DANIEL SZASZ, violin
Selected Press Excerpts
"Szasz could easily hold his own with the finest violinists on the solo circuit. He was in rare form, rendering clean, crisp articulations, furious cascades of scales and a consistently rich sound."
The Birmingham News, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
"Daniel Szasz, a musician of substance, with a charming personality. played masterfully, with much sensitivity, leading powerfully the musical discourse in its continuous dialogue with the orchestra. the climaxes were impressive, and the relaxed moments were full of light and peaceful."
Tribuna, Sibiu, Romania
"In Vivaldi's Seasons, the soloist (Szasz) demonstrated his knowledge of the Baroque performance style. His interpretation of the slow movements and the precision of his technique were truly remarkable."
Adevarul de Cluj, Cluj, Romania
"In Barber's violin concerto, Daniel Szasz's playing was virtuous and virtuosic. A combination one encounters all too rarely among concerto soloists."
The Birmingham News
"The exquisite solo playing by concertmaster Daniel Szasz most eloquently attested to what makes the Fifth Symphony (Vaugh-Williams) so beautifully fragile and vulnerable."
The Birmingham News"
"William Bolcom's minor-key "Graceful Ghost" of 1970 revealed a side of Szasz's playing few ASO audiences hear. Slow, tender and nostalgic with a hint of the blues, this was an engaging, thoughtful performance with lyrical gestures that drove to the heart of all music, not just ragtime."
The Birmingham News
"In Finzi's Violin Concerto, violinist Daniel Szasz ...showcased his considerable virtuosity in the outer movements, performing with touching nostalgia and wistful longing in the slow movement."
The Birmingham News
"Several solos from concertmaster Daniel Szasz were breathtaking."
The Birmingham News
"The playing of Daniel Szasz was strong, confident and expressive, and at the end it was very close to seamless."
The Chautauqua Daily, Chautauqua, New York
"The broad, expansive finale was performed like a long, eloquent conversation with whispers, arguments, and shouts. Szasz brilliantly projected the work's (Smetana Trio Op. 15) Slavic temperament as the trio advanced toward its blazing conclusion."
The Birmingham News
"The finale (of Babadjanian's Trio in F sharp minor) was a rhythmic roller coaster ride, Szasz and Liu harmonizing in double-stops, Kasman's infectious playing transmitting energy. ... With world-class performances such as this, it is worth a reminder that these musicians live in the Birmingham area. Then again, filling a hall with chamber music on a weeknight speaks volume."
The Birmingham News
"Szasz's robust, urgent and incisive playing soared through the angst of the second movement (of Franck's Sonata for Violin and Piano), the dark clouds of the third and the gently rocking canon of the the finale."
The Birmingham News
"Szasz's cleared-tone warmth and assertive playing dominated the performance (of Mozart's Piano and Violin Concerto K. 315f), but particularly so in the first and third movement cadenzas. Rhythmic hesitations at the beginning of the phrases and judiciously placed accents were especially alluring. Voicu, who is Szasz's wife, responded with perfectly matched phrasing and digitally precise technique."
The Birmingham News