REVIEWS
"Irish pianist Finghin Collins [...] returned for another exhilarating performance of a Mozart concerto, this time No. 19 in F Major, K. 459... He gave the music plenty of energy and drive but he also added multifaceted character through an exquisite tone that was fascinating for the color and variety of attacks and weight."
Charles Ward, Houston Chronicle, December 3rd 2002
"The five players were on an equal footing so that their individual contributions were enhanced by the unanimity of the group. Seldom can the strings have sounded so passionate, seldom can the piano have seemed so string-like in its effect. It was a special occasion..."
Douglas Sealy, The Irish Times, November 21st 2002
"But for me the highlight of the concert was the Janacek, with the points of tension in both movements prepared and projected with the utmost clarity.. . .The difficult balance between lyricism and turbulent foreboding in the 'Presentiment' was particularly well maintained, whilst the second movement was poignant, tragic but in no way funereal in its tempi."
Piano Circle, October 19th 2002
"...This was followed by two Rhapsodies (Op79) by Brahms that were memorable for technique that is second to none coupled with an exceptionally wide dynamic range."
Rathcol, Belfast Telegraph, October 14th 2002
"The public hit the bullseye with Finghin Collins right at the beginning of the season. Because as soloist in Mozart's final Piano Concerto KV595 the young Irish pianist produced a lightness of touch and a singing tone that are quite rare.... Magical playing...a real discovery...."
Monika Willer, Westfalenpost, September 5th 2002
"Mozart's final Piano Concerto...found a worthy interpretation in the hands of the highly-talented young Irish soloist Finghin Collins. In a well-balanced dialogue with the ensemble, Collins found an admirable style of interpretation with consciously-articulated thematic phrases. Finghin Collins is capable of a variety of nuances of touch in the gentle piano sound-world as well as brilliantly bubbling leggiero in the effervescent solo cadenza . . ."
Christoph Cloren, Westfalische Rundschau, September 5th 2002
"He is a sensitive player who does not seek to dominate the orchestra
but strives rather to make music with it, almost in a chamber music fashion.
In this performance, his restrained but crystal clear tone and very rhythmic
playing was absolutely right. In the slow movement . . both he and the orchestra
made the music really sing. Both Anissimov and Collins created a
lovely atmosphere in the Rondo and the piano part bubbled and bounced delightfully."
Declan Townsend, Irish Examiner, July 20th 2002
"The NYO under Alexander Anissimov . . . had been . . slightly more focussed in partnering Finghin Collins, whose account of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto had both nobility and poise."
Michael Dervan, The Irish Times, July 19th 2002
"We must not forget the splendid piano duet recital by Dearbhla and Finghin Collins at the Pavilion Theatre last Sunday week. They delivered impeccable and high spirited ensemble playing in Schubert, Ravel, Faure, Brahms and Bizet, every bar a joy. Schubert's great Fantasie was particularly moving, while the Bizet Children's Games produced some splendid fireworks. The acoustic in the theatre also proved excellent."
Ian Fox, The Sunday Tribune, June 2nd 2002
"We particularly loved....Collins's remarkable command of the great B flat Sonata D960, demonstrating a real maturity in the greatest of all the sonatas, a watershed performance for this young player."
Ian Fox, The Sunday Tribune, April 14th 2002
"His closing performance of the last sonata, in B flat, D960, presented what was probably the most sheerly beautiful playing of the three days.....his intricate and affectionate shaping of the Scherzo was utterly captivating."
Michael Dervan, The Irish Times, April 2002
"Dvorak's Quintet can sink under the weight of its own sweetness, but there was no danger of that with Finghin Collins at the piano. His vigorous and crisply articulated playing energised the whole ensemble so that the five players moved through the music with irresistible impetus, shedding mere carefulness and winning through to an assured richness of sound and feeling. There was no loss of accuracy, but instead a rare sense of exhilaration, of risks successfully taken."
Douglas Sealy, The Irish Times, March 5th 2002
