Reviews
From Vera Breheda's CD featuring composers Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel and Bartok
"Breheda's first movement of Chopin's Piano Sonata No.3 may be a bit short on the rhythmic freedom and tonal nuance that some prefer to hear in the composer's music, but not for Breheda is the sickly, some might say, effete Chopin .Her Chopin is having a fit of pique. Her reading of the movement is one of the angrier and more turbulent I've heard, reminding me of Martha Argerich's feral 1990 Deutsche Grammophon version, but a bit more controlled and tempered by Pollini's refinement in his 1986 Deutsche Grammophon account. Not,bad,I'd say, for Breheda to be compared to Argerich and Pollini"
--FanFare Magazine: Jerry Dubin
Ms. Breheda plays Brahms on this breathtaking CD of the short piano pieces, Op.76 and the magnificent Handel Variations. In op.76 listen to the beautifully phrased and molded contours of the Intermezzo in B-flat and the ebb and flow of the Cappriccio in C. This is playing that rewards repeated listening. There is no question about Breheda's ability to bring off this (Handel Variations) grand work. Her pedaling is secure and never blurs the music's textures. Adding this CD to your collection will enable you to enjoy her velvety pianism and all encompassing maturity of interpretation of this great composer.
---Becker--American Record Guide
“ Pianist reaches for the stars with her talent……”
GERMANY, Saarbruecker Zeitung
“ … a songful, affirmative rendition of the Beethoven Sonata in F sharp, Op.78, and an engaging account of Schumann’s “Davidsbundlertanze”…… She kept the texture light, and where the score asked for “good humor”, she gave it. She is one who seems totally engaged with the music she plays.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
“…a technically polished, and emotionally stirring interpretation of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4 in G Major. It was truly a magnificent performance.“
CONTRA COSTA INDEPENDENT
“… sensitivity and musical intelligence. “
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE