Strathmore Music Centre
Baltimore, USA

The Washington Post
25 March 2006

"....a sense of excitement and daring. His ability to coax an almost vocal legato from his instrument gave the second movement the kind of sunny and serene sense of repose that makes a performance memorable."

The Sun, Baltimore
March 2006
Tim Smith

BSO marks Mozart's 250th birthday in style

“...  Conductor Jonathan Carney applied a genuinely elegant touch at every turn.  In Mozart's piano concerto, No. 24 in C minor, Carney had a superior soloist.  Christian Blackshaw, who made his BSO debut in 2003 with another Mozart concerto, should be much better known.

Just as he demonstrated in that first appearance, Blackshaw revealed here an uncommon ability to evoke the spirit of the incomprehensibly gifted composer, using a disarmingly refined tone, perfectly judged dynamic accents and, above all, phrasing that had the personal, free-flowing quality of spontaneous song.  Carney ensured that the pianist received fully expressive support from the orchestra.

Blackshaw's playing simply defines class and classical. "

Meyerhoff Hall
Baltimore, USA

The Sun, Baltimore
November 2003
Tim Smith

Melody from the BSO, sparks from the piano

“British pianist Christian Blackshaw made his BSO debut in the Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor. It was only a couple of weeks ago that a Mozart piano concerto (no. 25) received an exceptionally elegant performance at the Meyerhoff, in that case with Richard Goode joining the BSO. Blackshaw was every bit as satisfying, if not more so.

The stormy side of the outer movements found the pianist producing plenty of fire and character. But he was doubly impressive in the Romanza movement, his exquisite control of dynamics and unfailingly imaginative phrasing providing a study in aural poetry. Throughout, his playing had a patrician quality that seemed to inspire considerable sensitivity from the orchestra …”