| PRESS
On her recording of Bach’s complete Well-Tempered Clavier (2006): “PIANIST
HAS STUDIED BACH’S ‘CLAVIER’ SINCE AGE 10
AND IT SHOWS” “Musicians
have always cherished the Well Tempered Clavier. . . . None,
in my hearing, has been more all-round persuasive than Evelyne
Crochet, and none has seemed to be more fully identified with
the work. To her fellow musicians . . . it will come as no surprise
that this set simply and clearly calls for the top recommendation
among recordings of the WTC.
The performance was shaped by a lifetime of constantly deepening
understanding of the music . . . . [The recording] is beautifully
attuned to the music itself and the exceptionally warm tone
of its remarkable champion.” “Beauty,
elegance and exquisite pianism grace the new set of Bach’s
complete Well Tempered Clavier played by Evelyne Crochet. .
. . With Crochet, I hear ‘rays of light’ from
the chromatic architecture that I’ve never heard from
any other version. . . . [T]he performances take off into transcendent
realms when her legato intersects with Bach’s dense chromatic
structures. . . . I treasure this set for Crochet’s uplifting
performance and consider it one of the best on record. . . .”
On
her recording of Fauré’s complete piano music: “[A]
must for Faure fans. . . . [She] has undertaken the job which
is, to judge from her sensitive playing, a labor of love. She
has technique to spare but is in no hurry. Her tone is admirable
for its clarity. . . .” “Her
performances here combine an exquisite feeling for coloristic
effects with kaleidoscopic fingerwork. She commands a formidable,
indeed, a seemingly infallible virtuoso technique. . . . I am
still astonished by the ravishing excellence of Crochet’s
work on these discs and could hardly conceive of these interpretations
being bettered.”
On
her performances: “This
impressive artist obviously does not cater to the whims of her
public. Her interpretations reveal a maturity, a mastery and
a depth of insight which we would unhesitatingly call a visionary’s.
Evelyne Crochet is one possessed. [ A] Maria Callas of the piano.
. . . Seldom was the meaning of re-creation made clearer
to us. . . . She leaves nothing to chance yet her playing sounds
spontaneous and alive.” “This
is a female Schnabel. . . .” “Evelyne
Crochet
proved to be a master of the keyboard; something going beyond
mere technical brilliance or acrobatic virtuosity but rather
aiming at the spiritual contents of her art.” “She
is a Mozart player par excellence, the phrases elegantly turned,
the notes purling forth with radiant clarity.” "THE
EXCITING RETURN OF CROCHET" “Her
work was marked both by a technical ease and assurance and by
much else that associates itself with artists of maturity and
insight. [Take] her stunning traversal of Olivier Messiaen’s
‘Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jésus’.
The pianist had total command of instrument, idiom and purpose.
She applied limitless degree of touch, her pedal became an eloquent
force and her conception of the music quite overwhelming.” “With
Evelyne Crochet, we became acquainted with a pianist of considerable
importance. [Her] masterly playing fascinated [us] with her
clarity of form, impressive power and great energy.” “Musical
to her fingertips and endowed with an impeccable keyboard technique.” “There
are alas no records of wife Clara playing Robert Schumann’s
Piano Concerto when the work was younger by several thousand
performances. But she could hardly have given a more spontaneous,
fresher-sounding reading than did Evelyne Crochet with the London
Symphony at the [Royal] Festival Hall last night.” – Anthony Tommasini, Boston Globe “The
way Evelyne Crochet lovingly illuminated the smallest detail
and filled it [Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major,
K. 453] with meaningful significance was exemplary. Such Mozart
has not been heard for a long time.”
“She
has undeniable technique, a sensitive ear for color and that
harmonic perception which permits her to think of music in terms
of key relationships.” “In
Ravel’s Piano Concerto, Evelyne Crochet played with technical
virtuosity, rhythmical charm and all possible wit, finesse,
radiance and glitter. She and Rafael Kubelik were heartily applauded
at the Herkulessaal.” “An
immensely gifted artist, Miss Crochet’s playing is marked
by a beautifully controlled lyricism. [In Schubert] Miss Crochet
brought such a fresh delicacy to each repetition that one would
have been satisfied had they been twice as long.” “A
sensitive artist of a kind too rare these days, combining a
musical awareness with a polished technique.” “A
great and absolute tone, intelligence and genuine poetry marked
the playing of this extraordinary artist.” |


