-of Storia
(Eroica JDT3119)...
"...it's
when Amalong gets to Ginastera's splendid First Sonata that he really
cuts loose. His performance is easily as dynamic as the well-known readings
by Adrian Ruiz on Genesis 114 (Jan/Feb 1999) and Barbara Nissman on
Newport 85510 (reissued on Pierian 5, Sept/Oct 2001). Amalong is particularly
dazzling in the brilliant fast passages, where Eroica's strong, sharply
focused sound (much better than the other two recordings) adds impact
and excitement. In III, the mysterious nocturnal adagio, Amalong surprises
by playing considerably more slowly than anyone else I’ve heard, drawing
out Ginastera’s study in plangent sonorities to six minutes (Nissman
takes 4:27). The trick is to hold the piece together at this extra-slow
pace, and Amalong manages to do this--but just. Pyrotechnics in the
fast movements notwithstanding, this is actually his most daring and
dangerous interpretive gamble."-American Record Guide, January
2004
"Amalong
negotiates all of this richly cascading music [Prokofiev, Granados,
dellaPicca] with aplomb, and imparts lots of character and nuance to
the Prokofieff--more than in the too-languid reading on Chandos 8851
(July/Aug 1991)." -American Record Guide, January 2004
"Beautifully
played piano music selected for a rainy afternoon and featuring a remarkable
Ginastera Op. 22 ...pianist Amalong is refusing to cater to any "crossover"
sentiments. This is serious classical music for people who love classical
music and no apologies expected. Pianist Amalong is a virtuoso of the
first order and plays and achieves a distinctively intense, reflective
mood which perhaps reaches its most intense in the adagio molto appassionato
of the Ginastera Sonata." -MusicWeb UK, January 2004
"Efficient
and sensitive...a stirring performance of the exhilarating 1st Sonata
by Alberto Ginastera..."-Music and Vision, May 2004
-of Music
for Flute and Piano (Eroica JDT3052)...
"Wonderful!
Bravo to both of you!"-Lowell Liebermann, composer, on recording
of his Sonata for Flute and Piano
"Flutist
Jeannine Dennis and her accompanist Philip Amalong display an ideal
partnership; they play with assurance, intelligence, and complete sympathy
with the music. The recording is clear, strong, and immediate."-American
Record Guide, January 2004
"From the
first haunting moments of the first selection I knew that this was going
to be an album that would hold my attention and speak with quiet intensity...a
wonderful voyage of discovery for me. I cannot recommend this album
more highly." -MusicWeb UK, January 2004
-of American
Souvenir (Albany Troy718)...
"Philip Amalong’s
pianism is sensitive and nuanced; especially in Lehman’s Souvenirs."-American
Record Guide May/June 2005
-of Sanctuary
at 3AM (www.sowash.com)...
"It's all
totally tonal, tender, melancholy, quietly old-fashioned and exquisitely
beautiful, exquisitely played."-American Record Guide, September
2004
"The performers
- especially Les Gavottes, cellist Terry King, and pianist Phil Amalong
- play this music like they love it."-Classical.net, September
2004
-of Twentieth
Century Romantic (Titanic Ti-265)
"Violinist
Gerald Itzkoff and pianist Philip Amalong play these lush and emotional
works with consummate skill, passionate intensity, and abundant energy..."
-All Music Guide
"I love the
roughness with which Itzkoff and Amalong attack the first movement...Indeed,
Itzkoff and Amalong give pretty much their all, an attention to detail
and delicate color...Both Itzkoff and Amalong know their instruments.
Itzkoff has a lovely, full tone. Amalong has mastered phrase and color."Steve
Schwartz, Classical.net
-In Performance...
"...he must
have more fingers than the rest of us! The Ravel flowed-Jeux d’eau certainly.
The Ginastera-it just got better and better...so clean and so nuanced.
We loved it. Such joy he brings to others." -Mary Swain, presenter,
Loretto
"[Amalong]
displays unique interpretive qualities-his playing heralds a stunning
career." -Suburban and Wayne Times (Philadelphia)
"His return
recital awed the audience with his brilliant technique and talent..."-The
Phoenix
"It's as
if he’s sitting down to a grand, luscious feast and inviting us to share
in it." -Cincinnati audience member
