Reviews

“He showed no effort in mastering the concerto’s blistering speed, pounding rhythms, and exuberant marches — misjudged by an early critic as “coarse and crude.” The concerto’s sweeping opening sounds like a typical Beethoven finale, making one wonder where it will go from there — and it becomes even faster and bigger, with breakneck, unrelieved power.”

— Janos Gereben, reviewing Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 with Karina Canellakis and San Francisco Symphony San Francisco in Classical Voice, 29 Oct 19

“Gavrylyuk, ver boven de materie uitgestegen, liet horen hoe zijn techniek de muziek kan dienen en zijn indringende voordracht tot ademloos luisteren noopt. Vrijwel overal raakte hij de kern van de inhoud: een verfijnd ietwat snel Mozart-Rondo en van Brahms een donkere Rhapsodie en mooie diepzinnige Intermezzi.”

“Again, a magical performance at the highest level and a grand piano that seemed to sound like a symphony orchestra in full swing due to intense dynamic contrast. Gavrylyuk, far above the music’s surface, showed how his technique can serve the music and compelled the audience to breathlessness.”

— Cornélie Hoendervanger, reviewing Mozart, Brahms, Liszt, Saint-Saëns and Mussorgsky at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven in Eindhovens Dagblad, 16 Oct 19

“All of these contrasts were brought out magnificently by Rachmaninov specialist Alexander Gavrylyuk in a performance that was note-perfect as well as being interpretively impressive. His bright and crisp pianism made the music gleam.”

— Phillip Nones, reviewing Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Virginia Symphony, JoAnn Falletta) in Bachtrack, 15 September 2019. Read full review here.

“Le pianiste Alexander Gavrylyuk qui fit ses débuts français lors du Festival de Colmar 2010 ne manque ni de fermeté ni de douceur pour défendre cette partition concertante tandis que l’Orchestre montre toute la mesure de sa puissance sous la direction précautionneuse d’Alexandre Bloch.”

— Olivier Erouart, reviewing Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Orchestre National de Lille, Alexandre Bloch) in Radio Accent 4 – la musique classique en Alsace, 8 June 2019

“L’artiste d’origine ukrainienne se meut avec aisance et beauté sonore dans cet opus ; chaque variation est évidence sous ses doigts. Grâce à un piano presque électrique et à la bienveillance solaire de Mazzola, Rachmaninov ne souffre d’aucune pesanteur et joue même de transparence et de délicatesse. En toute simplicité, Gavrylyuk nous plonge en bis dans le calme nostalgique « des pays lointains », première pièce des Scènes d’enfants de Schumann.”

— Gaëlle Le Dantec, reviewing Rachmaninov’Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Philharmonie de Paris & Orchestre National d’Ile de France, Enrique Mazzola) in Concertclassic.com, 23 May 2019

“Pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk is incredible, to say the least. He masters Rachmaninov’s piece, which is an incredibly difficult task.”

— Amanda Berg Whittle, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 (Utah Symphony, Thierry Fischer) in Front Row Reviewers, 22 Mar 19

“The pianist’s opening phrase began with a fine, delicate pianissimo and grew into a powerful momentum that set up the entry of the orchestra. During the poignant second movement, the pianist’s touch, timing and phrasing made for an exceptionally lyrical presentation. Here the interplay between the pianist and several of the orchestral soloists shone very brightly indeed.”

— Matt Starling, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 (Utah Symphony, Thierry Fischer) in Utah Arts Review, 23 Mar 19. Read full review here.

“It was a welcome return for the pianist, who performed with the orchestra at Lincoln Center in 2016 as well as on its 2017 Asia tour. For this program, he brought Prokofiev’s treacherously difficult Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, a piece that is as remarkable for its lyricism as it is for its nonstop challenges for the pianist. For Gavrylyuk, none of that was a problem. He plunged into the quick opening ‘Allegro’ with power to spare.

“Endowed with a phenomenal technique, he soared easily through great fistfuls of virtuosities, always with biting clarity. Yet he also displayed an ear for color and could summon the lightest, most glittering touch when needed. That gift for color and mood was especially evident in the second movement’s variation marked ‘meditativo,’ which had an otherworldly atmosphere. The finale was supercharged, featuring one technical feat after another. Yet its middle section was a contrast of warm arpeggios accompanying the theme in the cellos.

“As the piece built to a climax, Gavrylyuk matched the orchestra in sonority, finishing in an impossibly fast display of fireworks. Karabits was an excellent partner, and from my seat high in the gallery, the balance between piano and orchestra was first-rate. With listeners on their feet, Gavrylyuk provided an intimate, deeply-felt encore: ‘Of Foreign Lands and People’ from Schumann’s Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), Op. 15, No. 1 in G Major.”

— Janelle Gelfand, reviewing Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3, (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Karabits) in the Cincinnati Business Courier, 25 November 2018

“The Ukrainian-born pianist’s approach to the warhorse was wholly embracing, preferring affection to affectation, with subtly novel explorations. His interpretation toggled from transparent intimacy—the solo section before the second theme nearly sounded like Chopin—to dramatic passion, and his cadenzas were just as individual … One hopes audiences won’t wait so long next time to hear King Christian and Rachmaninoff’s earliest symphony on a CSO program. And ideally, they’ll see Thomas Søndergård and Alexander Gavrylyuk back in Chicago even sooner.”

— Hannah Edgar, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Søndergård) in the Chicago Classical Review, 16 November 2018

“These selections from a lesser-known work of Sibelius, with Søndergård in expressive and firm control at the helm, were played with an acute sensitivity to mood and texture, a transparency and clarity that were captivating. The opening Nocturne from King Christian II is almost deliriously lyrical, while the deeply contrasting closing Ballade is heavily dramatic. The CSO flowed from one extreme to the other with rhythmically incisive and beautifully shaped interpretations, particularly evident in the spicy tambourine-accented climax of the Nocturne, a piece that is filled with many elements that can be called characteristic of the composer’s later work”

— “Debra Davy, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Søndergård) in Splash Magazine, 16 November 2018

“Gavrylyuk also seized the first opportunity to turn a poetic phrase, his legato lines defying the inherently percussive nature of the piano, his rubato understated but unmistakable. Best of all, Gavrylyuk offered some daring peddling in the Russian manner, producing dissonances that more cautious pianists would have avoided. One marveled, too, at the music-box charm Gavrylyuk conjured in the upper-register passages of the first movement’s cadenza.”

