Improvisational 1
review in Nordische Musik:

Niklas Sivelov muss sich
und seinem Publikum nicht
mehr beweisen, dass er ein
hervorragender Konzertpianist
ist – spatestens seit seiner
bestechenden Skriabin-
Aufnahme
ist das klar.
Hier jedoch wagt er sich auf
ein Terrain, das kaum einer
der klassischen Star-Pianisten
betritt: die Improvisation.
Als Grundlage nimmt Sivelov
Lieder des schwedischen
Vorzeige-Volkskomponisten
und Liedermachers
Carl Michael Bellman –
und schickt sie durch
die Sivelovsche Klang-Mangel.

Das Ergebnis klingt mal wie
wusteste Klassik, nach
spatromantischen Spieltechnik-Irrwitzigkeiten, Rachmaninow
zum Quadrat.
Dann wieder nach reinstem,
aufs Minimum reduzieren
Volkston.
Dann wieder nach Jazz,
rumpelnder Boogie auf der einen,
feinster
Blues auf der anderen.
All diese Stile schwingen und
fließen ineinander, und
irgendwann trennt
man sie auch beim Horen nicht
mehr: ist halt Klaviermusik,
ungeheuer gute, ganz egal,
wie man sie nun nennt.
Mal wieder ein Ohrenöffner von
Niklas Sivelov – wenn auch
ein ziemlich unerwarteter. (sep)

Delightful Star Concert
Aarhus Stiftstidende,
21 March 2009

After the interval came Beethoven.
Niklas Sivelov, the orchestra
and conductor Giancarlo Andretta
were on the same wavelength
from the beginning, and the further
they advanced, the more they
turned up for the music.
We got piano- and orchestral
playing of first class, powerful
and technically superior solo work,
sweeping cadenzas.
There was playing with a lot
of humour in the last movement.
With the finishing Bellman
inspired improvisation
by Sivelov where he
had invited both Debussy
and Keith Jarrett to join in the game
on the black-and-white keys,
we did not only get an encore
but it made the
whole concert delightful.
The sixth star is for the pianist.

Recital on Jylland, DK:
"Great Pianist"
Nordjyske Stiftstidene,

15 December 2008

What a pianist.
Here is an unquestionable
pianistic genius with a touch
which functions like a finely
controlled tool of precision,
which for Sivelov is not a goal
in itself, but a tool to shape the
music exactly as he wants it.
Following Scarlatti's clear
and pure sonatas, simple and
unaffected in expression and
character, was Beethoven's
very last sonata which features
the great contrast between
the two movements; in the first
the battle with the substance
and violent dynamic detonations
put opposite the second
movement's expansive
variations over one of the
most beautiful themes
in the history of music.
The sonata is a tremendous
challenge for all pianists,
but with Sivelov playing
the structure and the
extreme balance of sound
stood out with a crystal clarity.
And the elderly piano sounded like
an almost new Steinway - so much
can be accomplished by a
great pianist in control of
his touch.
Sivelov's own suite in three
movements 'In modo classico'
is composed with small twists,
crooked quotations
inlaid with irony in the
technical brilliant passages.
But it was Schumann's
great sonata in four movements
'Concert sans orchestre'
which won the evening.
That the restless
and thick texture was portrayed
with a clarity was no less than
a pianistic tour de force,
which was bewitching.
Sivelov's encore with own
variations over a Swedis folk song
were spellbinding and liberating,
like sun glittering over a
Swedish forest lake.

Regarding the piece Touché for
percussion ensemble:

"Colourful Touché "
Sydsvenska Dagbladet,
14 November 2008

In fencing the term touché
deals with contact and in this
case is was not physical only.
The colourful piece for
vibraphone (and other so
called mallet instruments)
was carried by dancing changes
and melodic whims.
Well calculated changes in tempo
gave the piece a character of
lightness, where good playing
andmusical flow gave us a
15 minute demonstration
of love of percussion
instruments -
the composer's and
the performers'.

Calrhakan Larsén

"Klaverets Renoir"

Klassisk musik

Niklas Sivelov,

Aalborg
Kammermusikforening

# # # # # #

Det Kongelige
Musikkonservatorium
nye klaverprofessor,
Niklas Sivelov, gæstede for
anden gang
inden for en maaned
landsdelen, denne gang i
Aalborg Kammermusikforenings
regi.

Ligesom ved Dorf-koncerten i
december var det Beethovens
opus 111 og Schumanns
"Concert sans Orchestra" opus 14,
der stod i centrum, samme pianist
og samme værker, men alligevel
blev denne koncert en helt
anderledes oplevelse.
Steinway-flyglet gav værkerne
en dybere og bredere klangbund,
som den levende efterklang i
Kunstens store udstillingssal
rundede af med en ekstra aura.

