More Comments on Paul Jacobs from the Press....

"Has established himself as an artist to watch...demonstrated a pristine virtuoso technique...masterful musical phrasing...thoughtful and intelligent program...Bach's unparalleled music seemed to reach a compelling new level in Jacobs' expert hands."
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

"A tour de force...so brilliant it left everyone breathless. Everything Jacobs performed had a freshness and buoyancy...wizardry at the keyboards."
(Glens Falls Post Star, New York)

"A daunting recital [visible via projection technology] from the graceful sheep of his keyboard technique to the on-the-fly changes of registration and color....Mr. Jacobs began with a brisk, full-throttle account of the Sinfonia from Bach's Cantata No.29, and if there were grounds for slight objections, the tendency, toward the end, for the chords to swamp the perpetual-motion melody line, for example, or the Romantic grandeur he applied to the conclusion, or the vitality that Mr. Jacobs brought to his interpretation rendered those concerns beside the point. The Bach performance at the other end of the program--a gently played, crystalline rendering of the Chorale Prelude 'Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ' (BWV 639)--showed Mr. Jacobs to be equally persuasive in more concise and restrained music.

Reger's Fantasies on 'Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme' (Op. 52, No.2) and 'Hallelujah! Gott zu loben, bleibe meine Seelenfreud' (Op.52, No.3) are craggy and torrential, and Mr. Jacobs played them with an intensity and a thoughtful, fluid use of dynamics and color. Those same qualities helped create a surprising common ground between Durufle's worldly Sicilienne and Toccata and a pair of Messiaen's mystical ruminations."
(The New York Times)

"Celebrated organist Paul Jacobs combines virtuosic bravura with a strong spiritual element."
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

"He touched the profundities of the hearts of the audience....a flawless, passionate performance."
(The Barrie Examiner, Ontario)

"AMAZING ORGANIST PAUL JACOBS: Organist Paul Jacobs is the sort of musician one could listen to for hours...a thoroughly impressive and satisfying recital from memory....Regerís genius met its match with Jacobs." (Zachery Lewis, American Record Guide)

"Technically he wanted for nothing. His ability to sustain concluding chords that seemed to stretch toward infinity as they ever so slowly disintegrated, a veritable trope in much of this music [Messiaen], proved breathtaking, as did his ability to provoke dazzling cascades of sound, another of this music's prominent features....He summoned ecstasy, lushness and grandeur." (MusicalAmerica.com)

"Virtuosity always has its appeal. But when combined with an unbridled joy of music making, an intensive desire to get beyond bravura to the truly important stuff, things really heat up...an ideal mix of technical brilliance and interpretive power...terrific exuberance and spontaneity." (The Baltimore Sun)

"A phenomenon among American organists...consistently brilliant playing."
(The Virginian Pilot, Hampton Roads)

"Paul Jacobs is a phenomenally gifted organist...certainly among the best of these young players. Jacobs plays Bach brilliantly, with understanding beyond his years."
(American Record Guide)
"Celebrated organist Paul Jacobs combines virtuosic bravura with a strong spiritual element."
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

"Technically he wanted for nothing. His ability to sustain concluding chords that seemed to stretch toward infinity as they ever so slowly disintegrated, a veritable trope in much of this music [Messiaen], proved breathtaking, as did his ability to provoke dazzling cascades of sound, another of this musicís prominent features....He summoned ecstasy, lushness and grandeur."
(MusicalAmerica.com)

"Organist Paul Jacobs has fast become a towering presence in the world of classical music. At 28, he is arguably the best-known organist in this country, earning profiles in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times and raves for marathon recitals of the complete organ music of J.S. Bach and Olivier Messiaen. Last year, Jacobs was appointed faculty chair of the organ department at New York's Juilliard School. He invites comparisons with organ legends Virgil Fox and E. Power Biggs for his musical charisma and combining the soul of an entertainer with the chops of a rock-solid musician."
(The Hartford Courant)

Memorable Moments 2005: Classical's ten
#5 ORGANIST PAUL JACOBS REKINDLES LOST
LEGEND OF VIRGIL FOX
Those who might perceive the organ world as fusty or insular should give a listen to 28 year-old organist Paul Jacobs. The organ chair at the Juilliard School, Jacobs attracted a standing-room audience at Trinity College Chapel last summer for a bravura concert of Duruflé, J.S. Bach, and Reger. It's not an exaggeration--or snub--to compare him with the late E. Power Biggs or Virgil Fox. His interpretations are convincing and--as the thunderous ovations in Trinity College chapel confirmed--highly entertaining." (Matthew Erikson, The Hartford Courant, December 25, 2005)

