THE WASHINGTON POST
Helin, playing music of tricky metrical complexity and striking textural variety, gave a virtuoso performance.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
…all the right flourishes.
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
An excellent pianist with a distinguished recital career, Jacquelyn Helin gave the local premiere in its piano solo form of “Music from the Ballet Suite of Lord Byron.” This was a choice piece in an evening of the choice Virgil Thomson.
THE LONDON TIMES
The Copland counterposed crashing dissonant chords with warmer, placatory phrases in a fine demonstration of shifting timbres. Beethoven’s Op. 110 Sonata in A-flat was equally distinguished: phrasing was stylish, melodic and harmonic outlines were always clear–not least in the final fugue–and a strong sense of purpose was confirmed in the closing pages.
THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN
A generous wash of sound…tightly focused rhythmic drive…absolutely first-rate.
THE SACRAMENTO BEE
a tone and talent so big that she should have been playing in Carnegie Hall, or maybe Yankee Stadium…Helin can easily evoke tones as shimmering as sequins…and her understanding of the music at hand is profound.
VIRGIL THOMSON
“Jacquelyn Helin is an excellent pianist who has played my music often and plays it well. She is an exceptionally gifted artist and an artist our country can be proud of.”
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL
One of the area’s most arresting pianists.
AARON COPLAND
“It was recently my pleasure to hear Jacquelyn Helin perform my Piano Sonata. Her interpretation was lucid and highly expressive of my complex work. Both her technique and grasp of the emotional content of the music are of top quality. I warmly recommend her performance.“
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL
Helin’s style possesses a notable sensitivity and subtlety.
THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN
…[Helin] played three preludes and fugues from the first book of J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier superbly: The interpretation was intensely personal, but the music lost none of its Olympian grandeur.
WAUKEGAN NEWS-SUN
Drama and excitement poured from the stage…which brought the audience to its feet in thunderous applause and shouts of bravo..a magnificent and moving performance.
JOAN TOWER
“A communicative pianist who performs contemporary music with particular authority and with a special sensitivity to a composition’s architecture.”
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS, GUAM
A simply rare and unequaled concert performance of the works of Schubert, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Debussy…a splendid performance of musical expertise and riveting interpretations of complex classical movements.
AARON COPLAND
“…one of the finest performances of that work [Sextet] that I have ever heard.”
THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN
Helin met the concerto’s demands neatly, from gossamer melodies and delicate chords to virtuoso passages and … full-voiced thundering. … She clearly thought her way through the work as well as playing it: That kind of approach is rare, and provides an artistic experience much fuller than any mere rattling-off of notes, however brilliant, can provide.
GEORGETOWN GAZETTE
A perfect day for a perfect performance in Georgetown [CA]…(which) brought a standing ovation from the audience.
HOBBS NEWS-SUN – HOBBS, NM
…a technically and musically outstanding performance….[Helin] is a performer who can clearly present her ideas through the piano and verbal demonstrations…. The lyrical second movement [of Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata] was captivating….Clair de Lune was so ethereal that one could hear the moonlight….Ms. Helin’s performance was greeted with an ovation which called for the encore, the Brahms Intermezzo in A Major. This recital was truly a highlight of this year’s season.
MUSICAL AMERICA, OPUS RECORD REVIEWS
Helin does the composer [Thomson] proud. She…commands an articulate touch that can shift from bell-like sparkle to bold resonance. Her crisp rhythms and crystalline textures match the music beautifully.
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REVIEW OF LONDON RECITALS
Jacquelyn Helin 