Acclaim

Praise for David Jalbert’s recordings
Critiques de disques

Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas, Vol. I

The brief Sonata Op.1 in F Minor from 1907 went through numerous revisions and is very much steeped in the late-Romantic tradition. From the outset, Jalbert demonstrates keen understanding of this daunting repertoire tempered by a flawless technique.

While the first sonata has roots in the 19th century, the second from 1914 is clearly a product of the 20th, with its biting dissonance and angular melodies. Very much the music of a young composer finding his own voice, the work embodies a spirit of buoyant enthusiasm. The single-movement Sonata No.3 completed in 1917 contains a variety of contrasting moods all within a seven-minute timeframe.

Jalbert admits his partiality towards the Fourth Sonata, Op.29, also finished in 1917. Again, the work is a study in contrasts, from the restrained and darkly introspective first movement to the exuberant finale, which Jalbert performs with great panache.

An added bonus is the inclusion of four miniatures, the Marche, the Gavotte and the Prelude from the set Op.12 and the Suggestion diabolique from Op.4, which further enhance an already satisfying program. This is a stellar performance of engaging repertoire and we look forward to future additions in this series. The WholeNote

Le début d’une intégrale d’un corpus spécifique associé à un.e compositeur.trice est toujours excitant : il y a la promesse d’une nouvelle vision dudit corpus, et peut-être même de la découverte d’oeuvres auxquelles on porte moins attention en temps régulier, mais là, parce qu’un artiste que l’on admire s’y plonge, on plonge avec lui. J’espère que ce sera le cas ici, car je sais que David Jalbert a son lot d’admirateurs.trices (à raison, et j’en suis un!), et que les sonates pour piano de Prokofiev (9 au total), bien qu’un ensemble très important du piano du 20e siècle, demeurent encore des trésors cachés pour plusieurs. Une autre raison (la meilleure) de suivre David dans cette aventure, c’est que si ce premier volet est indicateur du reste, cette intégrale sera hautement satisfaisante…

David Jalbert est un pianiste élégant qui n’a pas peur de retirer les gants blancs, et on aime ça! Il sait également nuancer habilement les jaillissements sonores pour en faire ici des efflorescences tranquilles, là des éruptions volcaniques (comme dans la musculaire Suggestion diabolique, op 4 no 4, l’une des quatre pièces autonomes qui complètent de belle façon le programme). Bien entendu, Sviatoslav Richter demeure encore dominant dans ce répertoire, et Trifonov est une valeur sûre dans une version plus récente, mais il est certain que David Jalbert se taille ici une place heureuse. Il offre une voix canadienne qui saura résonner au-delà des frontières avec panache et conviction. PAN M 360

Haydn: Les Sept Dernières Paroles du Christ en Croix

…The piano version, however, has its own attractions if you have a soloist willing to treat tempos flexibly, and exploit the dynamic range of a modern instrument tastefully and strategically. David Jalbert is certainly one such. He doesn’t pound the ivories with the sort of percussive intensity that Ronald Brautigam’s fortepiano (BIS) offers by default, nor does he attempt to match John McCabe’s quasi-Brucknerian solemnity. Rather, Jalbert lets his instrument sing, reminding us that each movement begins with a musical setting of the actual “words” in question. This permits an extra degree of tenderness to “Ecce Mulier Filius tuus,” and a truly moving serenity to “In manus tuus, Domini, commendo Spirito meum.”

