Krystian Zimerman

• Pianist

Reviews

Krystian Zimerman press reviews

“Those qualities all shone out of the recital’s highlight, the B flat minor sonata. It’s a psychological trainwreck of a piece, hinged around that much-abused Funeral March, but Zimerman built up to that point with stunning poise, striving for simplicity and line over effect and incident. When it came, that march rose out on a thread of sound as if from the grave itself, before pounding into horrifying life. Equally breathtaking was the Op 31 Scherzo in B flat — a miniature drama whose tangled thickets parted at Zimerman’s magic touch.” (The Times, February 2010)

“…but with the Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman nothing is everyday. These concert appearances of his are parcelled out sparely, like gifts of rare jewels (which indeed they resemble). Programmes are agonised over; so is the condition of his pianos. And the playing? Only the exceptional with Zimerman, of course; just as it has been since he took top prize as a 19-year-old at the 1975 Warsaw Chopin Competition. The Mozart here was amazing in its quiet clarity and poise.” (The Times, June 2005)

“Zimerman is… direct and invigorating; indeed his freshness of approach stimulates interest in pieces that may have become slightly dulled over the years. Zimerman's success here is that although one appreciates the technical magnificence that he has devoted to each Impromptu he has done so without diminishing the music's soul; indeed, I found them especially moving and stimulating. This is a magnificent release.” (International Record Review, October 2008)