SUSAN LANDALE
LONDON “Playing
the entire work from memory (Eben’s Faust), Miss Landale left no doubt of
her towering place among organists of today.”
The Sunday Times
COPENHAGEN “She is a dazzling technician, but in
particular a very lively and fascinating musician, whose special talent lies in
her vigorous and exuberant communication with her public.”
“… the climax (was) Bach’s Dorian Toccata
and Fugue, marvelously rendered, full of life and verve. It was as if all the pipes, winds and
intricate machinery of this great instrument were in perfect fusion with the
artist, creating a living, organic whole.
This is so rare in an organ recital, that when it does happen it must
indeed be all the more appreciated.”
Kristeligt Dagblad
ADELAIDE “Find a performer
with an attractive personality and who is so at home with her repertoire that
the personality radiates through the playing, and you are ensured a joyous
musical experience.”
The Advertiser
CHARTRES “It is rarely given to us to hear an artist who can
approach so many different genres with equal felicity ... her program, to all
appearances so varied, had a deep unity: that of talent.”
PARIS
“‘Emotion, sincerity first of all, but conveyed to the listener by means
that are both sure and clear.’ These
words of Messiaen in the preface to La Nativité,
resume almost completely the artistic value of this recording (of Messiaen's La Nativité).”
(CD Charles Tournemire) “Triumphantly
at ease both musically and instrumentally and just as inspired as in her
recording of Messiaen’s Livre
du Saint Sacrement … it is no exaggeration to say
that Susan Landale transports us into an enchanted universe of stunning beauty
and splendour and thrilling impact.”
Diapason
(CD Olivier Messiaen) “The most
sumptuous and captivating version there is of (Messiaen’s)
Livre du Saint Sacrement
... one hardly dares to say so: this
eighth complete CD recording is almost synonymous with the revelation of the
work.”
Diapason
LYON “Susan Landale’s
playing is clear and brilliant and lends itself to every style; her remarkable
technique is more than a match for the most arduous difficulties and, above
all, she has the gift of profound and fine-tuned sensitivity. Truly she is a complete artist.”
L’Essor
GRENOBLE “Messiaen is still
able to open new doors for us ... above all when he has at his service the
sovereign ease and the generous artistry, combining brilliance and deep sensitivity, of
Susan Landale.”
Le Dauphiné Libré
MANCHESTER “All the solo pieces were played without a score, which made
the performance even more impressive. It was indeed a recital to remember.”
Organ Club Journal
CHEMNITZ “Here (Eben’s 2nd
Organ Concerto) praise must go first and foremost to the remarkable organist
Susan Landale, and the outstanding quality of her performance be
underlined. Her capacity to share her
extraordinary intuition for the sensitive blending of sound and color obviously
inspired and led the orchestra towards an ideal partnership.”
OPAVA “The whole program, including the encores, in a packed and enthusiastic
concert hall, was a demonstration of Susan Landale’s
admirable understanding of the world of musical pensée, from the eighteenth
century until today.”
Czech Republic
SAN FRANCISCO “These
were dazzling performances and an exercise in thought-provoking programming.”
20th Century Music
BRNO “Susan Landale is a master of the king of
instruments ... the whole concert was like a heady French aperitif, difficult
to relinquish such a glass!”
Vladimir Čech
HEIDELBERG “(In
Saint-Saëns’ 3rd Symphony) she fulfilled her role as the composer
intended, less as a soloist than fully integrating the organ into the
orchestra. This she did with a fine
sense of nuance and registration and a remarkable feeling for the orchestral
ensemble.”
Rhein-Neckar Zeitung
CHEMNITZ (Handel
Concertos Op. 4 and 7) “This was
crystal-clear musicianship and a genuine correspondence with the orchestra.”
Freie Press
KAMIEN-POMORSKY “Huge
applause bore witness to the rapture which her performance awakened in the
audience.”
Glos Szcezecinksi
ST. ALBANS
“Opening her
recital with an impressive performance of Bach’s famous St. Anne’s Prelude and Fugue in E flat, her impeccable rhythmic
control and clarity of line in this richly texture and highly complex work was
an example to us all.”
St. Albans Observer
“SPLENDOUR IN THE CATHEDRAL … With Franck’s Third Choral she came into her own … it
was as compelling a performance as I have heard.”
The Independent
RECORDING REVIEWS
Cesar Franck: The Organ Works (Calliope 9941-2)
“From one end to other, the Trois Pièces and the Trois Chorals are
a true splendour. Here, where Franck’s
language attains its climax, this recording deserves to be taken as a
reference.”
Diapason, Paris
“The fervent balance which animates
this complete recording, allies force and humanity, lyricism and dramatic fire,
elevation and emotion, inexhaustible energy and moderation, generous simplicity
and dizzying mastery of all its components.”
Le Monde de la Musique, Paris
“Music which can often look leaden
on the page is here given a wonderful sense of spontaneity, communicating a true
sense of freedom and flexibility that Franck himself is known to have
favoured.”
BBC Music Magazine Direct
“Landale brings an exquisite poise
and lyrical sensitivity.”
American Record Guide
“Her performances are to the manner
born; her experience of French organs and music shine through in her marvelous control of form and her command of rhythm.”
The Organists’ Review, London
“[Susan Landale’s]
marvelous control of form and her command of rhythm …
Her sense of timing – in music that is so often oratorical – is
immaculate.”
The Organists’ Review
“… throughout, Landale effects a
compelling balance of virtuoso vivacity and expressive eloquence – suffused
with buoyancy and rhythmic vibrance – immediately
riveting yet continually revealing, which is to say that this is a set to live
with and return to with renewing pleasure.”
Adrian Corleonis, Fanfare
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy : The Six Organ Sonatas (op. 65) (Calliope
9751)
“…(Susan Landale) confides to us that she grew up with
Mendelssohn’s music and delivers it to us with her heart. Her soul rejoins that of Mendelssohn, in a unique inspiration
and a perfect mastery of the text.”
Frédéric Munoz, Musique Classique
“….here
Susan Landale is extremely at ease, associating virtuosity and depth, giving the works
the focus and colour which they
sometimes lack. A
reading which is a reference.”
France Catholique
“… no other version renders such justice to the elegance of the six sonatas, to the mastery of their counterpoint, the construction of their melody, but where the rhythmical rigour, never becomes arid. With flawless energy backed up by an effortless technique … she offers us here a reference recording.”
Paul de Louit, Diapason
“… the magic (of this recording) is due very much to the real tonal coherence of the instruments, to an aesthetic which is truly romantic, where foundation chorus is rich and profound, without aggressiveness. A recording which in its personality transcends many interpretations on romantic and post-romantic organs.”
David Loison,
Classica