Ariel’s Music / BBC Symphony Symphony Orchestra
“The work's two movements, Elegy and Circumstances, memorialise mourning and a defiant individuality, caught up in a dance of death. The solo clarinet line - here presented with vivid authority by Michael Collins - naturally dominates. But what is most remarkable is the richness and complexity of the surrounding orchestral writing: its idiomatic exploitation of the ensemble's sections and the subtle impact of their individual and collective gestures.”
The Guardian, April 2008
Voices of Angels / Peabody Trio
"…a masterpiece of mood and sonic texture, spinning its web from a single, much repeated note. What a strangely beautiful world it evokes. This is darkly lyrical music of sighs and silence, giving way in the center to taut, aggressive outbursts before sinking back into the mist (the use of soft mallets inside the piano and on the double bass added to the atmospherics)."
Baltimore Sun , October 2007
Moments of Bliss / BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
"If Dean's vocal writing is half as expressive [as his orchestral], he could be on course to produce the first great landmark opera of the 21st century."
The Guardian , June 2007
Wolf-Lieder / West Australian Symphony Orchestra New Music Ensemble
"Conducted by Dean, the ensemble gave impressive performances of these different, often demanding works. ... The music reveals Dean's wonderful ear for instrumental colour and textural variety and he maintains heightened emotional intensity throughout the work, even during the moments of humour where one might expect a lighter touch. This is a brilliant, captivating piece that deserves more performances."
The Australian, May 2007
Viola Concerto / Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
"Brett Dean, playing his own Viola Concerto, was outstanding, introducing himself through the sometimes ominous stillness of its opening Fragment. One effective moment had a soaring viola line, a little like Korngold with a dash of lemon, tracked by chattering piccolos....
The spirit of Mephisto was all over these pages, a series of breathtaking dances with Dean in the lead. Rumbling brass, flickering percussion and sprightly woodwind all took their turn as dance partners.
Veiled and Mysterious, its final movement, brought resolution and a moment of memorable dialogue with Madeline Sakofsky's cor anglais."
New Zealand Herald, April 2007
The Lost Art of Letter-Writing, World Premiere / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
"Dean is not the sort of composer whose works' first performances become their last ... This half-hour concerto is a narrative... Dean's string-writing is ferociously virtuosic, yet eminently playable. Zimmermann attacks his part with relish, and the poise to breathe life into the lyrical passages. The Lost Art of Letter-Writing is all meaty honesty and no pretension, art without artifice."
Financial Times, March 2007
"The applause for this premiere was as fervent as any special event in Donaueschingen. Judging by Frank Peter Zimmermann's disciplined, yet powerfully convincing performance, Dean has written a work tailor-made for the violin. The solo part is certainly difficult, technically rewarding, yet without having to rely on any circus-like displays. Above all, the violin is allowed to indulge in idiomatic, and emotionally highly-charged monologues representing the outpourings of the various letter writers (including Brahms, van Gogh and Hugo Wolf) around whom the piece revolves."
Kolener Stadtanzeiger, March 2007
"The last minute cancellation of Martyn Brabbins....gave Brett Dean the honour of conducting the premiere of his own piece, inspired by the wonderful violinist, Frank Peter Zimmermann, at his side. The appeal of this work lies substantially in its process of transformation. Its tendency towards celestial sounds (harmonics and glissandi in the solo part, an almost mystical pianissimo of gongs and celli in the second movement's opening) accentuates this aspect, as well as a turning towards melodic ideas. In this age of rapid fire SMS contact, the title of the concerto seems to express a sense of regret about the loss of an aspect of our culture. The letter represented in the finale, however, conjures more rebellious than poetic energies: an Australian outlaw accuses the powerful. So, after three relatively contemplative movements, comes a decidedly moto-perpetuo type finale in which Frank Peter Zimmermann demonstrates what he has to offer in terms of virtuosity, rhythmic energy and crystal clear sound production."
General-Anzeiger, Bonn, March 2007
"Many seductive and rewarding solo passages, stylish orchestral colours and strong rhythmic motives...a powerfully storming attack towards a precipitous conclusion. The work went down extremely well with the audience; the orchestra played sensationally."
Koelner Rundschau, March 2007
"Dean skillfully creates intimate moods of elegy and longing in the Brahms-inspired movement, of almost phosphorescent lyricism in the Wolf movement and of longing for peace in the section dedicated to van Gogh. Frank Peter Zimmermann allowed space for the atmospheric oscillations to grow...In the rapid fire final movement, an absurdly fast presto, the phenomenal technique of the soloist was on full display."
Klassikinfo, Bavarian Radio, March 2007
"Brett Dean writes virtuosically for orchestra. The concise, flowing texture of the multi-layered first movement was astonishing, evoking the air of a warm summer night in undisturbed nature. Creating atmosphere is among the great strengths of Dean's work.....A soft, floating passion informs the soundworld of this piece, and a controlled flow of events."