— Howard Reich, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Søndergård) in the Chicago Tribune

“… with a huge range of dynamics audible in the briefest of phrases, and hyper-active pedal technique making a telling contribution as well. He was also playing very close attention to his conductor’s baton as Sondergard produced a very singular flow through the slow movement and into the finale. Left to his own devices, the pianist was a showboating marvel on an encore of Horowitz’s arrangement of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.”

— Keith Bruce, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Thomas Søndergård) in The Herald, 11 November 2018

“… the impact was instant… [Gavrylyuk] made this mammoth warhorse sound as fresh as the day it was conceived. It had power and panache, but it also had brilliant rhythmic precision and attention to tonal detail that ensured every note and phrase had reason to be there. A dazzling Horowitz encore followed.”

— Ken Walton, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Thomas Søndergård) in The Scotsman, 13 November 2018

“… one of the top pianists in the world … [Gavrylyuk] attacks it from the beginning, bringing out the drama and the melody in the work.”

— Hugh Kerr, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Thomas Søndergård) in The Wee Review, 14 November 2018

“There followed a totally memorable performance of the Tchaikovsky, often a battle royal between soloist and orchestra. On this occasion the protagonists were equally matched, the Philharmonia – the all-important woodwinds superbly poetic and the strings … were especially lustrous. Alexander Gavrylyuk is a formidable pianist. Three things were immediately apparent. Firstly, however loudly he may play the sound never hardens. Secondly, the most extreme passages were despatched with thunderous power. Lastly, this power is allied to delicacy and musicality in the most heart-stopping way. There was an encore, well-chosen to lower the emotional temperature, the first section of Schumann’s Kinderszenen, ‘Von fremden Ländern und Menschen’.”

— Douglas Cooksey, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, (Philharmonia Orchestra/Rafael Payare) in Classical Source, 28 October 2018

“You knew [Gavrylyuk] was totally in control from the word go. There was something almost balletic in the way the opening chords leapt from the keyboard and from there on everything about the performance was sonic theatre. Yes, there was plenty of poetic, chamber-like intimacy in the slow movement but it was the physical excitement that made this performance so memorable: the hurling of fistfuls of notesand all that muscle-power to push dynamics to extremes. And after all that he came back to give the encore of a lifetime: Liszt’s Concert Paraphrase on Mendelssohn’s Wedding March which turns piano playing into a death-defying high-wire act. It brought the house down.”

— William Ruff, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (The Hallé/Karl-Heinz Steffens) in the Nottingham Post, 27 September 2018

“In a word, I was gobsmacked. I opened my box of superlatives and couldn’t find anything good enough to describe his playing … While Gavrylyuk’s technique seemed to have no limits, it was his interpretation of this concerto that made it the best Brahms No. 1 I’ve heard, live or recorded. There were moments during the slow movement that almost moved me to tears, and when he laid into what are some exceedingly demanding passages in the first and third movements, I wanted to fly. This was high voltage, inspirational stuff that comes along very rarely.”

— Fraser Beath McEwing, reviewing Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 at the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House in J-Wire Australia, 30 August 2018

“The climax (I use the term advisedly) of the evening came with the Australian/Ukrainian Alexander Gavrylyuk in Brahms’ titanic First Piano Concerto, Op. 15. … Gavrylyuk played this passage beautifully and affectingly, but not affectedly, nuanced with even a discreet touch of rubato and proceeded to capture every every kaleidoscopic shade of this mainly storm-tossed movement. His octave outbursts, massive trills and negotiation of the movement’s gnarly nodal passages superbly controlled, with a perfect orchestral balance maintained by conductor David Robertson.”

— Greg Keane, reviewing Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 at the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House in Limelight Magazine, 20 August 2018

“Gavrylyuk’s feathery touch and delicate filigree enhanced the graceful theme of the Menuet [of Haydn’s Sonata in B minor] before the rumbling storm of the central section. His rapid tempo and big-boned approach to the final Presto created the kind of excitement that Haydn could hardly have imagined with the limited resources of the fortepiano for which he created the work .

The opening of Scriabin’s Sonata No. 5 … seems to emanate from some lower depths. This 1907 work fits Gavrylyuk like a glove with its wild and unhinged creative invention. Quieter, more lyrical sections were exquisitely rendered. The scherzo-like section was turned into a crescendo of tone and decibels yet carefully controlled. While Gavrylyuk reveled in the knuckle-busting octaves at top speed, he drew sumptuous sounds from the Steinway in the moments of romantic nostalgia.”

— South Florida Classical Review, Solo Recital at Miami International Piano Festival Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 7 May 2018

“Anyone counting up the top classical concerts you’d seen all season before Thursday night, you started counting too soon. Alexander Gavrylyuk nearly set the Artis—Naples Steinway on fire Thursday night, and possibilities are good he would do it again Friday night on the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1. It was difficult to count how many notes he could play per second —more than four — in this demanding tapestry of a work. But speed, although essential, is only in its body, not its soul.

A successful performance demands a clear-eyed passion, and Gavrylyuk obviously owns that. He towered over the keyboard, as though delivering personal commands; at times during the more subdued second movement he leaned back, as if to savour it as a listener as much as a performer. The final movement nails in a little humour; the opening has that carful-of-clowns roll of staccato notes before it develops and returns to the opening theme and you think — at least when Gavrylyuk is performing — oh, darn, this is over.”

— Harriet Howard Heithaus, reviewing Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 Artis-Naples in Naples Daily News, 4 May 2018

“Here the variety of tonal shadings and lyrical pulse were as impressive as the moments of pianistic weight. The Lento found all the bittersweet melancholy that one could want – beautifully etched – while the recurring triplets of the finale were taken home with the greatest insistence and indescribable power…”

— Geoffrey Newman, reviewing Bach/Busoni, Haydn, Chopin, Scriabin and Rachmaninov in Seen and Heard International, 26 May 2018. Read full review here.

“A blur of rapidly concentrated hand movements brought the miraculous achievement to a close before the audience leapt to its feet cheering him to the rafters.”

— Roger Woodward, reviewing Solo Recital at Herbst Theater, San Fransisco in Limelight Magazine, 22 June 2018. Read full review here.

“His rapid tempo and big-boned approach to the final Presto created the kind of excitement that Haydn could hardly have imagined with the limited resources of the fortepiano for which he created the work.”

