Reviews
Soloist Dick, who originally premiered the piece, handed himself not just intellectually but physically in a manner that reflects his personality – not showy but passionate, dramatic and at the same time as mellow as the gorgeous Steinway that is prepared to his specifications.
-- Gil French, American Record Guide
His interpretation (Beethoven’s Bagatelles Op. 126) emphasized the music’s profundities without neglecting its surface glitter. His "Appasionata" was intense, brilliant. The same balance of thoughtfulness and technical bravura was heard in his performance of Chopin’s Polonaise No. 5.
- - Joseph McLellan, The Washington Post
The sooner Mr. Dick returns to London the better; pianists of this caliber are rare on the South Bank or indeed anywhere else - an artist of such innate musical sensitivity and superlative pianistic skill, establishing an enviable and entirely understandable rapport with the audience.
-- Bryce Morrison, Music and Musicians, London
Many things about Dick's musical and pianistic persona proved reminiscent of his onetime mentor, Clifford Curzon, including a patrician civility and a lucid, beautiful sonority that never becomes harsh but is never bland. There is, too, an architectural proportion that gives even Lisztian bravura passages a sense of purpose and emotional containment... The wonderful C minor Schubert impromptu unfolded with succinct clarity and purpose, its gnashing dissonances potent and poignantly appreciated but never abrasively underlined or exaggerated... The compact, pianistically difficult Beethoven sonata (No.26 in E-flat, Op.81a, "Les Adieux") got a perceptive and cultivated treatment in a shapely, soberly energetic exposition... he gave us all his insights without artifice or clutter... As for Liszt, the work made a proud and serene impression.
-- Harris Goldsmith, American Record Guide (Alice Tully Hall, New York)
James Dick, to whom the work (Benjamin Lees Etudes for piano and orchestra) is dedicated, presents a stunning performance.
-- Walter Simmons,Fanfare
It is a rare privilege to collaborate with an artist whose vision and skill are equally matched by intense humanity. James Dick¹s music making is as pure and heartfelt as it comes. Not a single note is approached casually the entirety of the score is realized down to the smallest passing gesture, and we get the sense that he has absorbed the music directly from the composer. It was also an immense pleasure to perform with a soloist whose sensitivity extends throughout the orchestra, inviting each and every player to share in and learn from the performance.
Eric McIntyre
Music Director, Fort Dodge Area Symphony
Music Director, Central Iowa Symphony
Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Quintet in g/Gabriel Faure, Piano Quintet in d/ James Dick, piano; Eusia Quartet (RTR013) There is practically nothing to fault in this performance. Balance and ensemble are dead on; tempi are carefully chosen and fit the music like a glove. The string playing is warm and spacious and Mr. Dick piano shines in a glow of silvery elegance. This is some of the most cooperative chamber music playing that I have ever heard, totally devoid of needless show and pretense. It is what fine music making should be playing in service to the music for the purpose of edifying the listener.
-- Kevin Sutton,MusicWeb
Liszt's First Piano Concerto is a bit more familiar to concert-goers, but the Second is deeper, more personal and altogether more beautiful. The Second's meat is its introspective, lyrical poetry. Dick's thoughtful temperament, elegant touch and understated but firm rhetoric kept the emphasis where it belonged, and he was no slouch in the dazzlement department.
-- Mike Greenberg, San Antonio Express News
Dick joined Bussiki and the BVSO in a performance of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto that one could tell would be wondrous after only its first few measures. Dick’s playing of the opening chords radiated with warmth and devotion. Dick spun his special silvery sound into myriad colors and textures, but plenty of growl was there when it was needed to cut through the full orchestra. His brilliant double and triple trills made memorable decrescendos and ended right on target with Bussiki’s orchestral entries.
-- Penelope Kosztelnyik, The Eagle, College Station, Texas
There followed a graceful, finely spun performance of Mozart's G-major piano concerto, K. 453, featuring James Dick. He gave an unusually expressive, ruminative interpretation of the second movement. The final holds the bright little tune that Mozart's pet starling learned to whistle. Dick's reading of that theme and variations fairly danced with brisk, crystalline passagework.
-- Diane Windeler, San Antonio Express News
Shiva's Drum is the most stimulating new concerto in years. Paired with Welcher's concerto is the Saint-Saens Concerto No. 2 in g. The two works serve as an impressive showcase for the orchestra and pianist James Dick. Dick commissioned 'Shiva's Drum' and his playing seems to encompass all the dimensions of the music. Every composer should be blessed to have a new work performed at this level
-- Bradford Gowen, Piano & Keyboard Magazine
The playing of James Dick was of a caliber that one remembers as an experience of one's lifetime. It was generous and ebullient, with a dash of daredevil showmanship. He displayed his command and understanding of the subtleties of the piece (Tchaikovsky, concerto for piano and orchestra No. 1) and still gave the audience the rousing delivery that has made the composition one of classical music's greatest hits.
-- Abner Burnett, Midland Reporter-Telegram
The high point of the concert was the Lees. It is a brilliant piece. As its title would suggest, it is indeed a series of etudes for both the piano and the orchestra. The soloist, James Dick, gave the first performance of the work about 25 years ago with the Houston Symphony conducted by Lawrence Foster. My tape of that performance did not really prepare me for the impact the work has in concert. Every subtle shading of the work was clearly articulated by the soloist and conductor Robert Spano. It is a virtuoso of the first order. The excitement of the performance, the impact of the work, and an almost immediate standing ovation was further enlivened when the composer appeared on stage.
-- Professor Karl Miller, University of Texas at Austin
Dick is an affable and prodigious narrator of story. -- Antoine Livio, La Lettre du Musicien, Paris
It wasn't just that Dick's technical expertise and artistic savvy gave the solo element a demonstrative profile. His poetic soul infused even the most dramatic moments with a sensibility and inevitability that readily communicated.
-- Jay J. Foraker, Southside Reporter, San Antonio (Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with Robert Spano, conductor)
The performance was charming. Dick played with great care and exquisite musicianship.
-- Charles Ward, Houston Chronicle (Mozart Piano Concerto in A K.488 with Christopher Hogwood, conductor)
There was no lack of big juicy climaxes or powerful sonorities handled masterfully and in good taste in pianist James Dick's performance at the National Gallery.
-- Joan Reinthaler, The Washington Post
A magical musical moment... Pianist's performance of Chopin's 1st was perfection.
-- Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Democrat and Gazette