Natan Brand - Critical Acclaim

Critical Acclaim

Geoffrey Dorfman: "... Brand ... was one of the few keyboard artists — perhaps the last — in the true tradition of Anton Rubinstein: a pianist who played in the Grand Style, fully free to interpret the masterworks as the spirit moved him, with a magnificent technique at his command. His premature death at the age of 46 robbed the music world of a man who was considered by many connoisseurs to be potentially one of the world’s greatest pianists. That he was not so recognized was due to his mercurial temperament (which did him little good in the world of concerts and bookings) and his early death."

Patsy Morita, Allmusic: "Brand was a pianist who took an individual route to interpretation. Regardless of the music - whether it is the innocent Kinderszenen or the passionate Kreisleriana -- there is concentration and conviction in his playing that compels attention. It is not that he was aggressive, but that he was willing to try new things and did so with resolute confidence."

Bernard Holland, New York Times: "Brand has a strong musical personality, and he negotiated the familiar twists of and turns of Carnaval in ways that were original without being wilful. In other words, his use of pauses and his stretching of tempos often took unusual forms, but all seemed to have a sense of careful thought behind them. Mr. Brand's ear favored clear textures and high levels of energy. Despite the scattered missed notes, he seemed very much in control of himself and his instrument. The sophisticated articulation at quiet levels and the generally lyric feeling in all this playing were impressive."