Sueddeutsche Zeitung, March 2007
"Brett Dean's Eclipse provided a complete gear change, moving into the 21st century and atonality. Dean's notoriously difficult writing was negotiated with fierce concentration by the quartet, with outstanding results. The work was written as the composer's personal response to the "political and social consequences of the Tampa asylum seekers crisis" in 2001. Dean's vastly creative emotional venting leaves a deep impression. Shivering harmonics (light touching of the strings) and scratching trills feature in the first movement, with fractured plucked chords and a polyphonic scramble of motives building the energy in the second movement. The long chords of the final movement feature cello slides and surreal augmented fourth intervals, creating a restless, hazy ending."
The West Australia, July 2006
"Dean describes his new work, Vexations and Devotions , as a sociological cantata. Using text by Dorothy Porter and Michael Leunig, as well as a compilation drawn from corporate mission statements, this three-movement work reflects the de-humanisation of contemporary life as exemplified by reality television, automated answering services and meaningless corporate jargon.
Of course, these themes are bleak and Dean's music perfectly captures their sentiment. Dean's score is complex and multilayered, creating an imaginative array of textures while mostly avoiding any sense of narrative… Dean's writing demands much of the orchestral musicians and WASO responded extremely well under the direction of Matthias Bamert."
The Australian, February 2006
"Cleverly utilising a range of effects, including pizzicatti, glissandi and whispering harmonics, these evocative, tightly structured miniatures are, for the most part, brooding and unsettling, dominated by a threatening, nervous energy that occasionally swells up into frenzied outbursts. Only the elegiac, Arvo Pärt-like finale, Arietta , offers any sense of relief, albeit fleeting and unresolved. Once again, Dean proves that he is a composer with a distinctive voice and singular vision."
The Australian, July 2005
“His new Viola Concerto is a substantial affair, lasting some 25 minutes, elegantly proportioned and full of colourful musical imagery…it’s in that finale that the delicately poised viola lines, spun over glassy cello and percussion textures to begin, threaded between oboe and cor anglais lines in the closing pages, really acquire a poetic character of their own. Dean’s gentle veiled tone projected that lyricism tenderly…”
The Guardian , April 2005
“…Dean has written something as personal as one might expect… the haunting and arresting sounds are all his own, and the bright colours suggest a strong connection to his country’s landscape… Indeed, the peaceful close, in which the previously hectic solo viola emerges purified, evokes a lullaby in which the earth seems to be singing itself to sleep.”
The Times , April 2005
“…[Dean] has lost none of his virtuosity as a performer, while confirming his reputation as an up-and-coming craftsman-composer… Curiously beautiful, somewhat enigmatic? No question.”
Financial Times , April 2005
"The evening began with the premiere of Brett Dean's Moments of Bliss , an orchestral suite drawn from an opera that Dean is writing based on Peter Carey's novel, Bliss …Dean manages to blend the electronic and the acoustic sounds in a fashion that makes previous attempts seem like a rehearsal for their real possibilities. He also backs it with some sensational instrumental writing, especially for bass and contrabass clarinet. I can't wait for the full opera."
The Australian , December 2004
“Dean’s Intimate Decisions , a viola solo played by himself, ended with a diminuendo of unbelievable fineness (a reminder that he was a member of Karajan’s Berlin Philharmonic)...”
The Guardian , July 2004
“The newest chamber work from composer Brett Dean, Eclipse for string quartet, is a beautifully fashioned gem that makes one ponder again the problem of composing program music…Dean’s range and control of textures is outstanding, giveEclipse a remarkable sculpted beauty that many times dazzles the ear.”
The Australian , July 2004
“Dean writes for the quintet as though it is an orchestra, drawing from the players an astonishing variety of texture and colour.”
ABC Limelight Magazine, Australia, January 2004
“In his time as artist-in-residence with the orchestra, Dean has been extremely active: a supportive presence at many MSO events (especially those featuring contemporary music from overseas and works by his Australian colleagues), occasionally sitting in with the viola section, as well as introducing or supervising performances of his own pieces. …the forthright, driving Viola Sonata by Hindemith performed with white-hot energy by Dean and Martin in an excellent, no-holds-barred collaboration.”
The Age, October 2003
“Brett Dean only began composing when he was 27, but has quickly established himself with a series of strikingly imaginative pieces…The European premiere of Dean’sShadow Music [is] a substantial, three-movement work, full of sombre sonorities, which gradually gains in musical weight.”
The Guardian , July 2003
" Between Moments is a short, contemplative work, with restrained dynamics, long sustained sounds and subtle instrumental timbres. Atmospheric, controlled and sensitive..."
