PRESS CLIPS
“All throughout she achieved a great range of expression, mastering both the lively and the reflective beautifully. Her technique is flawless. The audience gave Eliane Lust a well-deserved standing ovation…she is truly a consummate artist whose first language is music.”
LA DEPECHE Toulouse, France Music of Robert and Clara Schumann
“Pianist Eliane Lust began the program with a crisp, dynamic rendition of ‘Three Pieces for Piano’, by Jeffrey Miller (2007)…After intermission, Lust returned to play ‘Remembering Opus 109’ (1994) by the late John Thow…This piece is an introspective meditation…Eliane Lust played this brief reverie with just the right feeling for its melancholy beauty.”
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE San Francisco, California Music of Jeffrey Miller* & John Thow
(* World premiere)
“A wonderful and imaginatively-conceived CD, beautifully performed by Eliane Lust, that features two little-known but extraordinary tangos by Erwin Schulhoff and Dane Rudhyar. A true discovery.”
JONATHAN COTT, writer, Rolling Stone “Entangoed” CD Music of Elkjer, Schulhoff, Pender, Rzewski, Schimmel & Rudhyar
“…Eliane Lust is an elegant and thoughtful musician. Her program of 48 Preludes by three composers was a carefully considered and beautifully executed exposition of the emotional content of the music; not as a virtuoso demonstrating a pianist’s skill, but as an interpretive artist intent on revealing the subtleties of each composer’s art…Unlike too many pianists who execute these (Bach) Preludes as technical, albeit superb exercises, Lust presented the mood of each miniature…Next (Shostakovich), Lust drew an orchestral sound from the piano and skillfully called attention to the wit and humor in the music…With the full set of Chopin’s 24 Preludes, Lust was all Romantic sensitivity…elegance and sensitivity are the hallmark of Eliane Lust’s pianism…quite simply, perfection.”
INDEPENDENT COAST OBSERVER Gualala, California Music of Bach, Shostakovich & Chopin
“FASCINATING LUDES AND PRELUDES. Eliane Lust moves the audience, making them go through all the different states of the soul, and her playing — in true fidelity to the musical text — does not lack in fervor, tenderness or sensitivity. Color, ardent surges of vigor and great spirit also rendezvous in her work. From the tragic fourth (Chopin) Prelude to the brilliant and virtuosic eighth, to the melancholy twenty-first, or the famed fifteenth ‘Raindrop’, the audience is swept into the music. A true ‘Event’, applauded warmly by the public.”
LA PRESSE RIVIERA Villeneuve, Switzerland Music of Rzewski & Chopin
“Redwood City’s Universal Concert Series opened its season last weekend with the dynamic and expressive pianist Eliane Lust, a powerful, bold performer with a confident stage presence… Lust portrayed the music’s different moods and characters clearly and instantly, much like the way good actors change their moods as the script demands…she is a true artist who can convey the message of the music. She also has extraordinary technique and poise.”
SAN MATEO TIMES Redwood City, California Music of Chopin-Liszt, Liszt & Debussy
“…Eliane Lust, who seems to be able to transform the piano into liquid…the refinement metamorphosed into passion. Those present felt privileged to have been there the evening of these interpretations…”
NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR Paris, France Music of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Mozart, Ligeti, Prokoviev, Satie, Schubert & Webern
“LUST PROVIDES ENGROSSING RECITAL…Liszt and Lust produced a thundering collaboration in ‘Funerailles’…(she) rose to the demands of the work… After all that challenging resonance, the rippling beauty of Debussy’s difficult ‘L‘Isle Joyeuse’ which Lust clearly loves to play was a welcome change. Lust gave us a lovely afternoon.”
INDEPENDENT OBSERVER Gualala, California Music of Liszt, Debussy, Schubert
“ELIANE LUST, A ‘GRANDE DAME’ OF THE PIANO… The (program) choices of Chopin, Schumann and Beethoven permitted this gifted pianist to illustrate the extraordinary range of her talent…Eliane Lust is an interpreter of rare sensitivity and passion.”