As for the final “Earthquake,” Jalbert supplements the printed text both there (and a bit elsewhere) very sensitively, to provide fuller textures and a more graphic response to the music’s expressive intentions. Warmly engineered, this very attractive release deserves consideration both for its own sake, and if you’re interested in the various iterations of this singular Haydn masterpiece. CLASSICS TODAY

Stravinski-Prokofiev: Pétrouchka, l’Oiseau de Feu, Roméo et Juliette

Jalbert proves extrovert and incisive… What colour and motoric momentum he brings to the ‘Danse infernale’, contrasting with his caressingly flexible treatment of the Berceuse. The finale’s opening tremolos are differentiated in regard to voicing and touch, helping to build the movement to an exultant climax… Better still are the 10 pieces that Prokofiev arranged from his ballet Romeo and Juliet. It’s ironic how Jalbert’s readings are so vividly and diversely detailed from a pianistic standpoint, yet one almost doesn’t notice the instrument. In ‘The Street Awakens’, for example, Jalbert’s minute gradations of touch in the detached phrases evoke an agile woodwind section, while his brisk, long-lined treatment of ‘The Arrival of the Guests’ is a real minuet, rather than the heavy-handed clog dance one often hears. By keeping the dashing scales of ‘The Young Juliet’ on an even keel, Jalbert allows you to hear the air between the rapid notes. The pianist underlines the final movement’s expressive points by judiciously contouring the music’s polyphony and using discreet rubato, thereby shaving off a minute or two from slower, more superficially emotive renditions. A worthwhile disc… GRAMOPHONE

David Jalbert already has five recordings in the ATMA catalogue. His newest is Stravinski-Prokofiev: Pétrouchka, L’oiseau de feu, Roméo et Juliette – Transcriptions pour piano. It shows why he’s considered one of the younger generation’s finest pianists. His performance of Danse russe from Pétrouchka explodes into being with astonishing speed and alacrity. Jalbert possesses a sweeping technique that exudes ease and persuasive conviction. WHOLENOTE

In place of a virtuosic thrill machine, Jalbert’s piano sounds like an expressive instrument… Jalbert is at his best here, evoking the mood of each piece with subtlety and warmth. FANFARE

Pianist David Jalbert tackles formidable Russian ballet piano transcriptions in his latest album from Montreal label ATMA Classique, delivering crisp and poised interpretations that somehow belie the lack of a full orchestra. The nearly hour-long album features transcriptions from Igor Stravinsky’s Petrouchka and Firebird, and Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. For sheer listening pleasure, the Prokofiev transcription is the place to go. Jalbert conveys all the sensuality of the music without ever wavering from its inherent forward momentum. There are many orchestral recordings available of this score, but lovers of piano music will appreciate how much Jalbert can accomplish with just two hands on the keyboard of the magnificent Hamburg Steinway at the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City. Guido Agosti took it upon himself in the 1930s to produce a little suite of music from The Firebird, made up of the Infernal Dance, Berceuse and Finale. It’s a rich, technically dazzling affair that Jalbert sets alight like a box of fireworks.The album opens with Three Movements from Petrouchka, created by Stravinsky with the help of pianist Arthur Rubinstein. We get the Danse Russe, Chez Petrouchka and the Shrovetide Fair sequences augmented by the Bear’s Dance arranged by Jalbert himself in a way that fits seamlessly with Stravinsky’s own work. On the whole, the album sparkles with virtuosity and impresses with the amount of musicality Jalbert brings to the task. Best of all, the pianist manages to capture the energy and excitement that Stravinsky’s music created in pre-World War I Paris. John Terauds, LUDWIG VAN TORONTO

Le Comble de la Distinction

Jalbert strikes a perfect balance. He is earthy without being aggressive, sentimental and sparkling without over-prettifying and thereby trivializing the music. He manages to capture the improvisatory feel that is said to have been a hallmark of Poulenc’s own piano style, essential in the Soirées de Nazelles. I especially like his bustling way with the first of the Mouvements perpetuels, and the tongue-in-cheek Chopin parody of the Fourth Nocturne. In the two Improvisations he is suitably raucous in the Hommage àSchubert (how could a homage to Schubert sound so French?) and emotionally direct in the Hommage àEdith Piaf. This disc brings us a thoughtful performing artist who is genuinely in sympathy with his chosen composers, and sound quality is first class. As far as I am concerned, David Jalbert can come back any time. Phillip Scott, FANFARE

