63, Cambridge Street • London • SW1V 4PS
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7976 5041 • email: info@tashmina.co.uk
Daniel Tong
Piano
- A Spell Binding Account - Daniel Tong, St John’s, Smith Square
- Bob Briggs, Dec 10 - MusicWeb International
Schubert: Moments Musicaux, D780 (1823/1828) (Nos. 1, 4 and 6) Piano Sonata in A, D959 (1828)
"This lunchtime, St John’s was an oasis of calm, set in the middle of the student protest at the rise in tuition fees which the House of Commons was due to vote on, just round the corner, later in the day. But Schubert wove his magical spell and all was forgotten as Tong delivered a spell binding account of the penultimate Sonata of the Austrian master. After a brief, but forceful, call to arms, Tong settled into the first movement, bringing out the inherent melancholy of the music, with lyricism to the fore, and a good sense of the progress of the music. His vision was clear and his purpose well delineated. What impressed was that the climax was a logical part of the whole, not a peak to be reached and overdone. The slow movement was in the same mode, melancholic and withdrawn, beautifully shaded and understated. This was a fine interpretation. The scherzo brought some light relief, and some very light playing to match it. Tong seemed able to make the piano speak whilst hardly touching the keys. The finale starts with a theme which is reminiscent of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and as Tong touched the keyboard to start, the sun came out and lit up the room. But this isn’t a big joyous finale, for there are problems and at the end Schubert breaks his theme into segments and destroys any hopes of a happy ending. Tong withheld any chance of a joyous conclusion as he defiantly hammered out the final chords. This was a fine performance, distressing in its agonised loneliness. Splendid.
The three pieces from the Moments Musicaux, D780 brought a mood of expectation to the hall, these small pieces proving to be the perfect aperitif to the main course. Without them the emotion of the Sonata would have been unbearable."
- Schumann Liederkreis - Sonimage
- Nigel Simeone, May 2011 - International Record Review
“The Liederkreis, Op. 24 is sung by Ivan Ludlow with Daniel Tong at the piano. Ludlow has a beautiful bass-baritone voice and excellent diction. He sings these songs with intelligence and a fine sense of drama, well matched by Tong…”
- If you're after an all Bridge disc ... all in excellent performances, then look no further
- Andrew McGregor, 13/8/11 - BBC Radio 3 CD Review
BAX: Piano Quintet in G minor; BRIDGE: Piano Quintet in D minor - Ashley Wass (piano)/The Tippett Quartet Naxos 8.572474
BRIDGE: Piano Quintet in D minor; Three Sketches; Phantasie in F minor for string quartet; Pensiero; Allegro appassionato (H82); Sonata for Violin & Piano; Spring Song - London Bridge Ensemble Dutton Epoch CDLX 7254
"two pretty excellent recordings"
"[LBE] emphasise the links with Faure's French Romanticism""The way they keep the work flowing through that mysterious middle section and the lovely lyricism of some of the playing make this a persuasive alternative..."
"a fine performance"
"if you're after an all Bridge disc ... all in excellent performances, then look no further"
- Heinz Holliger in Profile: Souvenirs and Fairytales
- Ken Carter - MusicWeb International, March 11Curator: Christoph Richter - at King's Place, London, 23rd March 2011
Background note from agency: As part of this concert, Christoph Richter and Daniel Tong performed Schumann’s Five Pieces in Folk Style, Op. 102
“In contrast, the five Pieces in Folk Style were played in the same room as oneself, as it were. The difference was thrilling and warming. Daniel Tong's piano was a presence by one's side. The sounds were immediate; the playing was robust; the phrasing was marked. In the right sense, the playing was dramatic. Suddenly, into the room came the striking presence(s) of Florestan and Eusebius. The emotional contrast, rightly, constituted the shape of each piece: its emotion was its form. Reciprocally, Christoph Richter's cello played in partnership with the mellow passion and rich hints of depth that characterise his instrument. This was the culmination as well as, as it happened, the end of the evening.”
- Frank Bridge has been well served by this disc
- Jonathan Woolf - Fanfare, Mar/Apr 2011"Violinist Benjamin Nabarro plays [the violin sonata] with considerable authority and pianist Daniel Tong negotiates every difficulty with absolute control”
- Burnished Eloquence as well as a Robust Humour
- Richard Whitehouse - Classical Source, April 11Heinz Holliger In Profile - Kings Place, London, 23-26 March 2011Curator: Christoph Richter“Rounding off this first evening was Schumann’s Fünf Stücke im Volkston (1849) for cello and piano, perhaps the most varied and certainly the best balanced of his sets of miniatures, given here with a burnished eloquence as well as a robust humour by Richter and Daniel Tong.The second evening, Darkness and Infinity, accordingly investigated deeper as well as darker musical waters. Following the Berio-like rhythmic genuflection of Holliger’s Trema (1981) for solo violin, incisively played by Cantoreggi, the mellifluous ease of Clara Schumann’s Drei Romanzen (1853) for violin and piano was the more pronounced – elegantly rendered by Cooke and Tong, and a reminder of a compositional talent which scarcely allowed itself to flower further”
- A Classy Showing by Ensemble's Pianist, Daniel Tong
- Andrew Achenbach, Dec 10 - Gramophone
"Another generous Bridge Helping from this sensitive and stylish outfit"
"the poetry, flexibility and ardour displayed by these gifted players held me captive from first note to last"
"don’t hesitate for a moment - and fingers crossed for more Bridge from this exemplary team!"
