San Francisco Symphony Orchestra with Herbert Blomstedt / Mozart Concerto No.22
“Mozart wrote his piano concertos as razzle-dazzle display pieces, but more than two centuries later - after the far more grueling keyboard athletics of Brahms and Bartók, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev - listeners need showing off of a different kind. We need the sort of canny, probing emotional virtuosity that Jonathan Biss brought to Davies Symphony Hall on Wednesday night.
Appearing with the San Francisco Symphony under conductor laureate Herbert Blomstedt, the 27-year-old pianist made something both tender and vivacious of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-Flat. This was musicianship that went right to the heart of Mozart's eloquence.
Biss' great gift is the gentle soulfulness of his keyboard tone, a sound that arrives with a well-defined center surrounded by a cushiony aura. And that sound, in turn, is deployed with the rhetorical mastery of a great orator.”
San Francisco Chronicle, February 2008
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin / Beethoven Concerto No.3
"Biss's considerable gifts have been rightly acclaimed: he has a wonderful fluency and clarity, and a focused intensity. Here, his combining of Mozartean grace with a revolutionary fire suggested intrinsic sensibilities that can only deepen with maturity."
The Guardian, January 2008
Accademy of St Martin in the Fields with Gerard Schwarz / Beethoven Concerto No.3
"[Biss] succeeds at something that, as a rule, only the greatest Beethoven interpreters … are capable of - revealing the maximum amount of individual emotion within a completely natural musical flow.
Biss's touch is both delicate and vivid. His articulation is extraordinarily precise; every embellishment becomes a sparkling jewel …The opening chords, struck very softly but expressively, already testify to a perfect technical, intellectual, and musical grasp of the movement ... "
Westdeutsche Zeitung, January 2008
Cleveland Orchestra with James Conlon / Beethoven Concerto No.4
"Among the many notable aspects of Jonathan Biss' splendid debut with the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall was his total immersion in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4. He played as if inspired by the rich unfolding of poetic and exhilarating material. Every phrase was sculpted with shape, direction and balance as primary considerations.
Biss molded the opening solo phrase with utmost simplicity, whetting the sonic appetite for the transformations to come. His playing was supple, poised and glistening in sonority. In the slow movement, he answered the orchestra's stern statements with fluent, austere responses that had touches of yearning.
Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 2007
New York Philharmonic / Beethoven Concerto No.2
"Preceding these swashbuckling surges were the Mozartean colors of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat, which opened the program. The 27-year-old American pianist Jonathan Biss was the fleet-fingered soloist, and he played with the poise, maturity and elegance that have already become his trademarks. Mr. Biss was graceful in the cadenza, soulful in the lovely Adagio and playfully sparkling in the Rondo. "
The New York Times, October 2007
Beethovenfest Bonn, recital / Beethoven
"... to play [Beethoven's Sonata in E major, Op. 90] as Biss did, with such naturally fluid phrasing, revealing its structure with an exceptional nuance of touch and restrained pedalling demands enormous artistic maturity. At every moment one had the impression that Biss had completely penetrated Beethoven's works, and knew how to transform their statements into sound.
In the D-major sonata Op 28, the pastoral character of the first movement was just as compelling as Biss's expression of humour in the following movements. In the Andante, Biss set the staccato figures in the left hand against a most beautiful legato melody with great distinction.
In the final work, the "Appassionata" sonata, Biss underlined his virtuosic qualities, the first movement arriving with explosive force, but never threatening the clarity of Biss's musical expression. The theme of the slow variations was longingly beautiful, and in the finale Biss demonstrated that there is more to virtuosity than unbridled self-expression; in this case is the musical material from which a pianistic masterwork is built."
General-Anzeiger Bonn, September 2007
Lucerne Festival, recital / Beethoven, Schoenberg, Webern
"One can only speak of [Jonathan Biss's] technical ability with the highest of praise ... The extensive dynamic range and exceptionally fine gradation of dynamics at his disposal; his refined pedal technique, which encompasses all the nuances from a complete echo veiling intermediate notes, to frequent and beneficial freedom from the pedal, which guarantees absolute clarity of sound, even in quick passages.
