Press
Critical Acclaim
The Beethoven [‘Triple’ concerto] received a vigorous reading by the soloists ... Mr. Bronfman was the center of kinetic energy.”– New York Times 10.12.81
“This peaceful concerto [No. 22 in E flat, K. 482] hovers exactly midway between Mozart's two dark concerto masterpieces in minor keys, and even its sad Andante has a soothing softness about it. Mr. Bronfman rippled through the first movement with a buoyant, perhaps boyish, virtuosity. …The finale on the other hand was temperately and gracefully played with beautifully concerted accents between orchestra and soloist.– New York Times 8.11.82
“His performance of Beethoven's 32 Variations in C minor was poignant as well as forceful. Dryly pedaled and crisply articulated, the variations commented on one another, building in energy and intricacy.”– New York Times 4.2.83
“In Mozart’s ‘Coronation’ Concerto Mr. Bronfman’s broadening of phrases was so discreet that Mozartean decorum was rarely breached. He makes a lovely sound on the piano and makes us feel in a natural way where phrases begin and end.”– New York Times 8.22.92
“Yefim Bronfman contribut[ed] a thoroughly distinguished performance of Mozart’s Concerto No. 22 in E flat. Mr. Bronfman’s art seems to grow more subtle as the years go by; for the E-flat concerto, he produced a pearly tone, lucid articulation and characterful phrasing that put forward interpretive points at carefully spaced intervals. A few telling pauses here and there established an unusual and quite compelling melancholy temper beneath this work's generally sunny surface. The cadenzas, partly of his own devising, were mildly eccentric but not distractingly so, musing further on the inner wealth of deceptively simple figures.”– New York Times 7.14.94
“This recital was the first of three concerts Mr. Bronfman is devoting to Prokofiev and this season. The main Schumann work on Sunday was.'' Many pianists exaggerate the fantastical, unhinged side of Schumann, and it was refreshing to hear this great work [Schumann’s ‘Humoreske’] played with such scrupulous clarity and keen intelligence.”– New York Times 11.12.96
“Mr. Bronfman offered many pleasures with his clear-textured and lithe account of the Mozart Concerto [for Piano, No. 24 in C Minor]. He even included his own first movement cadenza, which shuns pianistic display in favor of intriguing contrapuntal weavings of Mozart's contrasting themes.” – New York Times 1.19.02
“The highlight of this fiery evening was Prokofiev's Sonata No. 7 in B flat (Op. 83) … an incendiary reading that recalled the level of energy that Horowitz used to bring to this piece. … Rachmaninoff's Seven Preludes … offered Mr. Bronfman opportunities for lyricism as well as forcefulness, and he made the most of them, opening the set with a gauzy, beautifully weighted No. 1 in F sharp minor, then pulling out all the stops for No. 2 in B flat major and tapping a reservoir of dramatic tension for No. 5 in G minor.” – New York Times 3.19.04
