“Liszt in Arcadi’s Land
Volodos delivers a perfect Liszt CD, personal and deeply felt. […] his perfection is only put at the service of the music read which is reconstructed with a fidelity to the composer deprived of all razzle-dazzle showmanship. […] The pieces by the late Liszt are played with verve, simplicity and eloquence.”
DIAPASON d’OR
Alain Lompech, Diapason 5/07

"***** excellent" Fonoforum
"CD of the month" Rondo
" superb" AUDIO
 
Milan Recital 30 January, 2007
"The programme he chose for his Milanese debut reveals another aspect of his personality, not only the virtuoso, but also the interpreter is definitely out of the ordinary."
Corriere della Sera, 30 Jan. 2007
 
“To my ears, this is easily Arcadi Volodos's most successful disc so far. There has never been any doubt as to his technical ability or his musicianship, but previously in recitals and on recordings his performances have too often seemed over-calculated or ostentatiously virtuosic. Liszt, though, seems to produce a much more spontaneous reaction from him. The 10 items in this recital range widely - they include three numbers from the Années de Pèlerinage, one of the Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses, and three of the remarkable late pieces, the Bagatelle sans Tonalité, La Lugubre Gondola No 2, and En Rêve - and each of them is realised with such expressive warmth, tonal delicacy and textural clarity that one constantly longs to hear Volodos tackle the whole sets. His quiet playing is a marvel in itself; crystalline, effortlessly lucid, while the technical control in the more virtuoso passages, like the climax of the perfectly shaped Vallée d'Oberman, and the evocation of St Francis preaching to the birds, is hugely impressive.” Andrew Clements
The Guardian, Friday April 20, 2007
 
“Although there’s much more to Liszt than virtuoso fireworks, those fireworks matter. (…) Opening with the mighty “vallée d’Obermann”, Volodos declaims, scampers, blazes and muses is way through a well chosen selectionm ranging from the forward-gazing harmonies of the Bagatelle ohne Tonart to the cimbalom-fizz of the Hungarian Rhapsody No.13, and from the reflectibe Bach transcription “Weinen, Klagen…” to a near-manic account of Funérailles.”
(…)
BBC Magazine, April 2007
 
The cover shows Volodos dwarfed by his piano’s bulk. But there’s no doubt who’s the master. His technique and dynamic range are phenomenal. Climaxes can be ferocious, yet within seconds he’s whispering or, in the St Francis of Assisi portrait, stroking bird feather. This selection provides ample scope for scaling Everest; the only regret is that the mountain view is a bit chilly. What does Volodos feel as he plays? He’s not telling.
Geoff Brown
The Times, March 23, 2007
 
"The year's best disc: Arcadi Volodos and Seiji Ozawa, Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto (Sony Classical). Ditto, plus the unsurpassable Berlin Philharmonic."
-Boston Herald
 
"Volodos is breathtakingly athletic, and plays with a range of touch and articulation that is nearly unequaled in the current generation of pianists. However, he uses his gifts with more emotional conservatism - an approach seconded by conductor Ozawa. If you dislike Lang Lang, you'll love Volodos."
-The Philadelphia Inquirer
 (on Volodos' new recording of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1)
 
"...he's the next legend-to-be."
-Los Angeles Times
 
"...the 25 year old Russian mesmerized those in attendence with a jaw-dropping display that recalled the halcyon days of Vladimir Horowitz."
-Chicago Tribune (Volodos performance review)
 
"A genius, a phenomenon... a remarkably gifted musician..."
-San Diego Tribune October 98
 
"Like a flawless trapeze artist, he flies from scale to arpeggio to octave runs with the greatest of ease."
-New York Times October 98
 
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Arcadi Volodos' recording of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.3 was nominated for a 2001 Grammy Award as Best Instrumental Soloist (with Orchestra).
 
"Transcriptions": Gramophone Editor Choice 1997
 
"Live at Carnegie": Gramophone Award (best instrumental recording) 1999
 
Schubert: June 2002 Gramophone Editor's Choice 'Volodos turns to Schubert in a triumphant recording that will surprise and delight'