Gillian
Weir
Press Notices and Recording Reviews
“The contribution made to the world of the organ by Dame Gillian Weir
is almost incalculable. Our instrument
has hardly had such a skilled ambassador in modern times.”
Music
Web International
“There is only one Dame Gillian Weir. She is without peer in her ability to do everything right, and make it all sound so effortless, spontaneous, and joyful.”
The American Organist, 2004
“Gillian Weir’s performance [as concerto soloist at the Royal Festival hall] was a marvel of technical and sonic brilliance”
The Daily Telegraph,
“Organist Gillian Weir is becoming a living legend. She never gives less than her dazzling best.”
“Dame Gillian Weir [gave] a thrilling account of Poulenc’s Organ Concerto. It was a marvelous performance.”
The Independent (
“Dame Gillian Weir was wonderful”.
The Financial Times (
“Gillian Weir, the queen of the organ console”
“The Times” (
“…remarkable and almost visionary powers of interpretation”.
Choir and Organ
“Dame Gillian’s super-human virtuosity was sustained throughout the evening”.
The Organ (Re-opening of
organ of the Usher Hall,
“Staggeringly brilliant performance”
“Weir plays the organ with the lightning articulation and grace of a concert pianist”.
The Scotsman
"Gillian Weir starts where good players usually finish."
Organists Review
"Weir's inexhaustibly electrical intensity revealed the music's spiritual grandeur. There was genius here, not only in her playing, but even in the composition and arrangement of the program."
The Musical Times
"Far and away the
most musical and entertaining organ recital since the Hall (Alice Tully Hall)
was opened."
The New York Times
"Miss Weir made clear her right to stand with the world's great organists...one of the genuine musical revelations of the year."
The
“She has a wonderful ear for registration, timbre and texture; unerring fingers and feet; and an almost theatrical sense of musical character.”
The
“Weir spanned the centuries in a program that showed off her mastery of widely varying aspects of the organ repertory, a flawless technique, and a sure grasp of the possibilities of tonal color.”
"....her penetrating performance of the Pentecost Mass (Messiaen) was so authentic that it did not sound like Weir's interpretation of Messiaen. It sounded like Messiaen."
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
“…Dame Gillian combined her intimate knowledge of the Beckerath’s vast coloristic
resources with absolute command of tone, line and touch, and a sense of timing
and expressive contrast worthy of her homeland’s leading Shakespearian actors.”
“Dame Gillian Weir
is to organists what Ansel Adams is to photographers
— on a plane somewhere above the rest at the top of the field.”
“[Gillian Weir]
climbed from height to height, tossing boulders of difficulty about as though
they were no more than grains of sand…Astonishing mastery of a large instrument
in a short time and with plenty of technique and style to burn.”
The Courier Journal,
“Gillian Weir…provided us with an evocative performance of this monumental work (Messiaen’s Meditations sur le mystère de la Sainte Trinitie), playing with absolute artistic conviction.”
"Thoroughly poised, thoroughly prepared, sensitive to ensemble and balance, Gillian Weir's performance was nothing short of brilliant."
The American Organist
“…she demonstrated an unerring sense of how to build phrases into large structures and point out the climaxes along the way….an evening of elegant music making on a high plane.”
The American Organist
(
“Among festival highlights this week was Gillian Weir’s ample demonstration of her consummate technical skill on the instrument as well as her ability to harness its striking dramatic power.”
The
“Sovereign mastery – a true grande dame”
Köinische Rundschau (Philharmonie,
“Words are inadequate to do justice to this unique event”
“There are not enough superlatives to describe
the revelations offered in Gillian Weir’s recital”
Die Rheinpfalz (recital in Speyer Cathedral)
The Royal Festival Hall (Priory – PRCD 866)
“A classic recording; a truly great CD.”
Gramophone, July 2006 (Editor’s Choice) (Dec: Critic’s Choice)
“The sheer brilliance of Gillian Weir makes this an essential purchase. She delivers here a performance of extraordinary panache, control and musicality.”
Music Web
The Grand Organ of the
Royal Albert Hall (Priory
– PRCD 859)
This is a superlative
musical experience of heroic proportions.”
The American Organist
“A landmark recording with Weir and instrument in perfect partnership. Weir’s account of ‘Ad Nos’ is one of the most spectacular you’ll ever hear.”
Gramophone, July 2005 (Editor’s Choice)
Organ Master Series Vol 4
The Eighteen Chorales – J. S. Bach (Priory PRCD 800)
“The consummation of a world-class musician’s recorded legacy.”
BBC Music Magazine, 2005 (Instrumental Choice)
“Virtuoso playing from Weir delivers ecstary and serenity in equal measure. The scholarship and communicative skills of a great musician are together in perfect harmony.”
Gramophone, 2005
“If one were predisposed
to herald this recording, it would be understood. An eminent artist, a new
instrument patterned after a Bach-preferred organ of his time, the venue his
own parish church- what more could one wish? Yet it surpasses all. Dame Gillian
is a force to be reckoned with at the console. Every nuance, every sparkle,
every tone is there, right where it should be, all recorded knowledgeably by
Priory... this is mastery at work.”
The
American Organist, March 2006
“This pair of CDs is not to dip into, but rather
to play and enjoy, or play and study, or just play and wonder!”
