“INTELLIGENCE, SHOWMANSHIP COMBINE…Jacobs is an enthusiastic musician totally immersed in his art, eager to explore all sides of every piece—and every instrument—he plays….more entertainer than stodgy academic, a shining representative of a vibrant art form….It’s the kind of playing that could give Jacobs a unique—and envied—spot among his peers.” (Birmingham News AL)
"Unflagging energy and concentration...It's heresy to admit it, but Jacob's lucid playing left me with a more vivid and terrifying sense of Messiaen's music than from the composer's own 'definitive' recordings. Jacobs never stumbled. He is a serious student of the literature and, as a performer, a charismatic showman--essential traits, both--and he delivered a fuller range of Messiaen's music than most organists I've heard. He knew when some high-minded panache would make a phrase sparkle and when he needed to dig into his own psyche to deliver an emotionally convincing moment."
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
"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)
"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)
"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)
"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)
"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)
“A virtuoso who knows how to balance interpretive insight with bravura showmanship….what happens when a tremendous musical imagination meets an over-the-top work ethic.” (The Pioneer Press, St. Paul MN, 2011)
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