Raphaella
SMITS |
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REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS |
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ENGLISH - NEDERLANDS - FRANCAIS - DEUTSCH - ESPAG�OL - ENGLISH "Classical guitar virtuoso Raphaella Smits feels right at home playing Argentine - or just any kind of - music." "This is indeed the playing which can take the guitar into the 21st
century. Thank you Ms. Smits." "Smits's performance is uncommonly penetrating, It's a triumph. This recital is
highly recommended, and I will be looking for more from Smits." "Smits plays with more heart than anybody should be allowed to have.
She has the technique, to be sure, but her musicality sublimates everything,
as the rubato pushes and pulls the tempo, and the melody just seems to
float from her fingertips. This is one of the best guitar discs I've heard
in a very long time." "Harmonie du Soir: This recording is a must-have of the period guitar; all period
instruments, superb playing, and ground-breaking repertoire of quality.
Raphaella Smits' playing is hypnotic, virtuosic and captivating." "It's all a question of style, really, and Raphaella Smits has plenty,
never once putting a finger wrong in that respect. Her approach is of
that refreshingly straightforward modern sort, which first of all looks
at the music to see what is there. Then, with her excellent musical imagination,
she inserts what is not." "There are other currently available recordings of the works by Sor, but none
that takes clear precedence over these by Raphaella Smits. Then sum total
of her attention to detail, sensitivity, controlled use of rubato, expressive
vibrato, purity of tone and crystal-clear delivery is one which is matched
by very few performances that are of the utmost refinement, character
and authority, and which are superbly recorded." "I'm not familiar with Raphaella Smits, but she's better than nearly every
woman in the guitar field. Her playing is very romantic and sonorous,
and she likes to take her time with things. She feels her way through
the pieces with a silky, smooth tone that I find preferable to other's
hard bite. While a few of her peers have the virtuosic edge, Smits could
show them a thing or two about lyricism and sentiment." "Miss Smits is an uncommonly musical guitarist : she has nimble
fingers, a prismatic sence of timbre, and a serene dignity that informs
all she plays." "Smits's flowing artistry stands at any given moment in the recital." "Raphaella Smits� playing is a delight." "Raphaella Smits is considered one of the world's premier performers of the 8-string
guitar." "I saw all of the masterclasses and Raphaella's sensitivity and
compassion for the students was unsurpassed.” "The most immediately striking aspect of Miss Smits's playing was the richness
of her tone, attributable in part to her guitar, which had eight strings
rather than the standard six. How that flexibility and resonance are managed,
of course, is the player's province, and Miss Smits invariably found ways
to let the instrument ring out fully without compromising to the transparency
of the music's textures." "Flemish guitarist Raphaella Smits, playing an 8 string John Gilbert guitar was,
quite simply, stunning - a revelation." "Raphaella Smits is not a common artist at all. Extremely deep in her interpretations,
she knows how to catch the essence of the works she offers to us �many times original scores." "Maestro Smits, you make the composers' thought clear and a pleasure to listen to!" |
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