Adrian Richards, Organists' Review,
February 2005
Organ Master Series Vol 3: Organ Works of
J.S. Bach (Priory - PRCD 153)
“156 Minutes of Organ Bliss as Dame Gillian Weir’s Acclaimed Bach Series Continues in Welcome Style: her playing really is beyond all praise. …
Gramophone
“The whole CD merits a ‘must-have’ label. The playing is unerringly musical … Dame Gillian Weir stands head and shoulders above most other organists; the sheer musicality is overwhelming.” (Editor’s Choice)
Organists’
Review
CRITIC’S CHOICE 2004
“There is no doubt that Dame Gillian Weir’s stunning third volume in her
‘Organ Master Series’ must be my choice for this year… Her Bach playing glows
and glistens and transcends mere adjectives.”
Malcolm Riley - Gramophone
“The doyenne of Bach organists”
Classic FM Magazine
“Two outstanding instruments played by a real master. Admirers of Gillian Weir’s Bach-playing will find here everything they could possibly ask for and more.”
International Record Review
“One often hears polite Bach-playing, decent Bach-playing, correct Bach-playing, but Weir reveals another level of musicianship altogether. The playing is powerful, individual, expressive and thought-through.”
BBC Music Magazine
“Dame Gillian is at the peak of her very considerable powers. Over and above the prodigious technical accomplishment, her compelling artistry – the quality of which is recognizable in every item, small or large – makes for a highly enriching experience, straight from the heart and second to none for those who seek JSB’s refreshment of the Spirit.”
Organists’ Review
“Impeccable
and rhythmically poised performances.”
Choir and Organ
“I have been hungry for a fine set of newly-recorded Bach performances. With Gillian Weir’s new recording, my hunger is gone… Weir’s is a wonderful performance – her rhythms are enchanting and her tenderness sublime. A major addition to the discography of Bach.”
Music Web
Organ Master Series Vol 1 and 2 (Priory - PRCD 751 & 752)
“The more I hear of this series, the more I find them to be a priceless store of treasures,bearing witness to one of the world’s finest players. A desert-island release, if there ever was one.”
BBC
Music Magazine
“A blazing start to Priory’s Organ Master Series - Gillian Weir plays with all her customary power and brilliance. Dame Gillian’s virtuoso playing vividly communicates itself to the listener.”
Gramophone
“Towering musicianship from
beginning to end”
BBC Music Magazine
“Gillian Weir is one of the great organ
virtuosos of our time, and these performances are of the highest order in
technical polish and expressive sensitivity.”
American Record Guide
“Savour
the supreme artistry of organ builder and organist.”
Gramophone
“Pieces, player, instrument and recording are all superb”
“CD Review” – BBC Radio
3
“Such is Dame Gillian’s outstanding musicianship that it’s easy to
imagine her as a singer, conductor or ballerina. More than any other player she
has the ability to make the organ dance and sing.”
Gramophone
“for the
brilliant programming and extraordinary musicianship of Dame Gillian Weir, this
is an essential purchase.”
The Organ
Organ Concertos (Linn CKD 178 & CKD 180 for SACD)
“The most blisteringly exciting Poulenc Organ Concerto on disc, possibly of all time”
ClassicsToday.com
“The performances of all three works are outstanding. The Poulenc
receives the best performance on disc I have ever heard. [Dame Gillian’s
account] admirably combines virtuosity with sensitivity, and there are moments
which are so exciting they make one catch one’s breath.”
International Record Review
“Well, it’s taken almost 40 years, but there’s now a replacement in the
catalogue for the classic
recording by Maurice Duruflé. Famed British organist Gillian Weir has teamed up
with the English Chamber Orchestra under David Hill to produce a performance
that will shake your windows and rattle your walls.”
The Bulletin (
“A gloriously
detailed and at times spell-binding performance.”
Gramophone
“A performance to savour.” (Editor’s Choice)
Organists’ Review
OTHER
REVIEWS
"This world-beating performer....there are aspects of performance here that the majority of organists might dream of, but never attain."
Hi-Fi News
“As always, Weir’s playing is bursting with character”
Choir & Organ
"Gillian Weir gives performances of tremendous conviction. Sheer confidence and immaculate rhythmic control are the attributes."
"Rarely has the sound of the baroque organ been captured on disc so vividly yet so engagingly on the ear. Few records of baroque organ music can be recommended so enthusiastically as this."
"It would be hard to praise this playing too highly; its vitality and subtle variety bring fresh pleasures at every hearing."
"Breathtakingly virtuosic.”
Hi-Fidelity
"Eloquent warmth, effortless ease....clearly a labor of love.”
Gramophone
“Gillian Weir dazzles the ear. This repertoire could hardly be played
more masterfully”
Penguin Record Guide 2003
"It would be difficult to find a more apt combination of expertise than is offered on this disc....The performance is superb."
Hi-Fi News (Best of the Month)
"Such is the versatility of this brilliant player that she can bring equal conviction to the French baroque repertoire and to the latest monumental offering by Messiaen."
"Only a handful of organists in the world could unravel [the Dupré symphony's] complexities with the assurance of Miss Weir, whose pedal work is dazzling."
The Gramophone