LES NOUVELLES DE TAHITI Papeete, French Polynesia
Music of Beethoven, Chopin & Schumann
“San Francisco pianist Eliane Lust infuses these (Chopin) Preludes with dramatic immediacy, coaxing sounds seemingly from the depth of the instrument, and uncovers a spatial dimension by ajttention to tempo and internal melodies. Her ability to distill the essence of character makes her an ideal interpreter, not only for the thumbnail sketches of the Preludes but also for Schumann’s ‘Davidsbundlertänze’…”
EAST BAY EXPRESS: Critics Choice Oakland, California
Music of Beethoven, Chopin & Schumann
“A VOYAGE INTO THE SOULS OF THE GREAT COMPOSERS, with two magnificent concerts by pianist Eliane Lust… Just as great singers command our attention, watching her play, seeing those fingers overlap on the black and white keys makes our hearts beat faster…One can‘t help but be moved by the musical vibrancy of her being.”
LA DEPECHE Moorea, French Polynesia Music of Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann & Milhaud
“CONCERT CAPTIVATES CROWD…Lust was much like a stage actress in her very sensitive and moving performance…She was thoughtful, poised and extremely convincing as she spun this musical tale almost like she was speaking…it is easy to see why she has won so many accolades from so many. She is truly a storyteller with the piano as her voice.”
PACIFICA TRIBUNE Pacifica, California Music of Chopin & Schumann
“ELIANE LUST OR ‘LA JOIE DE VIVRE’ Not only does she express true zest for life but also for playing the piano… With her female Tintin face constantly illuminated by a striking smile, Eliane Lust is more Belgian than nature itself. She radiates happiness; one senses her well being, she‘s accessible, everybody‘s friend. It‘s a real pleasure to spend a moment in her company, to watch her laugh, joke around, mimic others; in one word, amuse herself. Her spontaneity and kindness relax the atmosphere…and most striking in her interpretations is her fidelity to the spirit of the composer…”
LES NOUVELLES DE TAHITI Papeete, French Polynesisa Music of Beethoven, Chopin, Milhaud, Mozart
“MENDELSSOHN SONGS A GREAT TREAT…Their diversity of mood and flavor especially as played by Eliane Lust…when we can appreciate the contrasts of tenderness and robustness, jollity and soberness, grace and spirit…Lust played with grace and understanding…she caressed the music and presented the nuances of each piece for our delectation…you could almost hear a contented Mendelssohn humming along… For encore, Lust thrilled…”
INDEPENDENT COAST OBSERVER Gualala, California Mendelssohn, the Complete Songs Without Words
“ELIANE LUST, SWEET PASSION..(she) is a physical pianist who seems to become part of the piano…Her face and body passionately express the emotions that take possession of her…she vibrates to the rhythm of the music. It‘s moving and fascinating. Such sensibility, such emotion, such love for music joined to an irreproachable technique. She expresses an entire palette of emotions, from gentle, tender and affectionate to savage and impatient – then angry – passing through joy and humor…without a doubt it‘s in this paroxysmal, passionate music that Lust
is at her best…this marvelous and fascinating young woman is a testament to the strength of the human spirit as well as to true passion for music.”
LES NOUVELLES DE TAHITI Papeete, French Polynesia Music of Beethoven, Chopin, Milhaud & Schumann
“MUSIC IS REALLY A PART OF HER…highly serious…her thoughtful accounts of Satie, Webern and Chopin…Lust’s fingers fly though Prokoviev, Bach and Ravel…there’s something oddly impressive, even courageous,about a performer investing so much to make us care.”
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE San Francisco, California Music of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Mozart, Ligeti, Prokoviev, Satie, Schubert & Webern
“Old First Concerts in San Francisco presented the excellent pianist, Eliane Lust…who was called upon to perform recitation through speech, some singing, and extra musical resources such as a small horn… Lust did a remarkable job of managing all the elements of speech, instrumental music and song…”
20TH CENTURY MUSIC San Francisco, California Music of Frederic Rzewski for a speaking pianist
“…Much flamboyant play with hands and arms, particularly
from Lust, not quite Harpo Marx, but fun and not the sort of thing you see much of these days from classical pianists.”
