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Emission 108, avril 2023 - Bernard Ventre A partir de 1h39 d'écoute un enregistrement exceptionnel de Jean Dubé HERE
"One of the new great Liszt specialists. Perfect, his playing has ardour and a sense of colour. The audience of the international piano festival was not mistaken in giving him a real triumph." Jean-Rémi Barland, La Provence, 22 August 2013 (review following the recital given on 19 August 20013 at the Festival de la Roque d'Anthéron)
"Sober playing, with the highest degree of elegance" Peter Burwasser, FANFARE Magazine, 2013 (about Erkki Melartin's CD "Works for piano" recorded by BNL)
"[...] the connivance of a dreamy time between Jean Cras and the contemporary sensitivity of a Hervé Roullet impose themselves on Jean Dubé's sober and haughty touch." (about the CD "Scènes marines et champêtres" - with pieces by Jean Cras and Hervé Roullet - recorded by Syrius) Patrick Tudoret, Grand prix de la critique 2009.
Dear great musician, what a pleasure it has been to listen to you this evening! You make your keyboard sing in an unforgettable way! Combining power and lightness, strength and softness with an incomparable talent. Your interpretations reveal to us little known works but also renew others that are very famous and that is a rare talent, reserved for the greatest. I have had the chance to hear and see Horowitz, Rubinstein, Cziffra, Samson François, Yves Nat, Wilhelm Kempff, and others among the most famous, and you are one of those pianists who, like them, know how to create a climate and give us pure music; I am sure that composers, wherever they are, hear you, smile, approve and know that they are being wonderfully served. Thank you a thousand times... I knew you were great because I listened to you ten years ago and last night you totally fulfilled me. Continue to enchant us... You have received a unique gift, continue to share it with us... Believe me, dear pianist, I am grateful to you, and I wish that your career will continue for your joy, that of your loved ones and ours. Soizik Moreau, Deputy Mayor in charge of Culture, City Hall of the 11th Arrondissement, Paris, 12 January 2006
In his thirty-year career at the Nice Conservatory, André Peyregne has observed three child prodigies, "children who have the infused science, who play spontaneously", he says. "I remember Jean Dubé. He was five years old. While his parents were telling me about his gifts, he was playing on all fours under my desk, just before playing a Chopin etude that is normally only played after ten years at the Conservatoire." Anne Crignon and Claire Fleury, Le Nouvel Observateur, "Les enfants prodiges", week of Thursday 22 December 2005
Jean Dubé, an imposing piano phenomenon... / He excels in rendering the fragile and delicate intimacy of Haydn. /.../He reveals the inner strength and tragedy of Chopin and underlines, with his virtuosity, the composer's light and sparkling grace /.../ His incredibly intense interpretation of Liszt's "After a Reading of Dante" shows his deep understanding of the Divine Comedy with all its contrasts between Hell and Paradise, which might even induce all those who do not like this Liszt piece to really appreciate it. /.../In playing Fauré's "light at heart" music, everything was very refined, full of elegant finesse /.../Magisterial interpretation of Petrushka, with an expressiveness brimming with vitality to the millimetre /.../ By the end of the recital we had completely forgotten the absence of the pianist Igor Roma whom we had been so surprised, at the beginning, to see replaced by Jean Dubé. (Review following the recital of 20 February in the Remonstrantse Kerk, Nieuwkoop, Netherlands) Leidsch Dagblad, 23 February 2005
Since the first round of the Liszt Competition in Utrecht, it has become clear to me that Jean Dubé is a very special musician: he shows great respect for the style of the pieces he performs, has an excellent sound and masters the piano effortlessly. So I was delighted to find that the other members of the jury agreed with me. Mr. Dubé's artistry is quite exceptional and deserves to be highly recommended. Leslie Howard, pianist, member of the jury of the Liszt Competition in Utrecht, April 2004