— Lawrence Budmen, reviewing Miami Piano Festival in South Florida Classical Review, 7 May 2018. Read full review here.

“You do not have to be a fan of this concerto. You do not have to be able to pronounce his name (gah-vee-LOOK). You do not even have to like classical music to be awed by Gavrylyuk’s performance, made more real by the piano cam following the blur of his hands once its opening theme had sparked. It was difficult to count how many notes he could play per second —more than four — in this demanding tapestry of a work. But speed, although essential, is only in its body, not its soul. A successful performance demands a clear-eyed passion, and Gavrylyuk obviously owns that. He towered over the keyboard, as though delivering personal commands; at times during the more subdued second movement he leaned back, as if to savor it as a listener as much as a performer.”

— Harriet Howard Heithaus, reviewing Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 in Naples Daily News, 4 May 2018. Read full review here.

“This piece [Rachmaninov’s Trio élégiaque No. 2 in D Minor] was a bravura showcase particularly for Gavrylyuk, who dug into the ferocious, concerto-like piano part like a starving man who was just served a seven-course meal. He also brought poetic eloquence and a beautifully singing tone to the opening of the second movement, which is a set of variations on a theme from Rachmaninoff’s The Crag, his first orchestral work. One variation is a dazzling perpetuum mobile for piano (with pizzicato accompaniment), which Gavrylyuk tore through with bat-out-of-hell electricity … The solo piano introduction to the third movement seemed like a conscious homage to the Tchaikovsky violin concerto; soon after, another passage seemed to prefigure Rachmaninov’s famous Prelude in C# minor.”

— Joshua Rosenblum, reviewing Rachmaninov in ZEALnyc, 11 December 2017

“I felt like I had been to a concert that had been minted for this occasion only. It had no apparent extra-musical strategy behind it. There weren’t even microphones there. And I wonder if that was a liberating factor in a performance that showed sides of Jansen I hadn’t encountered, and made me want to hear Gavrylyuk and Thedéen in any possible future occasion. This was not polite chamber music making, or even with the pretensions of politeness. This was three soloists having at the music with 110 percent commitment and somehow triumphing over any potential balance issues, even with Gavrylyuk playing with the piano lid open … All three performances felt epic.”

— David Patrick Stearns, reviewing Rachmaninov in , Arts Journal, 12 December 2017

“… the emotions really started to flow when Alexander Gavrylyuk took to the stage as soloist in the Rachmaninov. He has developed into a pianist of tremendous expressive range matched by a technique of comprehensive brilliance. There are many recordings of this work, beginning with the composer himself, but few to equal the sheer power of this performance. Gavrylyuk has always been technically superb; as he has matured he has penetrated deeper into the emotional core of the music, as illustrated by his beautiful playing of the slow movement. He was in full virtuoso mode though with his encore, the Liszt-Horowitz version of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.”

— Stephen Whittington, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 at Adelaide Town Hall, in Adelaide Now, 4 December 2017

“… the emotions really started to flow when Alexander Gavrylyuk took to the stage as soloist in the Rachmaninov. He has developed into a pianist of tremendous expressive range matched by a technique of comprehensive brilliance. There are many recordings of this work, beginning with the composer himself, but few to equal the sheer power of this performance. Gavrylyuk has always been technically superb; as he has matured he has penetrated deeper into the emotional core of the music, as illustrated by his beautiful playing of the slow movement. He was in full virtuoso mode though with his encore, the Liszt-Horowitz version of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.”

— Stephen Whittington, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 at Adelaide Town Hall, in Adelaide Now, 4 December 2017

“In my many years of attending WASO I don’t think I have ever seen a crowd as moved as it was on Saturday night. There were gasps between each movement; nearly everybody leapt to their feet at the conclusion of the Concerto, standing for four rounds of applause. Fisch and Gavrylyuk had such wonderful rapport. They gave each other space at the helm of the orchestra, navigating musical swells and storms calmly, authoritatively and humbly. At times they moved and gestured as if negotiating a temperamental beast; I couldn’t help but think of Daenerys, Mother of Dragons. For Fisch, the dragon was the big, fiery orchestra. For Gavrylyuk, the dragon was a nine-foot Steinway, which soared and thrashed and whispered beneath his fingertips in a brilliant display of virtuosity.”

— Tiffany Ha, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 at Perth Concert Hall (West Australian Symphony Orchestra/Asher Fisch) in Seesaw Magazine, 30 November 2017

“Pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk’s solo recital of transcribed Bach, Haydn, Chopin Scriabin and Rachmaninov… was in the grand barnstorming tradition of steely fingered pianism. In Scriabin’s Sonata No. 5, he not only captured the manic even grotesque expressive extremes between which the work pivots but also set out the work’s structure with coherence and clarity. The finest pianistic art came in the bracket of six studies from Chopin’s Opus 10 where deft lightness belied consummate instrumental control.”

— Peter McCallum, reviewing Sydney Recital Hall Piano Series in Sydney Morning Herald, 27 November 2017

“Ukrainian pianist, Alexander Gavrylyuk, took his audience on such an emotionally demanding journey that, in the end, they felt as exhausted listening as he probably did playing.”

— Fraser Beath McEwing, reviewing Sydney Recital Hall Piano Series in J-Wite, 21 November 2017. Read full review here.

“… Gavrylyuk’s playing seemed to take us as far as was physically possible on the piano towards the sheer impact of the organ’s power and majesty…”

— Peter Mechen, reviewing Bach, Haydn, Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninov recital in Waikanae in Middle C, 22 October 2017. Read full review here.

“…Gavrylyuk gave a seemingly effortless display of pianistic power of the most breathtaking kind…”

— Stephen Whittington, reviewing Solo Recital at the Space Theatre in The Advertiser, 27 October 2017. Read full review here.

“Alexander Gavrylyuk’s electrifying performance of Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto at the BBC Proms… was a revelation. BBC Radio 3 and Channel 4 Television transmitted a truly grand musical occasion in which Gavrylyuk redefined the work’s dimensions as perhaps only the composer and Horovitz themselves managed.

“Alexander Gavrylyuk is, easily, the most compelling pianist of his generation. As Schumann said of Chopin: “Hats off gentlemen, a genius.”