David Jalbert puts on an impressive magic show in his latest solo album, which interweaves pieces by French composers Erik Satie and Francis Poulenc. This is music that needs a light touch coupled with an all-in, nothing-held-back attitude. It also needs assured technique and a very clear sense of phrasing. There is a lot going on under the polished surfaces, so in order to be tossed off with the ease and wit of good salon repartee, the interpreter pretty much needs to do quite a bit of sleight of hand and never, ever let a bead of perspiration show on his brow. Jalbert accomplishes all this, and more. The salon pieces on this album could easily be dismissed as fluff, but Jalbert’s interpretations are so clear and beguiling, that by the third listen, I was developing a love affair with some of the works, especially Poulenc’s eight Nocturnes, which close the album. There is a lot going on in this music, enough for the ear to find something new with each listen.(…) The biggest challenge for the interpreter is to find a balance between exuberance and good taste. The nostalgia can never be too deep; the humour should never be too broad; the technical feats never too daringly highlighted. At the same time, Poulenc’s music needs to sound like it’s being made up on the spot. Jalbert finds the ideal balance between extroversion and restraint. His musical gestures are finely shaded and nuanced, yet his playing sounds fresh and spontaneous. One of the highlights of controlled ebullience his rendition of Poulenc’s 1959 homage to Édith Piaf, in Improvisation No. 15. (…) There is much to love and admire here. This album is also a clear and compelling argument that there was worthy French piano music written after Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. It’s a great way to open up some musical horizons while also putting a smile on your face. As far as doing justice to Poulenc goes, this album fully lives up to its title. John Terauds, MUSICAL TORONTO

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), composer and pianist, was a man of many contradictions, perpetually vacillating between the sacred and profane. Paradoxically, this bipolar anxiety constitutes the very essence and charm of his music. His sometimes drastic stylistic mood swings are exemplified in Jalbert’s deeply affectionate performance of Poulenc’s Soirées de Nazelles that opens this album, a lengthy work for solo piano consisting of a series of 11 musical portraits of personalities he encountered while on vacation in central France. The music of Erik Satie (1866-1925) is interspersed throughout this album in a compelling dialogue with Poulenc’s. Poulenc himself greatly enjoyed the company of Satie in that composer’s twilight years, finding him “marvellously funny” and a fertile source of musical and spiritual inspiration. In fact, Poulenc’s public debut composition, the Rapsodie nègre of 1917, is dedicated to him. Jalbert’s hypnotic performance of Satie’s austere Trois Gymnopédies is followed by Poulenc’s three unusually focused Mouvements perpétuels. Poulenc the magpie is here too, in the form of two Improvisations honouring Schubert and Edith Piaf. The subsequent selections of Satie’s Valses distiguées… and Je te veux invoke the spirit of the cabaret that Poulenc also expressed so well. Poulenc the miniaturist returns to centre stage in the final selection, a masterly rendition of the kaleidoscopic Nocturnes composed over the course of 1929-1938. In an age of knuckle-busting keyboard technicians fixated on a single era, composer or concerto it is a great pleasure to encounter an artist of Jalbert’s stature for whom the piano is simply a transcendent means of human expression. Daniel Foley, WHOLENOTE

Quelle belle idée que cet album alliant les œuvres d’Erik Satie et de Francis Poulenc! Il en va de ce programme comme d’une évidence.  Les univers de ces deux incontournables de la musique française se complètent à merveille et semblent issus du même berceau. Une joyeuse liberté, un éclectisme, une désinvolture, une ironie parfois mordante, mais aussi une certaine mélancolie et un sens inné de la mélodie imprègnent leur musique respective. (…) David Jalbert joue les œuvres de Poulenc et de Satie avec finesse et justesse, sans détour ni maniérisme. Son jeu est clair, franc, naturel, et sert magnifiquement cette musique qui apparaît ainsi dans toute sa lumière. Le pianiste québécois ajoute ici un autre beau jalon à sa discographie et se montre un admirable interprète de la musique française. Frédéric Trudel, ICI MUSIQUE

