd concerto by Rachmaninov in an epoch-making interpretation. We knew the brilliance of his pianistic mastery, but we did not know he was still further capable of such a variety of touch, always controlled but apparently limitless in range, and above all an imaginativeness and a mastery of phrase that would make the stones weep."
Le Tout Lyon, France
November 2001
"Of the many Liszt interpretations by younger pianists, this recording ... can be counted among the most pleasurable. The Argentinian pianist Nelson Goerner, 30 years old at the time of this live recording, is endowed not only with sufficient technique for the enormous difficulties of these confounded pieces, he also has what it takes to give a colour and intensity far beyond the call of accurate performance to each of these experiments in depiction and character - above all with an individual, unmistakeable sense of gesture and dramatic impersonation."
Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland
2 May 2001
"Nelson Goerner, one of the most extraordinary pianists of his generation .. gave us a performance (Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3) that can be ranked among the most beautiful ever heard. An impeccable stylist, Goerner is gifted with a perfect control of sound; possessing a transcendental technique, his hands know no obstacles ..."
Il Messagero, Italy
26 April 2001
"Sinewy, powerful and broad in scope, his interpretation is as rich in colours as it is strongly-scented and free in feeling .. He joins the best interpreters of these difficult pieces ..." (Liszt: Transcendental Studies)
Le Monde de la Musique, France
April 2001
"Goerner has the imagination to allow phrasing and pacing to absorb the strain, so that he never reaches the point where getting louder seems the only way of maintaining tension. Though intense, even the dark, elemental Scherzo (Brahms: Concerto No 2) was never violent, and his ability to suspend all sense of time in the dream-like Adagio .. was spellbinding."
The Guardian, London
30 January 2001
"Goerner's playing has an integrity that can bewitch an audience. His style of passion without flamboyance is both electrifying and intensely rewarding, and perfect for the Brahms." (Brahms: Concerto No 1)
The Guardian, London
16 January 2001
"Goerner came, sat, and conquered a glorious dozen times. Fiercely determined and at the same time agreeably controlled, the 31-year old Argentinian approached these Liszt show-pieces (Transcendental Studies) and took hold of them with a full sound in all their voluptuousness."
Kieler Nachrichten, Germany
10 August 2000
"The sensation of the Sunday concert's musical magic was Nelson Goerner; he took his place at the piano and delivered the most exciting performance by a pianist that the Gewandhaus has seen in the last three years."
Leipziger Volkszeitung, Germany
28 March 2000
"...the South American pianist Nelson Goerner brought astonishing virtuosity to the uncut No 3 (Rachmaninov), the apex of a thrilling evening."
Sunday Telegraph, London
27 February 2000
"Goerner's sensational digital feats in Rachmaninov's Third Concerto were always coolly to the purpose, and alight with offside musical insights; fresh, sudden, continually rivetting, Goerner is the real virtuoso thing."
Financial Times, London
23 February 2000
"Would the slightly-built Nelson Goerner have the resources to cope with the gargantuan Third Concerto (Rachmaninov) ... That question was soon answered, or rather, brushed aside, such was the all-round authority of the 30-year-old Argentine’s playing ... this was the crowning performance of the evening, and not just by virtue of the grandeur of the work itself."
Daily Telegraph, London
21 February 2000
"His refined feeling for sound, his superior technique, and his outstanding musicianship were also very conspicuous in Schubert's Four Impromptus Op 142. It was astonishing with what a wealth of nuances, with what clarity and yet with what striking contrasts he interpreted these marvellous piano works ..."
Argentinisches Tageblatt, Buenos Aires
18 September 1999
"The pianist's wide dynamic range deserves a special mention, but the most outstanding feature of his performance was its structural cohesion and an expressive dignity far removed from mere virtuosity."
La Nacion, Buenos Aires
16 September 1999
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