“His love of Rachmaninov’s searing cantilena shone like a beacon, as it unfolded phrase by phrase, cadence by cadence, to crucial dramatic points. His pacing of motivic development and tempi rubato throughout revealed a deep understanding of the work’s elusive inner dialogue. From a palette of a thousand softs, he recalled the tenderness of: Sviatoslav Richter’s Schubertian caresses, of Ashkenazian thunder and lightning, and of the Argerich maelstrom.

“The 33-year old’s equally loving attention and mastery of sequential suspensions and fermata was, at all times, the result of a formidable intellectual grasp. I was struck most especially, by the soloist’s mesmeric handling of the opening movement’s longest cadence which builds for the most part, on an extended dominant pedal for the main cadenza. I was equally impressed by his mastery of Rachmaninov’s enraptured resolution of the main cadenza…

“It is refreshing to experience completely new interpretations of traditional masterpieces by a monumental master of the piano who is, also, modest (and not falsely so), who is unassuming and completely dedicated to his art.”

— Roger Woodward, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Royal Albert Hall in Limelight, 13 September 2017

“Even in the short cadenza this Ukrainian-born Australian pianist maintained a ruminative eloquence, his warm tone blending perfectly with that of the orchestra. But the finale of this much-loved work requires a very different kind of pianism, and here too Gavrylyuk shone, digging furiously into the keyboard to galvanise an orchestra which was more than ready to be galvanised to create the barn-storming close. After which his encore – Rachmaninov’s exquisitely-turned arrangement of his Vocalise – brought us back to the initial mood of hushed benediction.”

— Michael Church, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Royal Albert Hall in The Scotsman, 19 August 2017

“Gavrylyuk’s ease with Rachmaninov’s passagework was startling. Technique is one thing, taste is another. His triplets and trills were pert and crisp, the dissolves from smiles to sadness, and the clarity and quietness were revelatory. The seven long seconds of silence after Gavrylyuk’s encore of the Vocalise were the greatest tribute any soloist could want at the Proms, but were surely shared with the orchestra, choir and Dausgaard.”

— Anna Picard, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Royal Albert Hall in The Times, 15 August 2017

“There was a strikingly collegiate approach between pianist and conductor … Here was a pianist in command of the music and the music in command of him. This Ukrainian pianist impressed by his fluid projection of the music’s quiet confidences and silvery tendrils … Gavrylyuk, in the second movement, astonished with his leisurely floating mayfly treatment before a taut finale, in which time and again the stopped horns leered atmospherically over the pianist’s statements. There was excitement and drama of course, and this washed over the audience, culminating in that final crashing wave. The applause was emphatic. Gavrylyuk gave an encore in the shape of a delicately chimed arrangement of Rachmaninov’s Vocalise.”

— Rob Barnett, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Royal Albert Hall in Seen and Heard International, 16 August 2017

“…there was plenty of fresh food in soloist Alexander Gavrylyuk’s singular take on “the Rach Three” … Gavrylyuk was mystically soft in that opening, only opening out to orchestral-style roars at key points as well as the leonine cadenza which so strikingly takes the place of a straight recap. His most individual facet was his Puckish wit, transcendentally sparkling, laugh-out loud in a scherzo glissando and mercurial in the high-wire acts of the finale.”

— David Nice, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Royal Albert Hall in The Arts Desk, 14 August 2017

“The piano’s opening phrases were entwined by a creeping bassoon line that crooned like a cantor. Gavrylyuk offered a delicate, reverent account, low on flash and glitter and the barnstorming decibels often heard in this repertoire staple. He often played on the sonorous tintinnabulations of Rachmaninov’s chords, while faster passages rippled with clarity.”

— Mark Pullinger, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Royal Albert Hall in Bachtrack, 14 August 2017

“The Piano Concerto No. 1 combines Tchaikovsky’s well-known melodies with a complicated and challenging piano part. Alexander Gavrylyuk handled these with considerable technical skill from the flamboyant opening to the famously satisfying ending – all the while looking like he was devouring something delicious. The stillness and poise of both the orchestra and the conductor during some of the piano solos was astounding. Gavrylyuk finished his performance with a touching encore of Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise.”

— Andrea Gillum, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 at Hamer Hall, Melbourne in Performing Arts Hub, 29 May 2017

“Gavrylyuk laid down the music’s layers with a care that crafted the character of each piece…”

— Classical Source, reviewing International Piano Series Solo Recital at St. John’s Smith Square, London, 3 May 2017

“The CSO may have personality in spades, but so does [Gavrylyuk], along with charisma. As the song goes, his style is simply ‘‘s wonderful, ‘s marvellous’.’”

— Seen and Heard International, reviewing Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue at Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Shanghai, 26 March 2017

“At the end, when the audience went wild, their excitement ratcheted up an additional notch when Gavrylyuk encored a almost obsessively engaged, hair-raising performance of Rachmaninov’s arrangement of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March in which all of the massive technical difficulties were reduced to child’s play, an offering of love itself studded like jewels with brief intimacies and heart-breaking colors.”

–– Laurence Vittes, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3 at Teatro Mayor, Bogota (Philharmonic Orchestra/Patrick Fourniller) in Bachtrack, 17 April 2017. Read full review here.

“… Mais passons rapidement au Concerto de Grieg. Comme d’habitude l’orchestre nous impressionne par sa puissance et le chef par son lyrisme. Impeccable de bout en bout il se dégage un souffle impressionnant de la partition.”

–– Louis Le Classique, l’Orchestre national d’Île-de-France at Philharmonie de Paris, 25 January 2017. Read full review here.

“What the world needs today.”

–– Riaskoff, reviewing Solo Recital at Concertgebouw, The Netherlands, 6 November 2016

“… an utterly winning mix of scientific control and stunt-pilot abandon.”

–– The Georgia Straight, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra/Bramwell Tovey) at Orpheum Annex, 24 September 2016

“For me, the story of the evening was Alexander Gavrylyuk…”

–– Geoffrey Newman, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra/Bramwell Tovey) at Orpheum Annex in Vancouver Classical Music, 24 September 2016. Read full review here.

“… Gavrylyuk has the light-frantic flair that perfectly matches with Prokofiev.”

–– Joep Stapel and Merlijn Kerkhof, reviewing Prokofiev at Gergiev Festival (Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra/Valery Gergiev) in NRC Netherlands, 12 September 2016. Read full review here.

“This is Gavrylyuk’s 10th Chautauqua season, and he’s come to receive a hero’s welcome on his annual returns…”

–– John Chacona, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 1 in The Chautauquan Daily, 25 July 2015 Read full review here.