Bach: Goldberg Variations

J’ai été, et je reste, renversé !
Je garde ce sentiment que l’artiste a décidé de jouer son va-tout, de tout donner comme s’il jouait pour la dernière fois, de se rendre au bout de son talent et de réussir à la face du monde son rite de passage.
Pour jouer les Goldberg comme il les joue, il faut être un maître. Jalbert, pendant 76 minutes et 54 secondes, me démontre qu’il a tout compris : la rhétorique du discours, la finesse des ornements, la gestion des voix, les gradations dynamiques, la variété des attaques et la palette des couleurs… Je répète : tout y est. Honnêtement, quand je souhaiterai écouter ce total chef-d’œuvre, c’est cet enregistrement miraculeux que je sortirai. Il respire la santé et reflète la plénitude qu’atteint ici ce pianiste. À compter d’aujourd’hui, il faut ajouter le nom de David Jalbert au panthéon de nos grands interprètes. George Nicholson, L’ACTUALITÉ

At last, a Goldberg Variations I can recommend with unbridled enthusiasm. Such has not been the case for recent versions I’ve reviewed, two or three of which sorely disappointed. If you happen to be looking for a new piano version of the piece, this is it, practically guaranteed. Not only does David Jalbert observe repeats, but to each repeat he adds the most imaginative and bewitching embellishments I believe I’ve ever heard. Celebrated harpsichordist and period-practice scholar Ralph Kirkpatrick might raise an eyebrow to Jalbert’s decorations, but they are so infectious and breathe such enlivenment into the music that once you’ve heard them you’ll never want to hear the piece again without them. […] Jalbert’s approach to Bach’s iconic score strikes me as being one that’s informed by a most careful consideration and painstaking study of the work to thoroughly absorb its contents and style, after which a comprehensive knowledge of the piece enables the pianist to give rein to his own expressive freedoms. Only the most profound understanding of Bach’s mental processes in composing the Goldberg Variations permits the kind of liberties Jalbert takes with his embellishments, which is why they sound so perfectly of a piece with the music. Beyond the embellishments is a performance of the work so alive, dynamic, invigorating, and emotionally fulfilling that if played this way by Goldberg for his insomniac patron it would have been sure to aggravate the Count’s condition rather than cure it. This is one Goldberg Variations that won’t put you to sleep, rest assured. Very strongly recommended. FANFARE

Today, Ottawa-based pianist David Jalbert joins the Goldberg fray in a performance so clear-headed, so meticulously balanced, that it deserves as much attention as either of Gould’s recordings. To put it simply, Jalbert does not edit the music before it reaches our ears. Rather, he chooses his tempo and dynamics, then presents all the voices equally with both hands, granting our ears the freedom to freely explore something new with each variation. This achievement grows more impressive the more carefully you listen. TORONTO.COM

Jalbert’s Goldbergs are marked by intelligence, careful playing and a good sense of counterpoint and of the architecture of the work. He manages to project an individual view of the music without being especially eccentric, and the results are broadly satisfying. The Aria that bookends the variations is suitably lyrical and the famous 25th Variation, the black pearl as it’s sometimes called, has a deeply personal feeling that will move most listeners. A few of Jalbert’s interpretive decisions in phrasing and dynamics may jar a little at first, but they make more sense on repeated hearings… it would make an interesting addition to any collection. OTTAWA CITIZEN