Courier Mail , June 2003
Sydney Festival recital
“Brett Dean's Intimate Decisions started with a series of detached musical intervals, moving from a rather intense, jerky start to furious angularity before subsiding to one of the work's most memorable passages - a short lyrical melody on harmonics repeated with increasing softness until the hair brushed the string like a feather on paper. Playing his own work, Dean's performance was carefree, abandoned and intimately communicative.”
Sydney Morning Herald, January 2003
Philharmonia Orchestra/Brabbins, Royal Festival Hall, London
“Australian composer Brett Dean is also a brilliant viola player. He was a member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for 15 years, but recently returned to his homeland to pursue composition. ... He played his solo viola work Intimate Decisions as part of the Philharmonia's ‘ Music of Today’ showcase of his music. The work evolved from a series of bare intervals into an unstoppable wave of energy. The climax was an impassioned outburst, but the end of the piece returned to the private unease of the opening: a haunting melody, played with whistle-like harmonics, which gradually ebbed into silence. ... The major work on the programme wasWinter Songs, a setting of five poems by E. E. Cummings. They reflect Dean's experience of dark Berlin winters after the heat and light of Brisbane. Scored for solo tenor and wind quintet, the music evoked the "filthy slush" and "ugliness" of Cummings's poems with harsh instrumental effects, and a churn of interweaving lines. ... Daniel Norman was a compelling advocate of these vivid songs. But the most impressive moment was the way Dean dramatised the "earth's dying" of the third poem. A chaotic, hard-edged climax subsided in the low rumblings of bass clarinet and horn, and a deathly sighing in the other parts. Martyn Brabbins and the Philharmonia players were alive to the drama of this powerfully expressive music.”
The Guardian, May 2002
“Brett Dean’sCarlo, a mesmeric score for strings, sampler and tape…shows again why Dean is perhaps the most significant of all Australian composers; written in 1997, it stands out as one of an increasingly small number of pieces that successfully mix live and electronic performance."
The Times, October 2001
“Dean the composer had earlier opened the concert with the world premiere of Amphitheatre. It is a beautifully conceived work that, despite its brevity, generates an expansive timelessness that conjures up the imposing landscapes of Sibelius. Dean’s deft handling of a large orchestra is immediately appealing, yet the work has layers of structural complexity that beckon further hearings. ... Then as soloist in Berlioz’sHarold in Italy, a Clayton’s concerto for viola, Dean brought an appropriate understatedness and warmth to the part….”
The Australian, June 2000
“Dean designed his Night Window as a series of nocturnal moods…as uneasy as an unpredictable dream. Its restlessness and a respite of hushed anticipation were riveting…This disquietingly wonderful journey deserves to be repeated.”
Chicago Tribune , January 1999
“It was Brett Dean’sCarlo that captured the real mood of the event…The result, built on Gesualdo´s awesome madrigal, could hardly fail to be effective, yet was also beautifully crafted on its own terms.”
The Independent, May 1998
“Dean’s treatment [of Gesualdan motifs] is brilliantly imaginative, the splintering of vocal harmony into the screams and moans of Gesualdo´s victims forming a particularly graphic climax.”
The Times , May 1998
“The best piece was Brett Dean´s Carlo …The strings mimic, fuse with and distort Gesualdo´s gestures. A
strange 20th Century beauty emerges.”
Evening Standard, May 1998
“In One of a Kind, Brett Dean has created a fascinating work with strong coherence.”
De Telegraaf, Amsterdam, April 1998
“In compression of feeling and visionary excitement, [Brett Dean’s Carlo] may well be the most forcefully strinking achievement in Australian writing for strings since Richard Meale’sHomage to Garcia Lorca of 1963…Dean, in other words, is a real composer and one whose creative reputation must rise dramatically following [this] first performance.”
Sydney Morning Herald , December 1997
"Dean’sIntimate Decisions for solo viola communicated fervor and mastery of instrumental colour."
Melbourne Age, June 1997
“An original voice and an expert sense of timing, to which the audience responded enthusiastically.”
The Daily Telegraph, London, June 1996
“A composer of inventive talent…writing of bold purpose and unconventional technique.”
The Times, June 1996
“Es geht also doch: Neue Musik, die beim Publikem ankommt, ohne sich anbiedernder Erfolgskriterien zu bedienen. Einen ganz eigenen Ton schlägt Brett Dean an. Aus der Virtuosität des Interpreten, der genauen Kenntnis seines Instruments heraus entwickelt Dean seine Kreativität. Sehr subtil ist das ausgehört, von unmittelbarer Wirkung.“
Der Tagesspiegel, May 1996
“As a performer, Brett Dean has a singular ability to launch the rather subdued viola voice into the big Concert Hall space. With his assured sweep of the bow, Brett produced the richest, warmest tone .“
Sunday Mail, Brisbane, October 1995
“His solo playing was as richly endowed as were his imaginative powers in composing Ariel’s Music .“
Courier Mail, Brisbane, October 1995