Andrew Armstrong, pianist
[…] his second movement was vividly shaped, with a patience and clarity that befit the beloved melody.
In the end, Armstrong’s racing fingers caught fire at just the right time, bringing the large audience to its feet for a thunderous ovation.-- Missoulian, 5/10/09 (Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2)
[…] Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 3 (played with rhythmic fluidity by Andrew Armstrong).
-- The Washington Post, 3/16/09
Andrew Armstrong joined the orchestra for Liszt's First Piano Concerto. Armstrong is a formidable pianist. He has technique to burn, an essential trait for a performer who takes on this famously difficult work. He has a big sound, also essential in this work, for the orchestra gives no quarter. --Tallahassee Democrat, 4/28/08 (Liszt Concerto No. 1)
Armstrong was full of expression and played with boldness in the spirit of Beethoven, who enjoyed putting some finishing touches on his compositions right up to their performances. Armstrong maintained the flow with the RSO, while paying special attention to dynamics and articulation, keeping the piece interesting rather than by the book. Thundering arpeggios slipped away to whispers, erupting with agitated bursts of energy. Even the slow movement contained flashes of brilliance amid the rhapsodic melody. Playing with pizazz and polish, it was a pleasure to hear Armstrong.
--The News-Times, 4/11/08 (Beethoven 3rd)
Armstrong approached the piece with the deeply refined technique he is known for as he articulated each intricate note. His touch on the keys was delicate and clear.
--Idaho Statesman, 3/19/08 (Beethoven 4th)
Armstrong created a furious blizzard up and down the keyboard with the variations. Make that a whiteout on the 88s toward the end when the intensity picked up just when it seemed it reached its limit. Before that, the soloist made the Rhapsody's most recognizable melody into a slow, emotional meditation. Whatever the pace, the young pianist's intensity was underlined fully by the orchestra.
--Connecticut Post, 12/9/07
Pianist Andrew Armstrong took George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" at supersonic speed with Stahl and the orchestra keeping pace. Armstrong's delivery of this American classic fusion of jazz and traditional piano concerto was a tour-de-force. It earned him a standing ovation.
--The Post and Courier (Charleston), November 20, 2006
"The climax of the program was pianist Andrew Armstrong's performance of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” This was a refreshing blockbuster performance of this piece as we rarely hear it. Armstrong has all the requisite virtuosity and soulful intensity that makes this work rip along with a true 'joy of music'... This was a performance that brought the audience to its feet in a roaring spontaneous ovation."
-- Peninsula Reviews, Lyn Bronson, September 24, 2005 on performance with
the Monterey (CA) Symphony Orchestra.
"Not only does Armstrong explain some of the history of the music in the notes, but he reveals his motivation and interpretive goals. His writing reflects his playing -- clear, colorful, and creative."; "...remarkable sense of tone color, original voice-leading, and transcendental technique. I have heard few pianists play [Rachmaninov's Second Piano Sonata], record or in concert, with such dazzling clarity and confidence."; "Armstrong goes to extremes to keep [Mussorgsky's] Pictures at an Exhibition moving forward, often avoiding the customary breaks between movements and moving tempos ahead with increasing urgency. Both works [Pictures at an Exhibition and Scriabin's Ninth Piano Sonata] are well suited to this fine pianist's sense of orchestral-like color. The Scriabin is by far my favorite performance here, and it is the best reason to own this recording. It is fast but clear, and it never becomes clangorous, as is often the case in the hands of lesser talents."
-- American Record Guide, Bradley Bolen, on Armstrong's CD, November/December 2004 issue.
"Mr. Arron, the dynamic violinist Colin Jacobsen and the elegant pianist Andrew Armstrong gave a buoyant and refined account of the work."
-- New York Times, Anthony Tommasini, February 19, 2005.