Ligesom i Dorf blev Schumanns
ungdomsværk den helt store
oplevelse.
Værket er tænkt som en solokoncert,
hvor pianisten på samme tid
fungerersom solisten og
det akkompagnerende orkester,
hvilket unægteligt stiller
store krav til udøveren.

Sivelov er i kraft af sin fabelagtige
teknik ikke blot i stand til at blotlægge
værkets strukturer, han gør det
også med et usvigeligt sikkert
musikalsk overskud og en
transparens i flygelklangen,
som forfører og betager.
De mange lag af melodiske linier,
rytmiske eruptioner og harmoniske
nuancer, alt bliver i Sivelovs hænder
sammenfattet og omdannet til en strøm
af klangfarver i konstant bevægelse,
som en Renoir, der maler
sine billeder i tiden og rummet.

I sin sidste tosatsede klaversonate
blotlagde Beethoven hele sin
musikalske verden, første satsens
stædige kamp med stoffet - i mol,
og den smukke og enkle variationssats
i dur, der gennemlever forskellige
stadier af væren, inden den klinger
ud i rent lys.
Beethoven viste her sin unikke
forståelse for flyglets særlige klang,
på trods af sin totale døvhed, og
det er klangen, der alene kan forløse
værket, sådan som
Sivelov gjorde det her.

Koncerten indledtes med tre
små præludier og fugaer fra Bachs "Wohltemperierte", og her stod
den syngende fuga i c-mol og
Cis-durens med sin dansante
elegance allersmukkest.

Sivelov gav som ekstranummer en improvisation over "Ach, Värmeland,
du sköna", denne gang helt anderledes
end i Dorf for en måned siden, en formfuldendt musikalsk pastel,
der blev til i øjeblikket.
Denne gang blev den dog fastholdt
af DR, der var på pletten med
mikrofonerne,så måske den kan
genhøres på dr.dk/P2koncerten
en af dagene
sammen med resten af koncerten.

Det være hermed varmt anbefalet.

Tore Mortensen



Regarding Niklas and
Morten Zeuthen´s Bach
recording
Optakt wrote:
Hans medspiller Angela Hewitt har
opbygget et stort renommé som
Bach-pianist, men hun er nu ikke
min favorit, og også her er hun
noget bleg og ukropslig.
I gambesonaterne har Bach
skrevet så abstrakt og
ikke-pianistisk at der ikke er
meget at brillere med
ved tangenterne, og Hewitts
venstrehånd står underligt svagt
i det virtuelle trio-spil.
Det klarer Niklas Sivelov bedre
som den mere pågående og
mest originale af de
to pianister .

 Improvisational 1:
"Absolutely stunning!
Very creative and beautifully crafted!
Recieved 4 G:s! (points)
Magnus Sjöberg-Groove Magazine

After the koncert with pianoquintets
at the culturehouse Dunkers,
Helsingborgs Dagblad wrote:
"Passionated and with a
lot of stringent disciplin.
Brilliant and with
intense dynamics!

Tommie Ling

Niklas is the new Professor
of Piano and head of
department at the
Royal Conservatory
of Copenhagen.


Listen to Improvisational:
Til fader Movitz,
under dess sjukdom
Listen to Concertos by Sivelov:
Concerto Classico
Concerto nr 2
Listen to new song:
Barcelona Blues
Listen to Twist and Shout,
live from Santa Fe Festival
Chen Halevi, Clarinet
Twist and Shout

------------------------------------------
Improvisational 1 :

Bellman in the piano
Try to imagine the combination of
Keith Jarrett, Mozart and Bellman
with Sivelov as Director..
This is how it sounds
Swinging and close to absolutely crazy.
Mikael Stromberg, Aftonbladet

...Sivelov invites us to a
fantastic musical journey.
It´s creative, jazzy,
beautiful, lively and melancholic..

Mikael Bengtsson , NV Sweden

"Lekfullt och spirituellt"
Dagens Skiva

Brilliant improvisation!
..a flow of fantastic creativity,
with all the dynamics of the piano,
from whispering to shouting,
between jazz and
classical rhytms,
exploring themes
and harmonies in a formidable way..

