Reviews

?... [Olga Kern’s] her mental command of the music is impeccable ... she constantly demonstrated not just a firm grasp but deep insight into the possibilities of the music...
But there’s something else besides the technique, the intellect, and the more obvious emotion as well – something less easy to analyze but no less evident in a Kern performance. [...] You can’t buy it, you can’t teach it. But Kern’s got it. And we can be thankful that there is an Olga Kern [...] to carry the great tradition she represents into the future.?
--Wayne Lee Gay, D Magazine, April 2011

?...Speaking of muscular power, not to mention sheer pianistic dexterity, she gave an astonishing performance of Islamey, which used to be called the most difficult piece in the repertory for piano. Kern is definitely its master.
--Olin Chism, DFW Star Telegram, April 2011

?She ended her program with Balakirev’s Islamey, and this turned out to be the best rendition of this work I have ever heard, dead or alive! The legendary difficulties of this piece, which result in so many pianists huffing and puffing in an attempt to master its thorny challenges, sounded easy in Ms. Kern’s performance, and her winning way with the lovely slow section was totally beguiling.
—Lyn Bronson, Peninsula Reviews, 2010

Sheer talent does not come more transparently
--Bryce Morrison, The Gramophone

"Kern is adept at communicating the beauties of the lyrical slow movement of the concerto, and also shines in the virtuoso passages of the framing movements. Her spectacular Horowitz-like technical abilities in the Chopin may remind one of her strong playing of the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto or the Rachmaninoff transcriptions in her earlier albums."
-- Jon Sunier, Audiophile Audition, May 2006

"...the second [half of the program] revealed a young master, an artist to reckon with... Kern is a player of top-notch technique who carries forward the musical spirit of her nation...."
--Russell Platt, New York Newsday

"Kern’s rendition of Chopin revealed not only her technical abilities but also an innate musicality.?
--James C. Taylor, Los Angeles Times

"Her electricity at the keyboard is palpable, and though she generates from the music itself, as it flows through her fingers it takes on fresh voltage that is unmistakably hers."
--Ronald Broun, Washington Post

?Her Scriabin Ninth Sonata is a tapestry of unsettling rumination and stormy outburst, all magnificently managed. A warmly romantic approach brings a perfect mix of charm, whimsy, and poignancy to the Schubert Impromptu in B-flat major (D. 934, No.3) and real ecstasy to the Wagner/Liszt Liebestod.? --Scott Cantrell (reviewing recording), Dallas Morning News

?There were no cannons firing inside Symphony Hall, but Kern shot off plenty of rockets with her reading of Rachmaninoff's showy "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." Kern played like every note mattered, and she convinced this reviewer that she deserved every bit of her competition victory. Many players try to pound Rachmaninoff into submission. Kern played with fire, but she didn't try to burn the house down. Her Rachmaninoff had plenty of meaning, energy and articulation...a rising keyboard star.?
--Keith Powers, The Boston Herald

?...taste and cool fire. If Rachmaninoff's fabled third concerto is a tour de force, his Concerto No. 2 in C minor is a challenge of a different, more delicate sort, whose familiar contours demand a keen ear and facile hands to enliven. Kern invested unstrained care and measured passion...(demonstrating) the highly musical stuff that may well pave the way for a solid career.--Josef Woodward, Los Angeles Times

?From feather-light musical whispers to explosive instrumental fireworks, Kern’s rare gift is that of a serious and true musician, whose golden touch is never harsh and always controlled.
--Sabine Kortals, Boulder Daily Camera

?Here is a pianist with all the equipment to become a star: total control of all aspects of technique, an intelligent and musical approach to interpretation, the ability to find hidden lines in music, and an arresting stage presence.
--Joseph Youngblood, Palm Beach Daily News

?Olga Kern offered a superior program that left no doubts about her artistic mastery.
--Victor R. Castro, Escenario (San Juan, Puerto Rico)