Rob Cowan, an important BBC radio 3 critic has chosen Dejan's Scarlatti/Bartók CD (from the 5!) as his best of the year 2008. On Dec. 20th he was playing extracts from these recordings on BBC.
" ... Lazic spurs on the work (Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto) and he rides it to glory, tearing through thickets of thirty-second notes, bolting over barrages of eight- and ten-note chords, and charging with reckless courage through the colossal coda to emerge victorious. Aided and abetted by the talented Kirill Petrenko and the stalwart London Philharmonic Orchestra, Lazic's Second surely deserves to enter the pantheon of great Seconds!"
"...And now along comes this rather expansive and luxuriant version (of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto) by Mr. Lazic, who has gotten good press on this site. I can t complain about anything he does; the pianism is crystalline and thoughtful, robust and sensitive when needed... The Moments Musicaux is studio bound and very nicely rendered.
There is a fine clarity to Lazic s playing that is refreshing and most apropos in this early set of pieces. He seems to know when to let up on the pedal and uses his fluent technique to put across the rather stormy nature of some of the runs without resorting to trickery and gimmicks. I enjoyed them very much."
"... It was 30-year-old guest pianist and native Croatian, Dejan Lazic, who stole the evening. I must describe his Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 as sensational almost transcendent, in fact. While Renes led his players through Beethoven s long, almost self-contained first-movement intro, Lazic waited patiently flexing his fingers over the keyboard to pounce. But he didn t pounce; he rolled three times up the C minor scale, not too loud, not too soft, every note in its place, every note audible. His blend with the orchestra was perfect, almost chamber-like.
Accompanying his beautiful articulation in every type of passage Beethoven offered shaped with perfect nuance was a display of balletic arm, hand and finger motion producing those timbres. He made the most difficult passages seem easy, the ease anticipated without his overplaying the orchestra. Lazic and Renes handling of the three movements, which, by the way, do not offer the composer s best concerto writing, reawakened this oft-performed warhorse for me. Plus, Lazic inserted his own cadenza to the first movement in a Lisztian-Busoni style, which added a Romantic element to an otherwise completely Classical concerto."
"Liaisons, Vol. 1" SCARLATTI & BARTOK: Dejan Lazić, piano *****:
Croatian pianist Dejan Lazić kicks off the first of a provocative series of recordings with a delicious concert of Scarlatti and Bartók. In its gentle way, especially in performances of the beautiful clarity and poetry, it reminds me of a conversation I once had with Peter Bartók, the composer's son, in which as a child he recalled falling asleep while his father played lullabies in an adjoining room.
The concept itself makes a lot of sense, not the least of which was that Scarlatti, a selection of whose sonatas were edited by the Hungarian composer for publication by Editio Musica in Budapest, often figured in Bartók's recitals.
Bartók's affinity for Scarlatti is not surprising. There is a similarity in their epigrammatic style that almost seems to link the groups of Scarlatti's Sonatas with the groups of Bartók's often folk music-derived Rondos, Sketches and Dances that they alternate with. The melodic material is considerably different, of course, but the composers' ability to distill essence and capture flavor is remarkably similar.
Or, as Lazić writes in his Outstanding liner notes, both authoritative and deeply personal, "On the one hand you have Scarlatti who, after moving to Spain in 1729, composed almost exclusively for harpsichord and integrated elements of Spanish folklore into his compositions in an experimental way; on the other hand Bartók, who boosted the recognition of the rich native Hungarian peasant songs to an independent folk art, and was also influenced by Arabic folk music."
The sound is exquisite in conventional stereo, and drop-dead gorgeous in SACD surround mode. Each of the Scarlatti sonatas provides a unique listening test for demonstrating your system, while the transcription of a seven-minute long Funeral March from Bartók's symphonic poem Kossuth, provides a profoundly exciting workout."
Liasons 1 - Scarlatti & Bartok
"This young Croation pianist was born in Zagreb but grew up in Salzburg where he studied at the Mozarteum. The interesting juxtaposition of composers is defended in his own notes, and rests primarily on their common interest in miniature forms and folk music. A second volume is planned, with a Schumann-Brahms program.
Lazic alternates Scarlatti Sonatas with Bartok selections such as Three Rondos on Slovak Folk tunes, Mikrokosmos, 'Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm', Seven Scetches, and the 'Funeral March' from the symphonic poem Kossuth as arranged by the composer
The big question is certainly not how well these two composers link up in alternation. Some listeners might enjoy Scarlatti and not to be happy about investing in Bartok. And the reverse is also true. But of greater concern is just how well the pianist has mastered his craft.
The Scarlatti answer comes very quickly. Lazic uses the pedal very apringly. His playing is crisp, clipped (but not too much so), beautifully nuanced, and not unlike Glenn Gould with a considerably warmer sound and without the vocal contributions. Of the 11 Sonatas selected, all but one are fairly rapid in tempo, and the Andante commodo of Sonata E, K 380, is freely played. He certainly has his own ideas about the piece.
Bartok's many brief movements are all delightfully done and represent the composer at his most accessible. The seven-minute excerpt from Kossuth is the longest sustained music and just one of several reflective pieces. The SACD sound is crystal clear but not too much in your face. After listening to this I will most certainly investigate the pianist's other recordings. Given his skill and imagination, I suspect I will not be disappointed."
"One of Dejan Lazić's main atributes would be his unusual and unique musical understanding, supported by delicate and crisp toucher and a stunning technique, which never stands in the way, or covers the depth of the last Sonata in B-flat major, D 960, which is to be considered equally precious for the piano world as the late Beethoven sonatas.
These qualities may explain Dejan Lazić's collaboration with various major orchestras, recitals in Europe's famous halls (such as Vienna Musikverein, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Berlin Konzerthaus, and London Royal Festival Hall), and tours in North and South America, Australia and Asia, as well as a rather big discography for "Channel Classics".
Dejan Lazić's interpretation and performing style cannot stop reminding us of the legendary pianist Ivo Pogorelich!"
"Often a last-minute replacement shines like a new star, and so it was with Croatian pianist Dejan Lazić. This gifted 29-year-old began with a romantic fantasy interpretation of Mozart's Fantasy in D minor and then the gloriously moody Sonata in B flat. Singing silently to the piano as he played, Lazić's hands often swooped down as fast and light as a bird of prey, catching extraordinary sounds from the keys. There was limpid clarity in his dynamics and warmth throughout."
"Young Croatian pianist Dejan Lazić has a distinctive affinity with Mozart, a lightness of touch and beautiful, jewel-like clarity that made much out of the drama in miniature of the D Minor Fantasy and still more out of the sunny three-movement B-flat major Sonata K333. Expressive colour and delicate imagery abounded too in Schumann's Waldszenen, Lazić playing on the contrasts between scenic miniatures."
"Mr Lazić makes some exquisite sense of Schubert's monumental B-flat Sonata. For liquidity and long line, it may not have its like since Lorin Hollander devastated me with his performance in 1970. At the least, Lazić reminded me of how wonderful this music is. The six pieces from D780 are rendered with the pearly and often scintillating tone Lazić packs in spades. Very impressive on all counts."