In Schoenberg's Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19, Biss's exquisite sensitivity afforded each of the short pieces its own subtle character. His rendition of Beethoven's Sonata in D major, Op. 28... was exciting, lively and expressive.
In the Anton Webern's Variations, Op. 27, Biss intensified the "tone-to tone" relations to a supreme level. In Beethoven's Appassionata Op. 57 he reached the peak of his bravura with an exciting and highly dramatic performance. The result was a great success."
Der Landböte, September 2007
International Piano Series debut, Southbank Centre, London
"Biss's superb Schumann CD, released earlier this year, signalled his coming of age as an interpreter. ... This live performance [of Schumann's Fantasy in C major] had similar strengths to the recording: an instinctive grip on the first movement's structure, with every musical paragraph part of an organic whole; naturally expressive rubato; and a totally selfless projection of the music's essence. ... The same uncomplicated virtues had characterised the Viennese first half. ... Beethoven's Pathétique Sonata Op.13 crackled with energy from the moment the first Allegro was launched. ... Between the sonatas Biss inserted Webern's Variations Op.27 in a performance of tightly coiled lyricism, the perfect way of cleansing the musical palate."
The Guardian, June 2007
"American pianist Jonathan Biss made his International Piano Series debut on this Sunday afternoon - and very auspicious it was too. ... To open, Biss gave Beethoven's 'Pathétique' Sonata and, to end, the major work he has just released on disc (EMI) - Schumann's Fantasy, which brought a C minor to C major axis to the programme as a whole. Secure in his technique and with admirable clarity in his fingering, Biss is not overtly a heart-on-sleeve player, but one who allows inner logic to speak without ever being dry. His lyrical lines can soar, his opening gambits are firm and thrilling, and he builds climaxes completely naturally. ... This was a deeply satisfying recital, complete within itself (the applause was prolonged, but was astute enough not to indulge in encores), which bodes well for Biss's future."
Classical Source, June 2007
EMI Classics record / Schumann: Fantasy in C; Kreisleriana; Arabesque in C Op.18
"... a grand performance of the Fantasy from Jonathan Biss, who, with an eagle-eyed overview, keeps the structure firmly in place and finds the exact right tempo between each section of the multi-faceted work Schumann encapsulated his innermost heartfelt feelings. A witty and sparkling Kreisleriana only cements my belief in this great Schumann performer. More please!"
Pianist Magazine, April-May 2007
San Francisco Solo Debut, Herbst Theatre / Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann
"In the second movement [of the Mozart], marked Andante, the pianist's lyrical gifts and sensitive pitch inflection allowed the music to speak. After an extraordinary and complex middle section, a great sense of repose was felt in the return to the main material. There Biss displayed a promise of greatness, of asking eternal questions. The following rondo (marked Allegro ma non troppo) sounded graceful, with a drawing-room quality, and was ideally paced after the depths of the second movement. Biss used no compensatory theatrics or glitter, but instead let the music remain simple and innocent.
After the intermission, Biss tackled the Kreisleriana, Op. 16, of Robert Schumann and played with great discernment ... This was heady playing that touched the heart with both selfless artistry and stunning pianism.
Jonathan Biss found an unerring way to the essence of each of the work's eight movements. The shifting and extreme emotions of Schumann in his 20s, with his passion for Clara and his mental illness right around the corner, invites rhythmic impulsivity, which Biss pulled off without losing a certain élan. This was engrossing playing, with a feeling of musical rightness from start to finish."
San Francisco Classical Voice, March 2007
Master Piano Series recital / Het Concertgebouw / Beethoven, Schoenberg, Mozart & Schumann
"Jonathan Biss can now be added to the list of great names. This 25-year-old American continually took his Beethoven to the limit. He thought nothing of a real pianissimo or fortissimo. His Schumann (Davidsbündlertänze) was also of unparalleled beauty. Impulsive, yet in balance. Only one word is appropriate here: masterly."
Algemeen Dagblad, September 2006
"The young American convincingly joined the ranks of the illustrious master pianists. [...] His great strength lies in the compact musical idea, in which he can fully express his emotions. [...] Here, Jonathan Biss' empathy was amazing, with an expressive touch and extraordinary control over the realisation of the harmonies."
Noordhollands Dagblad, September 2006