“…he carries his listeners through a romantic whirlpool of emotions from understated regret to fire-breathing vengeance…”

–– Rodney Smith, reviewing Morgan’s International Piano Series Recital at Space Theatre in The Advertiser, 30 May 2016. Read full review here.

“…Gavrylyuk made every challenging post a winner in a rendition of extraordinary vehemence.”

–– Clive O’Connell, reviewing The Great Performers Recital Series at Melbourne Recital Centre in The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 June 2016. Read full review here.

“But this was more than a show of blurred hands and arms to produce machine-gun busts of notes. Gavrylyuk got to the heart of the Oriental Fantasy by lingering over the quiet respite passages, thus making sure that this was evocative music with a message, and not just a staggering technical showpiece.”

–– Fraser Beath McEwing, reviewing Theme & Variations Foundation Piano Recital, 15 May 2016 in J-Wire. Read full review here.

“Every episode of the sonata was delivered with a similar awareness of the music’s power to enchant, to move and to disturb…”

–– Peter Mechen, reviewing Waikanae Music Society Piano Recital in Middle C, 22 May 2016. Read full review here.

“As the audience left, a woman said, ‘Now that was stunning. Absolutely stunning.’ I could only agree.”

–– Gillian Wills, reviewing International Piano Series at Conservatorium Theatre in Brisbane, in Limelight Magazine, 14 June 2016. Read full review here.

“Gavrylyuk beautifully executed Rachmaninov’s extremes: moments of great delicacy and lilting melody were contrasted with athletic displays of intensely vehement romanticism.”

–– Kym Clayton, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 1 (Adelaide Symphony Orchestra/Alexandre Bloch) at Adelaide Festival Theatre in The Barefoot Review, 4 June 2016. Read full review here.

“Gavrylyuk semble fait pour ce concerto comme celui-ci semble fait pour lui. Un tel engagement physique et émotionnel, une telle attention portée sur chaque note, paraîtraient exagérés, voire comiques, si on y décelait aussi une once de vulgarité ; heureusement il n’est est rien, tant la sensibilité extravertie du jeune russe force l’adhésion.”

–– Samuel Aznar, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 (Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg/Xian Zhang) at Palais de la Musique Strasbourg in Bachtrack, 21 March 2016. Read full review here.

“At the top of their game, this duo evolved into a spectacular symbiotic musical organism.”

–– David Pinedo, reviewing duo recital with Janine Jansen at Concertgebouw Amsterdam in Bachtrack, 11 March 2016. Read full review here.

“It only took a couple short minutes before I saw his profound understanding of the piece, his deep love for it.”

–– Broadway World, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Louis Langrée) at the Lincoln Center, 2016

“Gavrylyuk… ackompanjerar stjärnviolinisten Janine Jansen i en duorecital som är både intim och storslagen. Gavrylyuk spelar utsökt och inkännande, och stjäl aldrig strålkastarljuset från Jansens virtuosa violinspel.”

–– Dagens Nyheter, reviewing duo recital with Janine Jansen, 5 March 2016

“En underbar avslutning på en konsertkväll som redan var fulländad med ett strålande framförande av Rachmaninovs tredje pianokonsert med Alexander Gavrylyuk som solist. Hur han tar sig an denna svårspelade best med både enorm skicklighet och bultande känslighet är fenomenalt. Han torkar svetten från pannan med en näsduk mellan varven, tar sats och kastar sig återigen över tangenterna – han spelar allt från minnet – och att följa med honom på resan är en rafflande upplevelse. Finalsatsen är som ett segertåg, ljudet av att springa nerför en brant backe utan att kunna eller vilja bromsa.”

–– Dagens Nyheter, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 (Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra/Alexander Shelley) at Stockholm Konserthus, 3 March 2016

“Pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk was a dynamic presence on stage, both musically and physically…. He mustered enormous power from the piano’s lower register in the cadenzas, often bouncing on his stool as if on springs, but elsewhere played with a pleasing lightness of touch and sensitivity to the orchestra…”

–– Bachtrack, reviewing Grieg Piano Concerto (Hallé Orchestra/Okko Kamu) at Bridgewater Hall, 18 February 2016

“Mr. Gavrylyuk brought muscular virtuosity to the challenging concerto. During some passages, he went for steely tone and uninhibited power, especially bursts of arm-blurring octaves. When called for, he played with subdued delicacy and scurrying lightness.”

–– Anthony Tommasini, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Louis Langrée) at the Lincoln Center in The New York Times, 7 January 2016. Read full review here.

“…it was a performance that dazzled. The pianist tossed off treacherous double octave passages, smiling as he did so. But he also played with considerable nuance in the softer moments, throwing back his head as he lingered on Tchaikovsky’s romantic melodies.”

–– Cincinnati.com, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Louis Langrée) at the Lincoln Center, 7 January 2016

“…Alexander Gavrylyuk played Prokofiev’s First Piano Concerto. The winner of several piano competitions his playing was masterly.”

–– Bristol Post, Prokofiev Piano Concerto (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/James Gaffigan), 29 October 2015

“…Gavrylyuk is as vivid and characterful as he is dextrous. Well recorded, this album should be in every serious collector’s library.”

–– Gramophone, reviewing Brahms & Liszt (Piano Classics PCL0086), 14 August 2015

“From start to finish the playing of the Ukranian pianist held the public spellbound, gradually building up the tension and eventually generating enough energy to light up the whole of Rotterdam, harbor included.”

–– Classical New reviewing Rachmaninov in Rotterdam (Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra/Valery Gergiev), 12 September 2015

“The distinctive qualities of Gavrylyuk’s thrilling gifts were amply in evidence: dazzling technique wedded to sensitive musicianship.”

–– The Chautauquan Daily reviewing Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra/Rossen Milanov) at Chautauqua Amphitheatre, 2 July 2015

“Alexander Gavrylyuk is wel een van de grootste ontdekkingen van het afgelopen decennium. Hij weet telkens weer het publiek te betoveren met zijn ongelooflijk virtuoze en suggestieve spel. Deze keer nam hij de luisteraars mee op een avontuurlijke reis door de tijd, van Mozart en Schubert via Liszt en Chopin naar de grimmige wereld van Prokofjev.

“Alexander Gavrylyuk is one of the greatest discoveries of the past decade. Every time he enchants the public with his incredible virtuosity and suggestive playing. This time he took the listener on an adventurous journey through time, from Mozart and Schubert via Liszt and Chopin to the dark world of Prokofiev.”

