Arnaldo Cohen

pianist

pianist

Brazil/USA
www.arnaldocohen.com

Participou como Presidente do Júri do
I Concurso Internacional de Piano de Santa Catarina
www.concursopiano-sc.com.br

Arnaldo Cohen was the only student in the history of the Brazilian university to graduate with honors in piano and violin by the School of Music of the UFRJ. His main professor was Jacques Klein, the great Brazilian pianist. Cohen won the 1st Prize in the International Competition Busoni, in Italy, by unanimous vote. Since then he has performed in more than 2,000 concerts all over the world, as soloist of the most important orchestras in the world.

BBC Magazine defined him as a ‘rare phenomenon’. For the Swedish recording company BIS, Cohen recorded a CD dedicated entirely to the Brazilian music and about that recording, the reviewer of the English newspaper The Times wrote: “Cohen possesses an extraordinary technique that is capable of scorching the piano keys or melt our hearts”.

The magazine Gramophone chose Cohen’s recording for the BIS label, with works by Liszt, to integrate the renowned “Editor’s Choice” list and justified: “His interpretation of Liszt is comparable to the one made by Horowitz in colors as well as in temperament. His musical maturity and vertiginous virtuosity place him in the same category as Richter”. The same Gramophone did not spare compliments to Cohen’s CD, which has just been launched, as soloist of the Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo (OSESP), conducted by John Neschling. Performing the two concerts by Liszt and the Totentanz, the critic Jeremy Nicholas summarized: “difficult to surpass”.

After living more than twenty years in London, Cohen moved to the United States in 2004, becoming the first Brazilian musician to assume a perpetual teaching position at the School of Music of the University of Indiana. In England, Cohen taught at the Royal Academy of Music and at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he received the title of Fellow Honoris Causa. He received the “Ordem do Rio Branco” by the Brazilian Government for the services performed to the country in the cultural area. His interest by the academic life got him to participate, as a jury, in several international competitions, such as the Chopin Competition, in Warsaw.

In the last season he performed as a soloist with the orchestras of Cleveland, London Philharmonic, besides recitals all over the world. In May of 2011 he will have his debut at the Symphony Hall, presented by the Symphonic of Chicago.

Recently, the critic Steve Smith, of New York Times, defined Cohen’s art: “With an infallible technique, his performance was a model of balance and imagination.” Yehudi Menuhin, one of the most important musicians of the Twentieth Century, went even further: “Arnaldo Cohen is one of the most extraordinary pianists I have ever heard”.

Extracts from critics

— Chicago Tribune (John Von Rhein): “A sensational recital.”

— Philadelphia Inquirer (Peter Dobrin): “The second movement of Mozart’s Concerto, interpreted by Cohen, and accompanied by the Orchestra of Philadelphia, conducted by Sawallisch, sounded as a divine message.”

— New York Times (Paul Griffiths): “Definitely, a great pianist.”

— Seattle (R. M. Campbell): “You need to listen to Cohen only once to understand all the ‘noise’ his name is generating.”

— Washington Post (Peter Ruhe): “Cohen’s recital at Kennedy Center was without any doubt the best of the season.”

— Baltimore (Steve Wigler): “Cohen is one of the best pianists not only of our time, but of all times.”

— San Francisco (Allan Ultich): “Listen to Cohen ‘fly’ through his own transcription of the Bat, by Strauss, is to know the true meaning of ‘sensational’.”

— Gramophone (Jeremy Nicholas): “His interpretation of Liszt is comparable to the one made by Horowitz in colors as well as in temperament. His musical maturity and vertiginous virtuosity place him in the same category as Richter.”