Reviews

Bogusław Rottermund, Kurier Szczeciński, Jan. 27, 1997

(…)While there are many perfectly trained pianists today, there are fewer and fewer original personalities. Listening to the seventeen-year-old Joanna Marcinkowska play E. Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, one actually feels like shouting “Eureka!” Her impeccable technique, and her genuine and unadulterated expressiveness, bordering on a downright lust for and joy of playing, warrant the judgment that she is a conspicuous artistic personality. The rich scope of sound and dynamics, the complete range of the nuances of phrasing, her restless rendering of the melodic lines, and the young musician’s amazing maturity make her the rising star among Polish pianists. To confirm her mastery, Joanna Marcinkowska played two encores: the spectacular Waltz in A flat Major by F. Chopin with a fabulously executed coda, and the prelude “Feux d’artifice” by C. Debussy, which (as its title had promised) turned out to be a true display of fireworks.