A delightful Franco-Finnish evening/.../After the choir, it was the turn of a rising piano star who will undoubtedly become one of the most important pianists of this new millennium, as his playing and his success at competitions already suggest. Many piano masters have confessed to having enjoyed playing fast and loud in their youth. Mr. Dubé's playing, on the other hand, is not forced; in fact, his expression is very lyrical, endowed with the most sensitive pianistic colours. On the other hand, he shows his great virtuosity with great enthusiasm. This artist gave us with great brilliance such flights of notes that the audience was literally breathless. However, he also brought out the lyricism of Debussy and Fauré in a remarkable way./.../ The concert ended with Dubé's fireworks in Liszt's Rhapsodie hongroise. The young virtuoso put such expressive power into his playing that the audience was driven to absolute ecstasy. Karjalainen, 13 March 2004 Review following the recital on 11 March 2004 in Joensuu, Finland
Stunning! The young French pianist showed a solid technique and a deeply moving expressiveness during his first recital at the "Sala Beethoven" festival. "May he come back! It is clear that he belongs to the class of young artists destined for a superior future. At the age of 21, he played like the best of the mature artists. With his solid technique and total commitment to his art, he is capable of moving the audience deeply. One regret: not being able to listen to him several more times. Without a doubt, Jean Dubé is not only a high-flying virtuoso but also an exquisite pianist capable of the greatest finesse as well as the most profound musical emotions. /.../ A pleasure from beginning to end /.../ In his own version of the "Prelude, Fugue and Variation", an exquisite piece of great musical poetry, originally written for the organ by César Franck, he deployed the palette of his beautiful sonorities, the delicacy of his phrasing and the most sincere emotionality. /With Albeniz's "Triana" he showed his ability to bring out the colours and once again demonstrated great sound quality. With perfect control of his enormous muscular strength, he offered us a truly orchestral version of Liszt's "Spanish Rhapsody", with breathtaking, prodigious attacks, but always conducted with an intelligent and just dose of good taste. /.../ With sovereign competence, he gave the piano version of Sibelius' "Valse triste" a profoundly happy richness and ardour. A "tour de force" worthy of high-level sporting prowess: this is what he demonstrated in Marrosszék's "Dances", where his flawless virtuosity, together with a perfect balance of sonorities, recalled the style of the great virtuosos of the 19th century in a 20th century piece. Finally, in Ginastera's first Sonata, he showed more than ever an intimate, dedicated and sincere understanding of the composer /.../ Without doubt, his convincing interpretation exerts that magnetic attraction on the audience that only great pianists possess. It was truly a great privilege to hear Jean Dubé. Let's hope that the management will soon hire this great artist again! Alejandro Fernández, Music critic, EL NORTE, Friday, September 10, 2004
No sooner had Jean Dubé put his hands on the piano on Sunday at the Westminster than the audience was ecstatic. He had just played a Chopin Impromptu. Only magicians have this power to instantly delight the audience. Jean Dubé is, in his own way, a magician. From the first applause, the audience was on its feet. This is rarely seen. At 21, Jean Dubé is a pianist like few others. His mastery is perfect, his virtuosity astounding, his musicality ideal, his sound marvellous. In addition, he possesses that gift of moving that distinguishes elite artists from others. Nice Matin, 2003 "Jean Dubé is the undisputed winner of the Liszt Competition. Dubé is truly a great performer: he brings happiness and even a certain bliss. Algemeen Dagblad, 2002
Jean Dubé has the most mastery, he chooses the spectacular and the fast and succeeds in transmitting his enthusiasm for Liszt virtuosity to the audience. His successful cadenza earned him a standing ovation from the audience. Telegraf, 2002
"His supernatural technical prowess is not the only thing that makes listening to Liszt a pleasure. With someone like Jean Dubé, the weirdness of Formula 1-style piano acrobatics - found for example in the Tarantella di bravura - suddenly becomes a magical performance. All previous winners of this competition can learn from him... fantasy and humour. Brabants Dagblad, Utrecht, 2002
The winner Jean Dubé offers the most stability, his playing is not useless, he has his own vision of the works - valuable qualities that are enhanced by the fact that he is always in the background.Trauw, 2002
