Julius Drake’s sold-out Carnegie Hall recital with tenor Matthew Polenzani and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano has earned wonderful reviews from the classical press.
Seen and Heard International’s Rick Perdian writes, ‘Drake is a champion of these songs and knows them intimately. Every emotion that coursed through the singers’ voices also ran through his fingers. The spell was cast with the opening notes of Schubert’s “Nachtstück”. In a matter of seconds, Drake had transported the audience into a forest at night.’
George Grella in New York Classical Review notes that, ‘Polenzani was matched by Drake. His playing was as simple as could be, his rhythms absolutely steady. He accomplished the difficult feat of playing in an unaffected way that sounded elegant and meaningful, not stolid.’