–– De Telegraaf, reviewing Solo Recital at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 14 June 2015

“Gavrylyuk’s interpretation of Mozart’s K467 Piano Concerto delved deep into the ambiguity of the piece, probing near-subversive levels of expression: thought-provoking playing here, way beyond the norm.”

–– Herald Scotland, reviewing Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 (BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Markus Stenz), 14 May 2015

“Mühelos verband der Musiker dabei hurtiges Figurenwerk mit dem Aufzeigen tieferer Schichten, formaler und tonaler Zusammenhänge.”

–– Der Standard, reviewing Solo Recital at Konzerthaus, Vienna, 24 February 2015

“To say that Gavrylyuk wowed in his debut would be an understatement. The 30-year-old phenom, who has won gold in both the Horowitz and the Rubinstein piano competitions, possesses astonishing technical ability. His hands were a blur in fiendishly difficult double octave passages, yet he smiled through it all, seeming to relish the challenge.”

–– Cincinnati.com, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Louis Langrée) at Music Hall, Cincinnati, 28 November 2014

“Gavrylyuk, winner of a number of important international competitions, produced a tone that was closely in tune with the work’s vast range of expression, whether full, lush and ringing, or pearly and gentle. As for virtuosity, all one could saw was ‘Wow’.”

–– Music in Cincinnati, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Louis Langrée) at Music Hall, Cincinnati, 28 November 2014

“Quite an amazing exhibition of piano mastery even exceeding the Rachmaninov in pure dexterity, the notes rolling off his hands faster than the eye could catch. This was a performance not to be missed..”

–– ABQ Journal, reviewing Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganaini (New Mexico Symphony Orchestra/Oriol Sans) at Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque, 22 November 2014

“The Ukrainian’s sensitivity and unaffected joy contributed to his phenomenal execution.”

–– Bachtrack, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 (Concertgebouworkest/Michael Schonwandt) at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. 5 October 2014

“Alexander Gavrylyuk is a unique artist, who, in a never ending quest for artistic purity and truth, is simply not capable of playing anything devoid of profound musical feeling.”

–– International Piano Magazine, reviewing Mussorgsky & Schumann (Piano Classics, PCL0063), 2014

“This fourth ‘Russian’ festival was in many ways the best of them all, and this was largely due to the oversize presence of an actually very modest and unassuming Alexander Gavrylyuk, a pianist who can clearly bring the house down with his virtuosity and phenomenal Horowitz-like weight and fire, but certainly offers much more than that.”

–– Vancouver Classical Music, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concertos (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra/Bramwell Tovey) at Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, April 2014

“Those fortunate enough to have heard Alexander Gavrylyuk in the first of this year’s Pianists in Recital series will wonder if classical piano playing can get any better.”

–– J-Wire, reviewing Solo Recital at City Recital Hall, Sydney, 12 March 2014

“His recital-closing performance of the Prokofiev sixth sonata was equally fine. Incisive attack and pounding percussive passages irresistibly propelled the powerhouse outer movements with ferocious intensity and motoric energy. Glinting, hard-edged sonorities and biting rhythms captured the astringent lyricism and sardonic quirkiness of the inner movements.”

–– Murray Black, reviewing Solo Recital at City Recital Hall, Sydney, in The Australian, 12 March 2014

“Gavryluk’s spitfire prowess at the keyboard for not only the concerto, but his encore of the Liszt-Horowitz arrangement of Beethoven’s Turkish March, particularly, was almost overwhelmingly dazzling.”

–– Cihan News, reviewing Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 (Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra/Sascha Goetzel) at Lufti Kirdar Congress Centre, Istanbul, 20 February 2014

“Gavrylyuk’s strength is that he seems to find an implied narrative in this score; one felt stories were being told while, around him, the orchestra created great waves of passion.”

–– The New Zealand Herald, reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 1 (Auckland Philharmonia/Eckehard Stier) at Auckland Town Hall, 12 February 2014

“Due to his sheer force of musicianship, the evening belonged mostly to Alexander Gavrylyuk, soloist in Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. He is a beguiling pianist, able to find the simplest musical truth behind even the most staggeringly virtuosic torrent of notes.”

–– The Australian, reviewing Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Adelaide Symphony Orchestra/Garry Walker) at Adelaide Festival Centre, 14 February 2014

“The highlight of the evening was witnessing the piano wizard, Alexander Gavrylyuk touch the very soul of the Rachmaninov masterpiece, ‘Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini’.”

–– Do More South Coast, reviewing Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Carlo Rizzi) at Poole Lighthouse, 27 November 2013

“Im zweiten Konzert der International Piano Series 2013/14 hat Alexander Gavrylyuk das Publikum mit Werken von Mozart, Schumann und Prokofjew begeistert.”

–– Freiburger Nachrichten, reviewing Solo Recital, 13 October 2013

“Sitting in the second row of the near-capacity house was a young woman wearing a blue T-shirt with the sign of the horns (the gesture the cartoon characters Beavis and Butt-head were known for) and the legend ‘You Rachmaninov.’ Alexander Gavrylyuk certainly rocked the Amphitheater Wednesday evening with Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30.”

–– The Chautauquan Daily, reviewing Marathon Concert, 13 July 2013

“Le cycle Rachmaninov s’est achevé au Victoria Hall sous une explosion de vivats Neeme Järvi a raison d’être fâché. Ne pas avoir enregistré l’intégrale des concertos de Rachmaninov et la Rhapsodie sur un thème de Paganini données par le pianiste Alexander Gavrylyuk avec l’OSR est une erreur. La télévision a refusé: «manque de moyens». Le chef de l’OSR en est tout marri. «Qu’on ne me dise pas qu’il n’y a pas d’argent à Genève!…» avait-il alors rétorqué.”

–– Tribune du Genève, reviewing Rachmaninov, 3 June 2013

“When Alexander Gavrylyuk began this BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert at Wigmore Hall there was little clue to the way in which he would end it. His softly voiced account of Mozart’s D major Rondo was genial and lucid, the right-hand phrasing varying a little in dynamics but with a nice sense of overall line and structure. Some serious Rachmaninov followed, with a stony-faced rendition of the G sharp minor Prelude, and a powerfully organic account of the G minor, growing to an impressive peroration. These fires were quelled somewhat by a sensitive account of Zoltán Kocsis’s arrangement of the Vocalise, with a slower return to the main theme that was nicely done.”

