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| …Your piano solo at the Strovolos
Theatre on October 25th left a deep impression with the music loving
audience of Cyprus – especially in regard to the high standards
and quality of the Austrian music and piano education apart from
cliché and trivial culture… ...her manner to play the piano, her ability to control all parameters
of the sound with highest precision, to hear between the notes and
to even hear the whole richness in a big audience, has impressed
me much... ...Cecilia Li's interpretation of the 12 Préludes pour piano,
Book II by Claude Debussy shows clearly that she is entirely
at home with Debussy's world. She develops an impressively rich
array of nuances, makes ample use of differences in shades of sounds
and awes the audience with the brilliance of her artistry. I consider
this recording one of the best interpretations that I know… The same holds true for her Homage à Erik Satie.
Here, too, she completely immerses herself in Satie's world and
delivers a convincing, colorful interpretation with a meditative
approach. …“Cage – pour les oiseaux” selects sounds of infinite grace and
tenderness, distilled by Cecilia Li, who remains “royally calm”
while wrenching the melodic and rhythmic elements from the keyboard
of her Steinway…. ...The encounter took place between the sensational pianist Cecilia
Li and a dancer of rare skill, Sebastian Prantl, and was characterized
by an unusual sensitivity. It was also an encounter of music and
dancing under the auspices of Cage, this musician of great expressive
and experimental force whose work is quoted throughout the whole
central part of the performance "Cage pour les oiseaux"
(Cage for the birds), from "Two Pieces for Piano" over
"In a Landscape" and "Quest" down to "Bacchanale"
in the nervously precise, electrifying piano of Li, who draws from
vast musical resources to devise evocative atmospheres... …Cecilia Li is a small, petite
person. Hearing her play is not enough; you have to have seen her
at work to understand who she is. A special blend of tension and
release emanates from her person whenever she sits in front of her
instrument. Her power is not brute, physical force, but rather a
highly spiritual energy. This is not to say that she can't pull
her weight if need be, or that she lacks an understanding of sensual
pleasures. On the contrary: she is richly endowed with the balance
of qualities that is prerequisite for the creation of conclusive
interpretations. Her repertoire covers a wide range, reaching from
Bach to Cage, from Debussy to Scelsi, and Cecilia Li has an unerring
sense of how to weight the various musical actions and reactions.
…My best congratulations to your fascinating interpretations of
Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations . I am really impressed by
your attitudes… …Scenes of silence were followed by phrase in which the extraordinarily
sensitive pianist Cecilia Li played Arvo Pärt, Giacinto Scelsi,
Schubert, Ravel, “Haiku” of John Cage… …The improvisation of unusually beautiful, lyric piano works by
Erik Satie played by Cecilia Li in an intuitive and masterly way
formed the basis of the choreography… …Cecilia Li is a highly qualified pianist whose musicality together
with her accomplished technique assure a very fine performance...
…Cecilia Li is a virtuosic pianist who pairs elegance with power.
Her dexterity is excellent. Her recital of the Préludes op.
11 by Alexander Scriabin was also greeted with great applaus…Such
outstanding concerts are an enormous enrichment to Prien`s cultural
life. ...The powerful interpretation by Yuri Seiler (violoncello), Friedrike
Stöckel (violine), Cecilia Li (piano) expressed the spirit
of the work. Cecilia Li who took the lead in this trio has a fluent
finger technique, thus mastering an important Mendelsohn criterium...
…I was very impressed by your ' Goldberg Variations ', so clear,
brilliant, full of energy and contrasts. My best congratulations…
...In addition to her special affinity for the Vienna classical
period, she shows a special understanding of other musical epochs
as well, especially the French impressionists and the piano music
of Scriabin... ...Cecilia Li has an extraordinary musical empathy at her disposal,
a subtle and warm expression, a complex array of moods, a precise
touch that is rich in nuances, and yet she retains the most important
overall ability for musical expression, of making music talk...
…I want to compliment you on your recordings of Debussy and Satie
[…] I experience your attitude and your breath in the music with
great joy and respect… ...Cecilia Li's piano recital is a pleasure and this all the more,
as it does not have to compete with the visual aspects and thus
the concert character can be maintained... ...Cecilia Li's musical concept gives Satie`s composition a meaningful
emotional emphasis... ...Her interpretation fascinates by technical perfection and powerful
play as well as by impressing sensitivity…. “This recording has very excellent quality with good sonority,
vital tempo, human tone, and simplicity to express Bach 's music
itself. If you like Gould, you'd better hear this recording.”
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