REVIEWS

Praise for debut album "Stimme aus der Ferne - A Voice From the Distance":

 

Audiophile Audition

“Botticelli’s playing combines lyricism and declamation in poetic terms, sensitive and directly appealing, without bravura ostentation.” 

“Botticelli, like Myra Hess in her classic reading, spins an idyll of compelling lyricism that moves subtly through shades of color.” 

“Between legato expression and high-flying ornaments in the upper registers, Botticelli’s

fortepiano exhibits its capacity for ardent, blended coloration."

“The Vivace variant, No. 3, [Czerny Variations] dances and swirls with all of the allure of Degas and Lautrec.” 

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CD Hotlist

“where Botticelli really shines is when she’s making an argument for the fortepiano in the context of Robert Schumann’s opus 2 Papillons suite and Clara Schumann’s “Notturno” from the opus 6 Soirées musicales. Here the fortepiano is pushed much closer to its expressive limits, and under her virtuosic but sensitive fingers it meets the challenge admirably."

"pay particular attention to this release."

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Classical Music Sentinel

"her highly expressive playing well captures and projects the range of impetuous emotions within young Schumann's Papillons, as well as the lyrical aspects within the slow movement of Schubert's Sonata in A major."

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Classics Today

"The pianist's poetically characterized and cameo-like Papillons evokes Wilhelm Kempff's similar interpretation, notably in her subtle shifts of voicing and emphasis when phrases repeat." 

"Botticelli's firmly etched and dynamic reading of Clara Schumann's Notturno takes top honors." 

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Classical Voice North Carolina

"enormously enjoyable to hear...superb."

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Midwest Record

"Spot on throughout." 

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Take Effect

"graceful, dancing keys showcase tremendous skill and poise." 

"meticulous and quick key manipulation that's profoundly stirring and exciting." 

“Schumann’s “Soirées Musicales, Op. 6” is one track of sublime and detailed playing that mesmerizes us immediately.”

“Schumann’s “Novelletten, Op. 21 [No. 8]” finishes out the record with a rumbling, dexterous performance that few could replicate as she reworks the classic with an often forceful execution.”

"a fantastic first album."

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Textura

“Certainly one of the things that makes this debut album by Andrea Botticelli so rewarding is the way three critical elements—programme, instrument, and musician—seamlessly converge. ” 

“the material is rendered all the more compelling in being performed on a Graf fortepiano by a musician deeply attuned to its features and the repertoire in question.”

"Remarkably assured interpretations result that command attention at every moment." 

"Schubert's three-movement Sonata in A major, D. 664 seduces from the start when its opening allegro features a yearning melody voiced gracefully by Botticelli. Whereas the slower central movement arrests for the poise and control of her execution, as well as her sensitivity to dynamics, the concluding allegro engages for its exuberance and blithe spirit."

"passages of stunning virtuosity...the recording encompasses the full range of human emotion." 

 

Transcentury Media

"Andrea Botticelli on a new disc from Céleste Music plays mostly well-worn repertoire, and does so with sensitivity and more than a touch of élan."

"Botticelli also does a fine job with [...] the Schubert sonata, which has lightness of texture and a fine flowing motion that Botticelli communicates particularly well." 

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The WholeNote

“This disc is a delight. Not only does Botticelli deliver a compelling performance – breathing new life into traditional repertoire – but she proves without a doubt that Romantic-period repertoire is as satisfying to the ear when played on an early pianoforte as it is on a modern concert grand.” 

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