–– Classicalsource.com reviewing BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert: Alexander Gavrylyuk at Wigmore Hall (Mozart, Rachmaninov, Pictures at an Exhibition), 29 April 2013

“Stepping in for the indisposed Cédric Tiberghien, the Ukrainian-born Australian pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk wowed Wigmore Hall’s lunchtime audience with a debut concert replete in masterful displays of pianism, in the purest meaning of the word.”

–– Bachtrack, reviewing Alexander’s debut at London’s Wigmore Hall, 29 April 2013

“All attention went to the 28-year old wonder pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk…The diabolical sprint of orchestra and soloist at the end of the concert was breath taking.When playing the encore, Mendelssohn’s wedding March, Gavrylyuk blew the listening orchestra almost off the stage….”

–– Floris Don, reviewing Rachmaninov Concerto No. 3 (Royal Concertgebouworkest/Vladimir Jurowski) at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam in NRC Handelsblad, 27 March 2013

“Alexander Gavrylyuk (Ukraine, 1984) belongs to the very rare category of musicians whose possibilities could only be limited by taste and contextual interpretation. Technically, he can do anything. In Rachmaninov’s Third piano concerto, he showed how one note, warm and full, can float above the orchestra, in a state of natural free fall.”

–– Biëlla Luttmer, reviewing Rachmaninov Concerto No. 3 (Royal Concertgebouworkest/Vladimir Jurowski) at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam in De Volkskrant, 27 March 2013

“The initial approach to the Allegro was light and lyrical, even impressionistic, making the eruption in the middle – and explode it did – all the more dramatically arresting. The Ukranian pianist chose the original massive-chordal cadenza, rather than the more scherzo-like revision which Rachmaninoff himself recorded. Gavrylyuk has technique to spare producing voluminous cascades of sound too fast to be heard as individual notes but felt only as gossamer swirls of aural color, growing light and dark with harmonic and dynamic shifts.”

–– ABQ Journal , reviewing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 (New Mexico Philharmonic/Hélène Bouchez) at Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque, 15 march 2015

“What can be written about pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk than has not already been canvassed by an adoring press, here and overseas?”

–– Arts Hub, 20 February 2013

“Bach’s Italian Concerto was given spacious treatment, its middle andante an essay in restraint with no urging at its two dramatic pedal-point climaxes, while the rapid finale preserved its jubilation along with a welcome clarity of texture and an unashamed variety of articulation and timbre employing the piano’s resources with intelligent musicianship.”

–– The Age, reviewing Solo Recital at Melbourne Arts Centre, 16 February 2013

“Soloist Alexander Gavrylyuk gave an intelligent and stylish reading of this unconventional concerto where the pianist’s contributions are largely part of the overall orchestral texture. However, Gavrylyuk knew precisely when to sparkle, delivering zippy glissandi in the variations and beautifully capturing the clownish character of the quirky first movement.”

–– Concerto performance with Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Andrey Boreyko at Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 5 February 2011

“….That made a fine warm-up to the Prokofiev concerto. Since this is Gavrylyuk’s sixth season here, he got a hero’s welcome upon en- trance; plus, many knew to sit on the left to see his amazing hands fly up and down the keyboard. (Those on the right had a better view of his rapt facial expressions, including the relief at the brief pauses from incredible exertion that the solo part afforded him).”

–– David Shengold, reviewing Prokofiev, 21 July 2011

“…Gavrylyuk, a Ukrainian in his mid-20s now living in Australia, was on fire in the huge first movement’s three cadenzas – eating up those octaves, the scales burning with visceral power – while drawing a wide variety of clearly articulated colour elsewhere.  Coming out of the cadenzas, Tovey picked up on Gavrylyuk’s momentum and ran with it, his astute conducting minimising such structural roadblocks as the strange pauses in the finale.”

–– Los Angeles Times, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 (Los Angeles Philharmonic), 9 September 2010

“Serge Prokofiev was not only a composer but a great pianist as well. His unconditional way of playing and steel touch were completely new at a time when Romanticism had just ended. Prokofiev demanded the same style of playing from his performers, particularly in his second piano concerto, opus 16. This 4 piece work demands a great deal of accuracy, strength and stamina from the soloist.”

–– Prokofiev Piano Concerto (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 19 May 2010

“The Concertgebouw Orchestra will remain in Russian spheres a little while. This week it will be led by Mikhail Pletnev in a completely Russian program. The most attention will go to the soloist of the evening: Alexander Gavrylyuk. It was once said about Prokofiev that as a pianist, he had biceps of steal. It was with complete surrender that the 25 year old Ukranian plunged into his second piano concerto. Technically speaking, no mountain is too high for him. It appears as though his hands are free to work magic with colour and articulation, to summon the most variable spheres and draw the packed Great Hall along in an extraordinary risky and exciting adventure.”

–– Prokofiev Piano Concerto (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Mikhail Pletnev) at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 19 May 2010

“It is obviously a pity that the obstinate Mikhail Pletnev never wants to perform as a pianist again. But for each departing master pianist, there are many dozens of debutantes waiting in line. Alexander Gavrylyuk (1984) belongs to the undisputed front line of that new generation.”

–– Prokofiev Piano Concerto (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Mikhail Pletnev) at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 19 May 2010

“Prizes are not an absolute indicator of excellence but they help a career along and Alexander Gavrylyuk has amassed his fair share. He won the Horowitz, Rubinstein and Hamamatsu competitions – all by the age of 20. He stands with the masterful Michael Kieran Harvey as one of the country’s few pianists to have achieved true international success, so that his solo recital here was significant.”

–– Clive O’Connell, reviewing Solo Recital at Melbourne Recital Centre in The Age, 29 April 2010

“Consciente de que nunca se alcanza la interpretación perfecta, el joven pianista ucraniano Alexander Gavrylyuk, quien abrirá este viernes el ciclo Presencia Internacional en la UNAM, sostuvo hoy que su mayor lucha es contra el egocentrismo pues destruye la espiritualidad de la música.”

–– Notimex, México 17 May 2007

“Este ano, para surpresa de muitos melómanos que, como eu, ansiavam pelo decréscimo substancial do preço dos bilhetes para concertos de extraordinária qualidade, a Festa da Música do CCB viu-se reduzida a dois dias. Assim, a edição deste ano, sob o mesmo formato que as antecedentes Festas, dedicou-se inteiramente ao piano.”