POINT REYES LIGHT Point Reyes, California Music of Saint Saens: Carnival of the Animals
“Lust played the first piece: ‘Fantasie in C minor, K. 475’. Dark tones begin this piece which leads down an unhurried path of thoughtful ripples and chapel truth. Lusts finger walked clearly through the Mozart relationships of tempo, ornamentation and trill, leaving her listeners in the portal of a dream.”
PACIFICA TRIBUNE Pacifica, California Music of Mozart
QUOTES
“…She is extremely sensitive and artistic. There is nothing routine about her playing: it is consistently dedicated, thought-out, and bearing a personal stamp. These days where ‘correctness’ is so easily overemphasized, it is refreshing to encounter someone who starts from there and looks beyond.
CLAUDE FRANK, concert pianist. Faculties: Yale University, Curtis Institute, Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood Institute
“…She is an unusually gifted, accomplished and committed musician. At Tanglewood, she proved to be a player of great strength and conviction, a first-class chamber musician, a person admired by both her peers and the faculty. She performed and studied music of many styles…and all with real distinction. In addition, Eliane is a person of great integrity and intelligence.”
GILBERT KALISH, concert pianist & chamber musician. Faculties: State University of NY at Stony Brook, Banff Centre for the Arts, Ravinia Institute, Tanglewood Institute, Music at Menlo
“Her playing was beautifully modeled, clear and respectful of notation…She has an unusual command of color as well as the ability to produce finely distinguished dynamic levels within a single chord. She is eager to please, respects the composition and explains her pianistic intuitions in a way that any composer would benefit from hearing…indeed, you could say that she edited the piece to make it stage worthy. I was moved and gratified…and have always been immensely rewarded.”
CHARLES SHERE, composer, writer, journalist, critic at KPFA Radio, Oakland Tribune. Faculty: Mills College
“…She completely stole the show by both stunning and touching the audience with her sensitive, eloquent, and quietly powerful performance. She played with a beauty of phrasing, restrained and powerful control, and a deep understanding of what she was doing—all of which communicated something quite powerful to the audience. …Eliane is a true artist, and a lovely person. She has something special to offer and I foresee a distinguished career as very likely. She has musical depth, integrity, technical assurance, commitment and empathy. And: She can always be counted on.”
JOHN HEISS, composer, musicologist, concert flutist. Faculty: New England Conservatory, Director: NEC Contemporary Music Ensemble
“…it was a delight to get to know your playing…Ludes and Preludes alike. (Rzewski & Chopin) Your playing has a wonderful vocal quality and — so rare — and an incredible color vocabulary.”
MICHAEL STEINBERG, musicologist, author, lecturer, chamber music coach. Consultant: Boston, San Francisco, St. Louis and Minnesota Symphony Orchestras
“A pianist of considerable artistic merit and high accomplishment. She plays with great beauty of sound and extreme musical sensitivity. I have heard her give marvelous performances, both as a soloist and as sonata partner and chamber musician. She is also a person of high intelligence and considerable charm.”
LAURENCE LESSER, concert cellist, teacher, arts administrator. Faculties: New England Conservatory (President Emeritus), Banff Centre for the Arts. Participant: Marlboro, Spoleto, Casals and Santa Fe Music Festivals
“Lust is a highly gifted and accomplished pianist with her own distinctive musical and tonal approach to the music she plays. Everything is done with love, warmth, intensity, excellent ears and command of the keyboard. Warmth and intensity also distinguish her as a person, helped by great intelligence and sense of humor.”
KONRAD WOLFF, pedagogue, pianist, author: “Schnabel’s Interpretation of Piano Music” and “Masters of the Keyboard”; contributor: Piano Quarterly, Journal of the American Liszt Society, Musical Quarterly