"Indeed, it was so polished and original that I thought the performance [of Brahms' F minor Piano Quintet with the American String Quartet] should be recorded. I was especially taken with Mr. Armstrong's command of the very demanding piano part in the first movement..."; "...this piece could not have been any more perfect. The scherzo was perhaps the most exciting interpretation of this movement I have ever heard, and certainly it was the high point of the evening's concert."; "The vigor and quality of each performer's work gave [it] a sense of inevitablitiy and authenticity... to which the audience responded in kind. No soul there came away from the performance unmoved or untouched."
-- East Hampton Star, October 14, 2004
"[Armstrong's] fast, feathery and fleeting fingers were perfect for the opening 'Three Burlesques, Op. 8', by Bela Bartok." ... "[Chopin's Noctrune op. 15, no. 2 in F-sharp Major] was exquisitely rendered... Several Preludes and the 'L'Isle Joyeuse,' by Debussy concluded the program's first half. Here the pianist displayed his wide range of dynamics and nuances, and seemed to be temperamentally at one with the composer's style. Whether thundering or caressing, Armstrong displayed an expansive and impressive array of pianistic skills. The 'L'Isle Joyeuse' was dazzling!"... "[Liszt's Vallee D'Obermann] presented no hurdles for this superb pianist. The piece de resistance for the day was the Rachmaninov Sonata. This pianist-composer has come to represent the ultimate and pinnacle in the tradition of piano playing. Armstrong is definitely within this 'tradition.' His performance of the sonata was lyrical, heroic when needed, large in scope, broadly sonorous..."... "This pianist is a consummate artist, tonalist, communicator..."
-- Danbury News-Times, September 24, 2004
"Lots of pianists play "Pictures at an Exhibition," but none seems to have studied it as deeply as Armstrong... There were things in Armstrong's performance that few have ever heard before."
-- Maine Sunday Telegram, June 27, 2004
"...the rich melodies were played with dazzling technique and musical clarity." (Schumann Piano Concerto)
-- Greenwich Citizen, Friday, April 9, 2004
"...Armstrong provided the sensational display of sparkle and dazzling pyrotechnics."
(St. Saens' 2nd Piano Concerto)
-- Kenosha News, March 3, 2004
"Star pianist offers expertise to students"
-- Kenosha News, February 14, 2004
"If one goes by his dazzling technique, striking stage presence and exciting performance with the Staten Island Symphony, we will probably be hearing a lot more about Armstrong in the future." (Mendelssohn G minor Piano Concerto)
-- Staten Island Advance, October 22, 2003
"Armstrong displayed incredible power as well as delicate sensitivity passing the melody from hand to hand, octave to octave, never interrupting the legato line. The technical prowess of Armstrong is so bold his timing and sense of drama so complete. The overall presentation of the piece was shaped not just phrase by phrase but as a whole. The nuances in dynamics seemed fresh and not over construed."
-- Greenwich Time, March 5, 2003
"[Armstrong] has the sort of technical discipline and even control that, in combination with sensitive attention to phrasing, articulation, and nuance, lend sparkling clarity to technically brilliant passages and imbue more lyric segments with expressive flexibility and depth of feeling. He also has the kind of stage presence that provides a significant dimension to a live musical performance -- with just enough showmanship to provide visual accommodation for what is happening in the music, but without the excessive gyrations that are more of a distraction than an aid to musical enjoyment. His performance Saturday evening was both dazzling and musically satisfying. The audience loved it." (Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto)
-- Ridgefield Press, April 18, 2002
"Pianist Andrew Armstrong impressed from the opening measures... Poised and confident, Armstrong played expressively with beautiful tone and a superior technique." (Beethoven 4th Piano Concerto)
-- Stewart News, March 3, 2002
"Armstrong was at one with the piano, a challenging feat with Maurice Ravel... Armstrong performed it like it was truth itself and received an ovation not only from the audience but the orchestra too, the players tapping their feet on the stage until the floor shook." (Ravel G Major Piano Concerto)
-- Key West Citizen, December 2, 2001
"Armstrong displayed insight and delicate control of where the music was going at every moment." (Martinu Double Concerto)
-- Greenwich Time, July 12, 2000