–– Alexander Gavrylyuk & Orquestra Filarmónica da Eslováquia nos Dias da Música Domingo, 22 April 2007

“Rachmaninoff’s 9 Etudes-Tableaux, Op.39 are rarely performed due to their extreme technical demands. Steeped in brooding melancholia, the etudes are a formidable test of a pianist’s endurance and artistry. Russian firebrand Alexander Gavrylyuk, winner of the 2005 Artur Rubinstein International Competition, attacked the pieces with heated passion and manic intensity that did not slight the scores’ more ruminative episodes…Gavrylyuk gave a sensational performance of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. He captured the music’s romantic urgency and dispatched dazzling finger work at rapid speed…”

–– Lawrence Budmen, reviewing Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, May 15 2007

“Alexander Gavrylyuk’s coiled virtuosity and fleet-fingered articulation fit the Rhapsody like a well-tailored glove. The Ukrainian pianist captured the music’s scherzando essence with power and poetry, floating the famous 18th variation in a fresh and natural way and throwing off the headlong final moments with thrilling combustibility.”

–– Miami Herald, reviewing Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, 14 May 2007

“For most concertgoers, the name Rachmaninoff conjures up thoughts of fleet fingers and lush melodies. Yet a deep melancholy and a wild sense of diablerie also are present in much of his music. The opening of the Miami International Piano Festival’s 10th-anniversary season certainly did the composer proud, as three pianists presented differing views on perhaps the last of the great composer/pianists Wednesday night at the Lincoln Theatre. Alexander Gavrylyuk began the all-Rachmaninov feast with the Op. 39 Etudes-Tableaux — nine pieces in all. There’s a good reason why most pianists fear playing the complete set. The score is dark with black print, and interpretive niceties only come after one acquires the technical skills to avoid drowning in the sea of notes.”

–– Miami Herald, reviewing Rachmaninov, 10 May 2007

“The sensationally gifted pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk has become the sensation of this season’s Chautauqua Festival. His playing of the first Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto created an audience reaction seldom experienced. It was certainly one of the most gripping performances of the work live or recorded this reviewer has ever encountered.”

–– The Chautauquan Daily, reviewing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, 16 July 2007. Read full review here.

“The pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk had a brilliant success with his performance of the Piano Concerto No. 3 in C, Opus 26, attacking the spiky articulated fingerwork of the first movement and the close of the second like one possessed. His demonic approach to the passage work of the finale is like that of a mercurial circus performer conspiring to dazzle and astonish.”

–– Peter McCallum, reviewing Alexander in The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 November 2009

“The highlight of the evening was the brilliant pianism of Alexander Gavrylyuk, whose performance of the fifth piano concerto cemented his place as the new darling of Sydney audiences. As if his handling of the growing power and passion of the great larghetto wasn’t enough, the young Ukrainian-born Australian citizen crowned it all with a bravura display in his encore – Horowitz/Liszt’s thunderous variations on Mendelssohn’s wedding music.”

–– Steve Moffat, The Mosman Daily, 23rd September 2009

“The festival’s other soloist, pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk, was far more impressive. Prokofiev’s first, third and fifth piano concertos are some of the most ferociously taxing in the repertory. Gavrylyuk easily surmounted their challenges with a seductive mixture of brilliance and sensitivity.”

–– The Australia, reviewing Prokofiev Piano Concertos, 24th November 2009

“None of the young pianists that made their debut in the Master Pianist series during the past years, made as big an impression as the 24 year old Alexander Gavrylyuk last Sunday. Ever since he won the Horowitz competition, the Yamaha Competition and the Arthur Rubinstein Competition, the young Ukrainian enjoyed great international fame.”

–– Trouw, 10 February 2009

“A rare sight indeed: the Concertgebouw audience whistling and singing as they leave the Main Hall. One particular enthusiast couldn’t hold back during the concert. He whistled steadily to the Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn, the fourth and last encore of debutante master pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk. All this cheerfulness was caused by the flow of the 24-year old prize winner: Gavrylyuk makes piano playing look astonishingly easy.”

–– De Volkskrant, 11 February 2009

“The secret of Alexander Gavrylyuk is focus. This 24 year old master pianist from Ukraine made his debut in the Master Pianists series as if he has lived three piano lives already. Whoever is capable at such a young age of playing so superior and truthful is born with the gift of divine concentration.”

–– NRC Handelsblad, 9 February 2009

“This time I have a wonderful contender to win the first prize: “Alexander Gavrylyuk” Ukrainian, an Australian citizen. With him it’s not only that the music is brilliant – this is the creation of the music!

“This child stands and touches the sky! An amazing rocket flies to the finals. A real artist! What a wonderful surprise!

“When he plays, it causes me to cry, to laugh, to moan and to be cheerful. The Italian Concerto (Bach) he turns into a church of pure sounds. With him, the playing comes from within. From the intestines…that is a different Bach.

“A combination of Glenn Gould and Angela Hewitt together. Suddenly, I saw Bach standing at the edge of the stage and smiling warmly to the ‘child’.”

–– Yediot Hachonot, Y-Net, 1 April 2009

“Alexander Gavrylyuks Solorecital mit russischen Werken, das von Piano Classics veröffentlicht wurde, zeigt einen exzellenten Pianisten, der virtuose Technik in den Dienst differenzierten Ausdrucks stellt. Der gebürtige Ukrainer Alexander Gavrylyuk gehört zu den vielversprechendsten Pianisten seiner Generation. Der Weg des mittlerweile 28-Jährigen ist seit zwölf Jahren mit Wettbewerbssiegen gepflastert, und doch ist Gavrylyuk kein ‚Wettbewerbspianist‘, der eine individuelle Interpretationshaltung zugunsten makelloser Technik zurückstellte.

“An einer exzellenten Technik mangelt es ihm nicht; aber er stellt sie nicht um ihrer selbst willen aus, sondern im Dienste eines ausdrucksvollen Spiels. Davon konnte man sich in den vergangenen Jahren etwa anhand seiner Gesamteinspielung der Klavierkonzerte von Sergej Prokofjew überzeugen. Nun legt Gavrylyuk beim Label Piano Classics mit einem Solorecital nach, das im April 2011 in Holland aufgezeichnet wurde.”

–– Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Prokofiev (Piano Classics, PCL0037)