Virgil Thomson – Portraits and Other Works
(New World 80429-2)
“In all the pieces here, Jacquelyn Helin proves extremely sympathetic to Thomson’s music, catching its playfulness and its elegance. Simple music, perhaps, but music that benefits from such attention and care, as well as from Helin’s clean articulation and pleasing tone, abetted by the highly polished recording. This is a lovely disc.”
FANFARE
“It is a pity that Virgil Thomson is not around to hear the recordings that his works so richly deserved. Pianist Jacquelyn Helin’s ranks among the best of this posthumous crop….she scrupulously follows the composer’s score…and she plays with the restraint that Thomson admired. “
AMERICAN MUSIC, Summer 1995
“Meditatively diatonic and plainly contrapuntal on the surface, some subversive elements beneath…Jacquelyn Helin understands the ideal line of this music, which Thomson wanted as far from pretty as possible. As fascinating as the Mikrokosmos of a Bartok is this collection, but not as long.”
FONOFORUM REVIEWS
Virgil Thomson – Ballet and Film Scores as Arranged for Piano
(Musical Heritage Society 9458W)
“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.”
Virgil Thomson
“Helin does the composer 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.”
MUSICAL AMERICA, Opus Record Reviews
“Thomson’s spiky, foursquare music – plain as Dick’s hatband, to use a favorite Thomson phrase – translates admirably to piano, particularly when played with the strength, grace, and clarity Helin provides.”
THE OAKLAND TRIBUNE
“Jacquelyn Helin displays considerable pianistic virtuosity as well as affinity for and familiarity with the music. She plays with accuracy, excellent articulation, clarity, and judicious use of the pedal. As an interpreter of contemporary music, Ms. Helin has earned for herself a definite niche.”
THE TRIANGLE (National Journal of MU PHI EPSILON)
Virgil Thomson at 90
PBS Telecast
Jacquelyn Helin, Featured Performer
performed at IHM Chapel on August 29, 2020
recorded at IHM Chapel on April 7, 2019
Jacquelyn Helin 