"Something wonderful and rare....although he is chairman of the organ department at the Juilliard School, there was nothing pedantic about his approach to repertoire. Whether it was J. S. Bach, Oliver Messiaen, Charles Ives or whomever, he made persuasive, stylishly specific arguments....His technique was sensational, yet called as much attention to the music as to itself. No matter what the piece, this guy was clearly, infectiously, reveling in every opportunity before him. Engage the music at each moment, Jacobs emphasized, engage your listeners; make them your allies. So he did, and so we were....Call it a series of seeming impossibilities resolved in other words, what it means to play the organ brilliantly."
(The Courier-Journal, Louisville)

From CD Reviews......

"This release reveals that Jacobs is now a mature master organist. His accelerated growth as an artist in the last few years matches his dizzying career ascent."
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

TOP TEN RECORDINGS OF 2004: "Paul Jacobs Plays Bach (JAV). This unedited recording of Bach masterworks combines audiophile sound quality and radiant playing, showcasing the staggering talents of Jacobs, 28, the new chairman of Juilliardís organ department. Among the highlights: the Trio Sonata in C, which sparkles with every color of the rainbow; and the 'Great' Fugue in G minor, which unfolds with awesome drama and inexorability." (Newsday, New York)

"He confronts the technical and expressive demands of the repertoire with the perfect combination of youthful vigor and sage wisdom and produces interpretations that are benchmark quality from first note to last." (Fanfare)

"His meteoric rise is due to the unbeatable combination of exceptional talent and hard work. The six pieces on Jacobs' CD make a wonderfully varied concert and demonstrate his compelling musicianship."
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

"Paul Jacobs, who is something of a star in the American organ firmament, has recorded a disc of Bach. The playing is startling good, and rhythmically absolutely rock-solid. To be able to record the G minor Fantasia and Fugue, and the Passacaglia and the C major Trio Sonata, and release the performances unedited, is a major achievement." (International Record Review)

"The reigning virtuoso of the pipe organ...renowned national and international performer and teacher."
(Grand Traverse Herald, Traverse City MI))

There must be thousands of organs in the United States. But be honest: Can you name any organists? One young player, 28-year-old Paul Jacobs, is working to bring the instrument out of the choir loft and into the mainstream. He's made a meteoric rise on the concert scene over the past five years and is already head of the organ department at The Juilliard School...Jacobs does have a couple of important 20th-century forebears in proselytizing the joys of organ music. E. Power Biggs and Virgil Fox were larger-than-life personalities who played with flair and showmanship. Their legacies live on through recordings and fan clubs. But no one has come close to matching them in terms of rank--until Jacobs."
(Times Union, Albany NY)

"Good news! The spirit of the legendary American organ virtuoso Virgil Fox has returned in the person of the impressively talented and impossibly young Paul Jacobs....His performance--quirky, headstrong, and immensely musical--brought to life the heritage of Fox, who convinced several generations of Americans that nothing is more exciting than organ literature played with technical command and artistic flair....The encore, a favorite of Fox's audiences, was Bach's Fugue in D Major, played with all the reckless abandon and lavish sonorities of the master, who would have been both pleased and envious."
(Herald Tribune, Sarasota FL)

"CLASSICAL MUSIC'S KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR: It's not often you see a classical organist being asked for autographs, at least not since the glory days of E. Power Biggs and Virgil Fox, but there was Paul Jacobs signing programs for a long line of fans after his recital...Phenomenal keyboard technique...a spectacular rendition...a sublime sense of restraint...It felt like a masterpiece in Jacob's playing."
(St. Petersburg Times, FL)

"A wizardly musician who deserves massive audiences...performances of exceptional expressivity, color and flair....Playing everything from memory, Jacobs invested the day's fare with refinement and adventurous spirit...superb attention to detail...enormous flexibility and power...a triumph."
(The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)

"A New Prince for the King of Instruments"
(Minnesota Public Radio)

"An exuberant performer...infectious enthusiasm...an astonishing musician and an exciting ambassador for the pipe organ. Mozart referred to the pipe organ as the king of instruments, but despite its royalty the majestic organ is largely overlooked in the classical music world. Itís been many years since an organist received the same amount of attention as flashy violinists and pianists. But there's a young musician on the scene creating new interest in the pipe organ. His name is Paul Jacobs."
(Minnesota Public Radio)