Sandra Carlock

"Admirers of the music of Edward MacDowell...and of piano music of the late 19th-Century...have been waiting for years for a record such as this. ...this outstanding new SOMM release...will come as something of a revelation...{Sandra Carlock's} exceptional playing, allied to a fine recording made in London, is a disc that is very strongly recommended."

"Such music requires a specially committed pianist and it would be difficult to imagine a more glowing or ardent champion than Sandra Carlock."

"...breathtaking dexterity..."

Classical CD Of The Week Choice

"I cannot imagine finer or more convincing performances of this music than Carlock's - as an example, try the opening of the third movement in the Suite: her touch and sense of lyrical line is quite exceptional, and her sense of organic structure in the Sonata's finale is impressive... She delivers the very difficult Etude de Concert with consummate ease."

"Miss Carlock is a serious, creative pianist, displaying a dazzling technique and a thorough command of her instrument."

"Sandra Carlock has some impressive gifts as a pianist, including…a commanding tonal range….The three pieces from Debussy’s 'Images, Book I' were performed admirably; as well, in fact, as I ever have heard them played."

"Miss Carlock’s tone was gorgeous…her pianissimo playing was exquisite and controlled…and her runs thrilling."

"Her Chopin Ballade was characterized by a luminous tone and a blazing technique…. There she was with the Bach…plunging through its subtle intricacies with a driving sureness and style that made it seem as simple and logical as a C major scale. Even in Bach her precision had character that was fluid rather than steely and there was warmth and suppleness to her playing…. It has been a while since a young woman has made such a striking impression as this exceptional pianist."

"The melodic and dazzling Etude de Concert brings the disc to a triumphant end."

"Carlock terraces dynamics with acuity, the romantic trajectory is at all times keen and there’s plenty of space in her playing for the music to take its fullest, deepest measure. No less in the monumental finale with its heroism and death, where she proves a dynamic interpreter."

"the charming and ebullient 'Presto,': which Carlock executes with soaring accuracy (she’s even more glitteringly pin-sharp in the finale, a thrilling, fully-fledged 'Fugue.')"

"Sandra Carlock…proves herself a passionate and persuasive advocate for the composer, responding to all the musical challenges with a rare insight. MacDowell is not one of the great Romantic composers, but Carlock’s performance certainly turns him into a force to be reckoned with."

"With some concert musicians, you don’t notice their skills. They simply take you by the arm and lead you into their magic country. ‘This,’ they seem to say, ‘is where Beethoven (or whoever) lives and this is what he told me.’ Just such an artist is Miss Sandra Carlock."

"…Sandra Carlock commands a generous palette of keyboard colors, while SOMM’s recording captures the piano sounds…with realism and warmth."

"I hope this is the start of a MacDowell series from Sandra Carlock because she’s clearly a first class interpreter of his music. A thoroughly recommendable disc then in which everything sounds just right – recording, playing, and ethos."