What puts new CDs in the top echelon of Goldberg recordings? I believe it is the quality of tone, effortless technique, virtuosic control and command of the contrapuntal lines, orchestrating the piano and the indecipherable quotient of magic.David Jalbert on the ATMA label certainly has the virtuoso technique and articulation to be in the elite few. The opening Aria was beautifully shaded and his control of quick passagework in succeeding variations was crisp and articulate. I enjoyed his smooth lines which created an extremely musical flow in spite of the many embellishments and busy counterpoint.His playing was always controlled, yet incisive without being metronomic. His sensitivity to the tempi for each variation made for engaged listening. Jalbert’s tonal quality is not as warm and sweet as Dinnerstein’s or Perahia’s but his command and power at the keyboard is unquestionable. I found his trills to be remarkably even and precise. What makes this recording work for me is that Jalbert discovered the thread that links each variation and he made the performance a cohesive masterpiece.
I would love to hear Jalbert record the Goldberg many years from now. I was mesmerized by his recording now but what an amazing performance he will give in the years to come. We are so lucky to have an artist like David Jalbert in Canada. WHOLENOTE

Saluons ce travail monacal, exigeant, qui demande une compréhension totale de l’oeuvre ainsi qu’une exécution presque métronomique. Combinant une intonation assez souple à un langage poétique servie par une très bonne prise de son, David Jalbert gagne habilement ce pari risqué. LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL

The polished pianism and serious musicianship characterizing David Jalbert’s recording of the Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues are also apparent throughout his performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Observing all repeats save for those in the Aria da capo, Jalbert generally favors brisk yet not overly fast tempos, and well differentiated articulation that is never exaggerated (no smoldering legatos, no pinprick staccatos)… There’s much to admire in the singing directness that Jalbert brings to the minor-key variations, not to mention his unflagging rythmic solidity in movements involving crossed hands in lieu of the harpsichord’s double keyboard. What is more, Jalbert’s subtle shifts in voicing and dynamics do not draw attention to themselves, and wear well over the course of repeated hearings. If Jalbert’s interpretation does not project that spark of individuality distinguishing our reference versions, is achievement still ranks far and beyond many of his better known digital-era piano Goldberg competitors. Atma provides marvelous, naturally resonant, and tonally alluring sonics. CLASSICS TODAY

John Adams/Philip Glass

-Le pianiste David Jalbert poursuit son exploration du 20e siècle: après un remarquable Fauré et un Chostakovitch parfait, il nous propose cette “musique à arrêter le temps”. Accessible, apaisante, éminemment urbaine et planante, c’est une musique aussi changeante qu’un ciel d’automne. Elle exige de celui qui l’interprète de l’imagination, une palette de couleurs, une sensibilité à fleur de peau, en plus de doigts d’acier. Jalbert triomphe dans les trois œuvres: technique étincelante, lectures pénétrantes. À écouter à doses massives pour retrouver son équilibre. L’ACTUALITÉ

An imaginative interpretation can transform a score, and Canadian pianist David Jalbert’s performance of John Adams’s seminal works for solo piano from 1977 – China Gates and the much longer Phrygian Gates – does just that. Jalbert finds textures that both dazzle and beguile, teasing out recondite melodies, shaping phrases that counteract the machinery of pulse, and dramatizing Adams’s subversion of minimalism’s next-to-sacred neutrality. Beauty gets its due with a virtuosic precision of touch: The chords in the second movement of Phrygian Gates are as subtly voiced as anything we’d ask for in Debussy, and some of the patterning seems almost too detailed for one pair of hands. THE GLOBE AND MAIL

– These silken fingers lend a golden glow to the minimalist stylings of two living American greats. Jalbert magisterially holds aloft the larger arc of Adams’ 1977 creations, Phrygian Gates and China Gates, which weave a mesmerizing stream of sound from repeated note patterns. A special treat is Paul Barnes’ 2001 piano-suite adaptation of Glass’s 1991 chamber opera, Orphée. This is new music at its most accessible, and most elegantly interpreted. TORONTO STAR

-Jalbert captures the rippling magic of the score in a performance of unusual delicacy and flexibility. Phrygian Gates lasts about 25 minutes and is a more complex piece, covering a more varied emotional terrain, and Jalbert conveys its shifting moods and colors with sensitivity and nuance. Jalbert shows real feeling for Glass’ aesthetic and plays with intensity and supple passion. The music itself and the refinement of the performance should dispel any stereotypical notion of Glass as a motoric and mechanical composer and are evidence of how achingly expressive he can be. These expert performances should delight fans of the two composers and fans of new piano music. ALLMUSIC.COM

Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues opus 87

-La discographie était dominée par la créatrice du cycle, Tatiana Nikolaeva (chez Melodiya). Le jeune pianiste canadien David Jalbert en donne une interprétation de toute beauté, unifiée par un lyrisme d’une densité étonnante. Sans doute moins structurée que celle de Nikolaeva ou rythmique que celle d’Ashkenazy, cette version prend place au sommet de la discographie de ce chef d’œuvre du 20e siècle. D’une calme impression d’improvisation poétique aux terribles mouvements de toccatas, Jalbert fascine par son contrôle du clavier. 10/10. CRESCENDO (Belgique)

-On pourrait trouver téméraire l’initiative de David Jalbert, après les géants russes mentionnés. Bien sûr, il y a chez Nikolaïeva et ses collègues une couleur sonore inimitable. Et pourtant, l’écoute attentive, avec la partition, révèle chez Jalbert une préparation extrêmement soignée et une affection profonde pour cette musique tour à tour abstraite et séduisante, grave et humoristique. Dans chaque prélude, Jalbert crée un climat nouveau. Dans les fugues, son jeu retrouve toute la clarté polyphonique souhaitée. En fait, par l’attaque et la caractérisation du son, il dessine les différentes voix fuguées: trois ou quatre la plupart du temps, et jusqu’à cinq dans un cas. LA PRESSE

-Jalbert y est excellent. Mettant à profit la richesse de sa pianistique, il nous permet de profiter de l’œuvre, ainsi que d’une des plus belles caractéristiques de son talent: une virtuosité transparente. LE SOLEIL

-When a pianist has to face a monumental work such as the “Préludes & Fugues” from Dmitri Shostakovich, one has to show patience and perseverance, since this two and a half hour composition has to be executed (somewhat) forcefully. The young Canadian pianist David Jalbert (who is only 29 years old) assumes this task with delicacy and concentration. Bach’s influence is noticeable in every note and still Jalbert succeeds in captivating the listener’s attention with an interpretation of Shostakovich that lives up to the expectations and that can hardly be surpassed in ibeauty and depth. If we do have to abstain from various extremes in Jalbert’s recording, it is because his playing is so impressively straightforward and simple that, as mentioned before, he gets along without expending to much effort and energy, but is always on the lookout for hidden beauty. Here we have a clear demonstration that less is often much more and that the interpreter has to step back behind the work itself, so as to unlock its skilful magnificence. And this is precisely the case here. PIZZICATO (Luxembourg)

Fauré: Complete Nocturnes

-Jalbert, with his extremely beautiful sound and wonderful composure, is after the subtle expressivity of this music. Pure beauty… FONO FORUM, GERMANY

-After being held in a 76-minute thrall by young Quebec pianist David Jalbert’s latest disc, there don’t seem to be enough adjectives to describe the beauty of this experience. So far in his short and increasingly brilliant career, Jalbert has demonstrated a Midas touch with compositions of all styles and from all eras. Here, his sensitivity, intelligence, prodigious technique and easy, lyrical manner appear to have been made for polishing these little gems and bringing out the widest possible spectrum of colourful sonorities. This is not fluff. It’s the stuff of life and soul. Once you listen to this disc, recorded last summer at Port Nelson United Church in Burlington, you’ll want to keep it spinning in your player indefinitely. TORONTO STAR

Corigliano and Rzewski: Ballads and Fantasies

-Jalbert’s piano playing is remarkable for its sweep, confidence, sensitivity, power, and color, what more can we ask? FANFARE

-I was overwhelmed by Jalbert’s performance of these monumentally difficult works. Totally musical and personal, he is a young master. JOHN CORIGLIANO

-David Jalbert sets stall out with a confident if provocative coupling of two American composers. An impressive offering. GRAMOPHONE