"The Fantasy is regarded as one of Schumann’s finest compositions and among the greatest in the
entire Romantic repertoire. With its contrasting rhythms and tempi, the piece is not easy to bring
off, but Jurinić’s performance is nothing less than sublime. He approaches the score with a true
sense of grandeur, the broad sweeping lines of the opening, the stirring second movement and the
introspective finale tempered with a flawless technique.
In the set of Chopin Etudes Jurinić breathes new life into this familiar repertoire, once again
demonstrating full command of the technical challenges; from the graceful first etude in A-flat
Major right to the thunderous No.12 which brings the set, and the disc, to a most satisfying
conclusion."
WHOLE NOTE (CORRESPONDANCES ALBUM REVIEW)
"You know you can expect the highest level of quality from Aljoša Jurinić in a live performance but
the magnificence of his artistry and pianistic genius astonishes us each time. He has something
truly special but is set apart from the rest by his meticulous attention to the compositional and
theoretical aspects, as well as the historical context. He also devotes himself completely to the
emotional aspects, without the slightest premeditation. This is his recipe for success or, better to
say, for the surreal. As a listener, when you begin to absorb the music, note by note, you leave the
physical realm and glory in the beauty and spiritual richness of the melody, from the first tone to
the last. Only the greatest achieve this. You simply cannot think of anything else, look away for a
moment or check your smartphone, as you use the time to nourish your soul with the splendor of
compositions penned by Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Chopin."
MASTER PIANIST JURINIĆ PERFORMS MUSICAL MAGIC IN THE GELDROP CASTLE
Pianist Aljoša Jurinić (1989) from Croatia was an audience favourite at the 2016 Queen Elisabeth
Competition. There he played in a fine and elegant manner the finale of Chopin's Concerto No. 1. It
was a good idea by the Strabrecht Theatre, which often gives upcoming talents a place to perform,
to bring this artist in. Yesterday afternoon, Jurinić made a deep impression in the two packed
castle rooms with a large number of loyal visitors. He showed with a very ambitious program how not
to be a nut-eater, but a "musician pur sang". He presented his formidable technique employed by the
composers to whom he could clearly make a commitment. He understood their language and spoke it in a
natural and fluid way. Already in the opening measures of Beethoven's beautiful Sonata Op. 27 No. 1
Sonata, he immediately called for a blistering tension. It was a beautiful performance with his
expressive, yet sometimes whisper-soft touch and the well-built dynamics.
(...)
His brilliant take on Ravel’s “Gaspard de la nuit” was overwhelmingly fantastical and colourful. "Le
Gibet", sublime and hallucinatory in atmosphere, became a highlight with the breath. He managed to
touch the hearts of his audience with an enchanting and tranquil take on the slow part of Schubert’s
Piano Sonata No. 13, D 664. Throughout the Sonata, he encountered a pure and lyrical narrative. He
ended with a variety of Études by Chopin, managing to prove that he is a true virtuoso in the way he
brought the demanding musical content forward. He successfully accomplished this in almost
everything, especially in the mature 7th Étude in Op. 25. In his encore, Debussy's "Rêverie", he
managed to evoke an intense intimacy. He said a lot with few notes. In the future, magical master
pianist Jurinić will certainly also reach the big stages.
"These interpretations elicit something more than the usual Romantic rubato from Chopin. One listens
to a concert by Aljoša Jurinić breathlessly, without fatigue, in constant anticipation, asking what
will happen next in this individualistic approach to the canonical opus. His performance is
simultaneously contemplative and dynamic, exceptionally disciplined, although there are surprising
twists of a nearly rhapsodic character, historically informed but with almost a futuristic
perspective of transcendental scope. The interpretation is, on the one hand, artistically rounded
and complete, while, on the other, indicates an interpreter who works on himself and whose
development will be followed with unabashed interest."
"At the opening of this year's Chopin
Fest in the auditorium of the City Hall, the Belgrade public had the opportunity to delight in an
exceptional young pianist with a remarkable artistic aura — Aljoša Jurinić, and his contemporary
treatment of the timeless wonder of the music of Frederic Chopin. His cultivated artistic
temperament, meticulously studied repertoire and captivatingly sculpted sound could only amaze.
Aljoša Jurinić, a dedicated student of distinguished figures in European piano pedagogy, who has
just returned from a performance in New York's Carnegie Hall, shared his erudition with us this
evening but also an electrifying performance that will be long remembered."
"Although I was certainly expecting a lush sound and tactile interpretation from Jurinić, his
commitment to the integral laws of structure was thrilling, his marked sense of rhythm astonishing
and his power of phrasing, ad libitum, left me speechless. Enamored of complex, aesthetically tuned
wholes and the most direct possible interpretation thereof, Jurinić has also developed a unique
technical discipline, through which he has further approached Hegel's definition of an artist, from
whom (only) “free expression of the spirit” is required."
"Then came the Chopin Ballade No 1 the impressiveness of which was clinched by the ensuing Nocturne
in D flat thus establishing this young master of the pianissimo, who need not thunder to keep his
listeners on the edge of their seats, as a Chopin-player beyond compare."