Johnny Olsson, NWT

Niklas Sivelov now brings back
an old and all forgotten -
or abandoned-classical
tradition; that of improvisation
at the virtuoso level.
This is hardly known these days,
but it used to be just par for the course.
Just think of pianists like
Emil von Sauer, Moriz Rosenthal,
Ignaz Friedman or Josef Hofmann.
Or Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt.
That is why Sivelov´s tremendous
ingenuity of the fleeting moment,
substantiated in these recordings
on Caprice, from inward graveness
to hilarious outbreaks of wit
and misschief, bring such
joy and inspiration.
Sonoloco-improvisational 1
Sonoloco 

Ett stycke gransoverskridande
musik av bästa slag, spridd
inom ett brett spektrum

Tommie Ling
Helsingborgs Dagblad

"Ofta släpper han loss den
smidiga muskulosa "vildkatten"
inom sig och rycker oss med i
ett intelligent varierat
och karismatiskt pianospel"

Trelleborgs Allehanda

"Så här har du aldrig hört
Bellman förut.
Niklas Sivelov har med
nya skivan " "Improvisational One"
tagit pianohistorien ett steg bakåt
för att komma två steg framåt"

City

"Hapnadsvackande
skickligt sammanfogat
och en paminnelse
om improvisationen som
livgivande ingridiens"

Dagens Nyheter

"Sivelovs Bellmanimprovisationer
är mäktig och tonrik musik"

Ostgota Correspondenten



Check out Niklas new sites on
myspace:
www.myspace.com/sivelov
www.myspace.com/niklassiveloff

--------------------------------------------

Excellent review of 
Vers la flamme
music of A. Skrjabin in the
magazine Klassisk ,
rewarded with 6 stars out of 6.
"Sensous piano playing with a lot of
rythmical verve"
Sivelov is one of the few
modern pianists that masters
this composer among with Volodos
and Hamelin"
Bo Holten


Excellent review also in the
webmagazine Nordische Musik ,
5 out fo 6 stars.
"Es ist eine Wohltat, Skrjabin so ehrlich,
so packend, ja so skandinavisch
zu hören-in diesem Sinne durchaus
eine Referenzaufnahme.

(sep)

More great press
 for "Vers la flamme":

4 points out of 5 in P2:s CD revyn,
Swedish Radio.

"Vi ska givetvis osa upp ur
regnbågen Skrjabin skapade
och som Niklas likt en
tvillingsjäl spände så det
glimknakade i hela strängfabriken"

Kjell Alinge Eldorado

"impressive performance"
Thomas Anderberg DN

Obegripligt..Kul!
"En underbart koncentrerad studie
i klang"
Mikael Stromberg Aftonbladet

"Skrjabin and Sivelov-två ess som möts"
Mikael Bengtsson
Norra Västerbotten

"Sivelov uppvisar glans och
imponerande mångsidighet i Skrjabins
mentala fyrverkeri"
Carl Hakan Larsén Sydsvenskan

"Sivelov creates a thrilling sense
of tumultin the second movement
(Sonata nr 2), his headlong tempo
and sparse pedalling allowing you
to hear all of Scriabin's
seething interplay of ideas"
Bryce Morrison Gramophone

Niklas is also 
Exclusive Steinway Artist,
one of few in Scandinavia .
Juhl-Sörensen 

-----------------------------------

Niklas piece Tres Danzas for
Tuba and Piano on the CD Danzas
recently recieved a fine review:
"The piece uses the rhythms and
melodic devices of
South American music,
hence the title, but they are filtered
through Sivelov's attractively
modernist personality.
The result is rather jazzy at times
but never lapses into pastiche"
Robert Hugill, Musicweb
Danzas

-----------------------------------

Upcoming concerts:
1. 15th of April
    Recital in the Lane Series
    Burlington USA
    music by Bach, Schumann,
    Chopin and Ginastera

2. 17th of April
    Recital in Cherry Valley, USA
    music by Bach, Schumann, 
    Chopin and Ginastera.

3.  25th of April
     Recital in Sthens Church 
     Helsingör, DK

4.   1st July
      Recital in the series "Pianoforte"
      at Tivoli DK.
      From Das Wohltemperierte klavier.

Upcoming CD projects:

1. "Uncut"with Lelo Nika
     release in april. 2010
2.  The Schumann Sonatas
     release in april. 2010
3.   Das Wohltemperierte Klavier
     av J.S Bach on Caprice 2009/2010 
4 .  2 Stenhammar Concertos with
     Malmö Symph Orch/Venzago on Naxos.
5. " Confessions "-pianoexcursions

Upcoming works:

Suite for percussion and piano
version for 2 perc. players and piano

Album for the Youth-10 pieces for piano

The Bellman Suite-6 pieces for piano

Nordic Colours- 8 pieces for the piano

Three improvisations for the piano

24 Preludes for piano

Chamber Symphony in 4 movements