A virtuoso! A phenomenon! [...] the most impressive pianist of the year. He is twenty years old and has mastered his art. His virtuosity is unfailing, and he has a real power to move. He knows how to give weight to his speech, how to make a phrase sob, how to prolong a sigh, how to unleash storms, how to hold his audience in suspense. He can be colossal or caressing. He has no equal for making you wait for the last note, the one, precious and definitive, that tears a tear. Nice Matin, 2001
"The French pianist wins the 6th International Liszt Competition by a landslide", "his fingers literally flew across the keyboard", "undisputed winner" and "unequalled laureate", were the headlines after Jean Dubé's victory at the 6th Liszt Competition in Utrecht, which took place from 31 March to 13 April 2002. For the first time, the public was also able to choose 'its' laureate in the final. The thunderous applause for his performance of the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 proved that Dubé had won everyone's hearts. International Franz Liszt Competition, Utrecht, 2002
"Prodigious Jean Dubé. The young 19 year old pianist gave a breathtaking recital on Sunday morning at the Institute, in front of an almost full house. With artists of Jean Dubé's calibre, the future of French piano playing seems assured. [...] a passion and a declamatory clarity reminiscent of Yves Nat. As much at ease in the classical and romantic repertoire as in contemporary music, Jean Dubé has greatly impressed music lovers with his constant concern for transparency, fluidity and above all expressiveness, his transcendent technique and his confounding mastery.La République du Centre, 2001
When I first heard Jean Dubé, he was twelve years old. I saw a great future for him. His curriculum vitae proves that I was not mistaken. He has already started a great career. Jacqueline Robin, Honorary Professor of the CNSMDP, 5 Grands prix du disque, Paris, 2001 Jean Dubé is without a doubt one of the most talented pianists of his generation. He possesses a breathtaking technique that allows him to perform the most difficult works of the repertoire with enviable ease. He is as capable of producing an enormous sound as he is of playing with extreme delicacy. He is an innate musician and performs with energy, passion and enthusiasm. I predict a great future for Jean Dubé in the music profession. John O'Conor, Director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Artistic Director of the AXA Dublin International Piano Competition, 2001
Jean Dubé dominated the recital round with a breathtaking Klavierstuck by the German Wolfgang Rihm and a dizzying Disorder by Ligeti. He shows imagination, presence and a powerful orchestral sound. Le Monde de la Musique, 2001
Jean Dubé is not only a brilliant pianist, but also a profound and original musician. He can be considered as one of the great pianistic hopes of today. Jean Guillou, Paris, 2001
His fiery virtuosity, his originality, his profound musicality and his impact on the public will be remembered. Le Figaro, 2000
A revelation. The soloist's art passed like a powerful breath over the audience. Badisches Tagblatt, Baden-Baden, 1998
One of the most beautiful hopes of the French piano. Festival International de Lanaudière, 1998
An extraordinary musician for whom the impossible does not exist. Muzsika, Budapest, 1998
A flamboyant mastery and a surprisingly beautiful musicality. Festival "Musiques dans les Vignes", 1998
An extraordinary power, an incredible talent. Pierrefonds International Festival, 1996 Fantastic performance by Jean Dubé. We look forward to hearing his fabulous playing again soon. I am firmly convinced that when we see him again, he will be a wonderful pianist who will fascinate us with his even more refined style. Ayako Murano, Producer of NHK (Nippon Hyoso Kyokai, Japan's national television channel). Tokyo, 1995
Jean Dubé. He was a child who spontaneously made music just as Hamilton spontaneously made mathematics or Leibniz made philosophy. There is a big difference between this kind of genius that you only meet once in your career and the very gifted, very brilliant students, who are much more numerous. André Peyregne, Director of the Nice Conservatory, Le Monde de la Musique, 1995
I was literally stunned by ten-year-old Jean Dubé. The ease and clarity of sound, the beauty of phrasing, the understanding of the text are on a par with technical qualities, quickly forgotten as when listening to a great (in every sense of the word) performer. A child prodigy? We shall see. A prodigious musical sense? That's for sure. GérardGefen, La Lettre du musicien, Paris, 1992