Eliot Fisk - Criticism

Criticism

• "He constantly stretches himself and his instrument technically And yet I had to notice, as in Fisk’s previous visit that I attended, wildly fast tempos that became unsteady and led to wrong or smudged notes."
• "In several of the caprices, as arranged and played by Eliot Fisk, one gets an impression that they are either unsuitable for playing on the guitar or the musician has been stretched beyond his technical capabilities. A reasonable observation is that Mr. Fisk may have bitten off more, technically, than he can chew."
• "A hallmark of virtuosity is precise and accurate execution of certain passages very quickly, and exercising good musical judgement within the context of the music. Laudable though his arrangements and intentions may be, Mr. Fisk fails to give a convincing performance in those caprices that require execution within the criteria defined. Some, irrespective of the speed at which they are traditionally played on the violin, may benefit in his hands if their tempi were decreased, and winning the Paganini Derby given a lower priority."
• Eliot Fisk opened the second half with a lute prelude and his arrangement of the Chaconne from Bach's D minor Violin Partita. If the steady tread and the cumulative magnificence of that great movement can be achieved on the guitar, they were not apparent here.