Reviews
Concert Reviews
Financial Times, Europe
“Stephen Marchionda was impeccably musical and wonderfully deft with Maw’s intricate writing in the Six Interiors and again later in the solo Music of Memory.”
The Independent – London
“ Stephen Marchionda gave the performance of the evening in Music of Memory. Beautifully varied in texture, a sense of transformation, putting a musical idea before your ears, taking it through various adventures and, when it returns, making you hear it anew in the light of experience.”
The Times, First Night Reviews
“ Sensitively dispatched by Stephen Marchionda. Stamped as much with romantic ardour as intellectual rigour.”
Washington Post
“Stephen Marchionda’s versatile talents – full of artistry and confidence”
Read more…
BBC Music Review
“Risks are worth taking when you can rely on such virtuoso talent as Stephen Marchionda”
Read more…
Soundboard Magazine, (Weill Recital / Carnegie Hall performance, Aranjuez Series)
“Imbued with depth and passion Marchionda played engagingly, a sense of drama…soft yet penetrating notes conveyed the deep melancholy of the moment…”
Read more…
BBC Radio 3, England
“Performed with a sans souci elegance…it is so rare that one hears a performance with such subtle and refined musicianship.”
Stephen Daw, Birmingham Post and Mail, England
“Sublime eloquence of a virtuoso…eloquent performance…breathtakingly sensitive and contolled…was authoritative and it’s serious demands on concentration, sheer technique and effective timing were all matched perfectly.”
Read more…
What’s on in London Magazine
“…his playing has a spiritual character that suits the music perfectly. Beautiful. For a taste of outstanding classical guitar played by a virtuoso of the instrument, don’t miss Stephen Marchionda.”
Julian Bream
“A strong spirited performer.”
John W. Dossett Davis, Oxford Times
“Definate highlight of the evening was the American guitarist Stephen Marchionda’s performance of the Vivaldi ‘Concerto in D Major’…the Largo played with deep pathos and lanquid tenderness, a deeply moving, memorable rendeing.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer
“…Marchionda embraces the Spanish idiom like a born native…flying scale passages graced with ease and style…thundering chords spoken in his native tongue, a true virtuoso.”
The Statesman, New Mexico
“An extraordinary performer, unforgettable.”
Read more…
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) Serenata Reviews
www.sa-cd.net
Performance:5 stars
Sonics (S/MC): 5 stars
“Marchionda brings a formidable scholarship to bear on his desire to blend the expressive, colouristic playing of the past with the modern technique, flair and imagination”
Read more…
Audiophile Audition
**** – four stars
“Marchionda possesses superb technique and a wide range of colors in his instrumental palate”
Read more…
WQED Radio, Pittsburgh
CD of the week
Cat-musica Barcelona, Spain
CD of the week
www.classical.net
“This is a truly splendid disc, where everything is in its proper place. Performances have a beguiling delicacy that brings out all the ravishing nuances of these works”.
Read more…
Diverdi – Spain
“Albéniz suena grande y serio en la lectura de Marchionda. MDG sigue siendo garantía de calidad”
Read more…
Ouverture Das Klassik-Blog – Germany
“Interpretation durch Marchionda ist brillant”
Read more…
Péché de Classique – France
“L’interprétation á la fois fougueuse et sensible de Marchionda nous séduit”
Read more…
Diario de Sevilla – Spain
“Tras un CD de transcripciones scarlattianas, el guitarrista estadounidense-italiano Stephen Marchionda se acerca a Albéniz con un programa muy popular pues incluye España. Seis hojas de álbum y piezas sueltas tan célebres como Asturias, Sevilla, Mallorca o Torre Bermeja. La guitarra es indisociable de la figura del compositor catalán, y aquí Marchionda ha transcrito él mismo la música tratando de ser lo más fiel posible al original pianístico, lo que se traduce en una densidad de las texturas que el guitarrista resuelve con fino estilismo.”
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) Sonatas Reviews
sa-cd.net
“A totally desirable disc for any collection, magnificent. A deeply touching pathos, with lighter-lined interludes, with a sound that is warm and wide-ranging.”
Read more…
Scherzo Magazine (Spain)
“The splendid guitarist Marchionda shows courage enough to tackle such an undertaking and comes gracefully through from the challenge.”
Read more…
Gramophone Magazine
“Marchionda’s arrangements of these sonatas are impressively idiomatic.”
Read more…
Fanfare Magazine
“This glorious recording takes me back to some of the best days in my musical memory. The excellence of the music, the mastery of the playing, and the outstanding SACD audio engineering together come as close as I can remember to some live recitals I’ve heard in Madrid or Barcelona.”
Read more…
CLASS Aktuell (Germany)
“with the highly virtuosic and colourful playing of Stephen Marchionda, we discover a totally different side to these wonderful works which, mostly, have not been recorded on the guitar before.”
Read more…
SA-CD.net
“This is an extraordinary recording on many levels. Stephen Marchionda is a new name to me, and what a wonderful discovery! He possesses amazing technique that effortlessly allows him to play very technically challenging music without calling attention to it .”
Read more…
Sunday Baroque, Radio Holiday Gift List
“Guitarist Stephen Marchionda, once a student of guitarist Julian Bream, has won several international guitar prizes. He gives a highly satisfying and virtuosic performance of his own arrangements of several of Domenico Scarlatti’s less well-known Keyboard Sonatas”
Suzanne Bona
Bill O’Connell
Choice CD of the Month, WCLV Radio Cleveland, Ohio
“A wonderful and astounding musician!”
Songs for Tenor and Guitar (Britten, Maw and Dowland) with Philip Langridge
BBC Music Magazine July 2005 – Editor’s Choice
“Five stars – This is rather special: Marchionda is a compelling soloist. The performances are outstanding.”
Gramophone – Critic’s Choice
“Impeccable artistry and eloquence – Stephen Marchionda is always convincing.”
International Record Review
“Stephen Marchionda is on top form, he delights in the twisting moods and technical challenges – no mean achievement.”
The Metropolitan Opera Guild News
“It’s hard to imagine better performances. Marchionda is playful, attentive and he shines in the two extended musings.”
Music-Web International
“I love the symmetry of this disc, and how beautifully it has been programmed. Langridge and Marchionda give an amazing performance. An outstanding disc!”
All Music Guide
“Stephen Marchionda’s guitar playing is crisp, warm, and virtuosic.”
The Complete Variations and Preludes by Manuel Maria Ponce – Sanctuary / ASV
American Record Guide
“Stephen Marchionda turns in vibrant performances…cohesive and highly charged.”
DeutschlandRadio Magazine, Berlin
“With this recording Stephen Marchionda mantains his reputation as one of the best American masters of the guitar.”
Classical Guitar Magazine, England
“…let’s just say that you’ll have to go a long way to hear anyone perform as convincingly as Marchionda…A wide dynamic range and exceptionally bright and resonant timbre…”
Gramophone
“Regarded as a monumental work for guitar it taxes the performer’s skills of interpretation and technical prowess and certainly Marchionda gives a fine account of the piece…a range of moods and emotions from joy, melancholy, humour and playfulness are transmitted through Marchionda’s playing.”