"in all four pieces, Daniel Tong tenders immaculate support. The ensemble’s pianist also makes a classy showing in the Three Sketches (1906), his generous rubato in “rosemary” both apposite and disarming"
Text of full review here
"Frank Bridge Violin Sonata and Piano Quintet" Dutton Epoch label CDLX 7254
- IRR Reviews London Bridge Ensemble's Latest Release
- Richard Whitehouse, Oct 10 - International Record Review
“The London Bridge Ensemble’s follow up to its previous disc (reviewed in May 2008) duly extends its coverage of Frank Bridge’s chamber music over his first phase of creativity …..This phase is largely encapsulated by the piano quintet…..… Especially notable is the insight this ensemble instils into the emotionally inward transitions either side of the opening movement’s tempestuous development, as well as those between which Bridge has adeptly embedded the Scherzo within the slow movement - after which the finale combines passions with refined eloquence on its way to a heady conclusion. A fine performance…."
“Spacious and realistic sound, with informative notes by [Paul] Hindmarsh, enhance another recommendable release from this fine ensemble.""Frank Bridge Violin Sonata and Piano Quintet" Dutton Epoch label CDLX 7254
- Daniel Tong Turns these Little Lovelies with Real Sensitivity
- Rob Barnett Sept 10 - MusicWeb International
"The disc has been assembled with a practised eye to variety and to listening to the disc all through. Michael Ponder's engineering brings the listener front-seat close to the players. The blood-rushing triumphant romance of the [Frank Bridge] Piano Quintet is magnificently put across by London Bridge Ensemble.........
................After such torrid emotions and tumultuous striving the [Frank Bridge] Three Sketches are charming, shapely and familiar miniatures with a hint of what we later associate with the manner of Mayerl, Chopin and Godowsky. Daniel Tong turns these little lovelies with real sensitivity. "
Full review available here
- Frank Bridge Songs and Chamber Music, Dutton Epoch
- Gramophone"Tong, whose cultured pianism affords unqualified pleasure throughout"
- Derby Chamber Music: Alec Frank-Gemmill, Florence Cooke, Daniel Tong
- The Derby Telegraph, 10/3/10
"Lennox Berkeley's Trio got a beautifully turned performance combining muscularity and elegance, passion and thoughtfulness, with the concluding set of variations sharply characterised"
"Florence Cooke and Daniel Tong played Beethoven's A minor Violin Sonata Op 12 no 2. They brought a fine sense of playfulness to the first movement and quiet dignity to the sombre recesses of the second"
Jeremy Thurlow's horn trio Orion, receiving its second performance....... A very impressive piece"
"Brahms's Horn Trio is one of his most deeply personal, and the players dug deep into its many expressive layers. ....their power and drive in the second and fourth movements offset their profoundly searching treatment of the third movement's sorrow and introspection"
- Alec Frank-Gemmill (French Horn) and Daniel Tong (piano) - Feb 2010
- Ben Ridler
"There was the added pleasure on this occasion of hearing, as one rarely does, the French horn as the featured solo instrument"
"the result was an imaginative and varied evening of contrasting colours and moods"
"Daniel Tong’s finely calibrated performance of Beethoven’s Sonata in F sharp Op.78... added depth and range to the programme"
- A Most Memorable Recital
- Robert Matthew-Walker - Musical Opinion"an astonishingly successful occasion, in which Jennifer Pike was partnered by Daniel Tong.""Elgar's Sonata received a deeply musical performance was both musicians' total grasp of this fine yet demanding composition. A most memorable recital."
- A Natural-born Stylist....Uncommon Panache, Fluidity and Spontaneity
- Douglas Cooksey - Classical Source"For once one really had the sense that both players were so in tune and responsive to each other that they were able to play together with a rare sense of freedom.""What was rather remarkable – whether in the elliptical and elusive Debussy sonata, or the almost nightclub-like accompaniment to the fourth of Prokofiev’s Melodies, or the richly-voiced Brahms – was the way in which Daniel Tong succeeded unobtrusively and with the minimum of fuss in finding the individual tone of voice for each of these very different pieces. A natural-born stylist.""...playing with uncommon panache, fluidity and spontaneity; they achieved a smouldering volatile intensity entirely appropriate, the piece’s rapid swings of mood and tempo caught on the wing. Edge-of-seat stuff and totally convincing.""Tong’s accompaniment was particularly remarkable here: full-toned, rich, fluid but never heavy or hectoring, an object lesson in how to find the right tone of voice in this music."
- Not the Notes which Count, but the Way You Play Them
- The Evening Standard"It's not the notes which count, but the way you play them. Tong displayed a versatile touch. Sally Beamish's Piano Sonata had golden clusters in the lento and a roaring bass in the presto"
- Much Musicality to Offer....He Will Go Far
- David Allenby - Musical Opinion"Daniel Tong was relaxed yet involved, and contributed the greater part of the atmosphere to each of the performances. Particularly impressive was his handling of the Janáček, where the busy textures and pungent ostinati needed careful balancing with the violin. There was much thought given to the internal weighting of chords, such as in the Adagio of the Brahms Sonata, and to the characterisation of groups of material in the Lutoslawski which created a febrile tension to the performance as a whole.""This is an accompanist who has much musicality to offer, without hogging the show. He will go far."