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Personal Reviews
I have never heard such a skillful and musically moving performance, and such mastery.Hans Werner Henze
Consistent artistry of the highest level, finding something new in each performance.Robert Joffrey
I wanted to write right away to tell you how beautifully and sensitively you played my piece. Bravo!! …everything felt right!William Bolcom
It is my opinion that Mr. Tanenbaum is one of the very best and most interesting guitarists before the public today. Served by a fine technique, his developed musicianship is at the service of one of the most exquisite sensitivities I have ever encountered. Manuel Barrueco
I must say nothing would make me happier than to create a very wonderful piece for you…I greatly admire your work.Terry Riley
(David Tanenbaum’s) recital was unforgettable and it’s great to see how far talent, discipline, intelligence, love and a good instrument can reach!Oscar Ghiglia
…one of the most brilliant young concert guitarists on the musical scene today.Aaron Shearer, North Carolina School of the Arts
David Tanenbaum is, in my opinion, one of the finest guitarists of our time. …great musicians who play the guitar are rare indeed. But that is exactly what David is. At home in music of a vast variety of periods and styles, David is a musician’s musician. While a leader in the performance of new music, he is thoroughly conversant in Baroque and Renaissance performance practices and is able to give thoroughly engaging performances of those repertories as well.Paul O’Dette
David Tanenbaum is one of the world’s premiere guitarists…David is a first-rate musician and an exciting performer. His concerts, whether solo or chamber music, are musical to the core and technically dazzling.Thomas Patterson, University of Arizona
As a performer, Mr. Tanenbaum is a consummate artist. His technique is flawless and his musicianship has always been profound. He goes to the heart of every composition and creates works of art that ebb and flow in the composer’s voice. He has proven his profound understanding of music again and again on the most important guitar repertoire this century has produced, as well as the great works from past centuries. His understanding of each score, coupled with his commanding technique, allow him to communicate with his audience in the most direct fashion that I have experienced. He is also a performer of great fire and passion. His performances have always been electrifying and memorable…He is the single most instructive and constructive teacher I have ever seen.Bryan Johanson, Portland State University
…an extraordinarily talented guitarist and pedagogue. His knowledge of guitar and lute repertoire is vast, yet what sets him apart from most other guitarists is his deep understanding and love of western art music in general. There have been times when I have left his performances in wonderment; this is not only as person who plays all the right notes but someone who also understands the deeper rhetoric and architecture of a composition…The only person who has taught and performed at my festival every year is David Tanenbaum.Richard Savino, Sacramento State University
As a performer he is unquestionably one of the foremost concert artists in the United States. He is the possessor of a formidable technique as well as a keen musical instinct which enables him to interpret anything he plays in a most convincing manner. He is at home playing music of any style ranging from the Renaissance to the most demanding contemporary compositions. His performances are uniformly flawless technically and musically very satisfying.James Reid, University of Idaho
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Publication Reviews
As far as I can see, David Tanenbaum has done just about everything right in this edition….excellent.Paul Hurley, Soundboard Magazine
One of America’s most brilliant classical virtuosos, David Tanenbaum is also a gifted transcriber, which this music clearly demonstrates. ..The two editions are attractively presented, easy to read, and highly detailed with expert fingering.Jim Ferguson, Guitar Player Magazine
…not only is this attractive music sensibly adapted for the guitar, but the music hangs together in a way Scarlatti transcriptions seldom do…Guitar Solo is to be congratulated for this fine edition.Peter Danner, Soundboard magazine
Tanenbaum has done an admirable job.Raymond Burley, Classical Guitar Magazine
Tanenbaum’s Essential Studies of Carcassi, Sor and Brouwer is a generous and insightful analysis of the most frequently used and most beautiful studies for the guitar…His attention to detail, knowledge of tradition and sheer love of music are evident in these books, but they become audible on this landmark recording. This is a lesson every guitarist should own.Scott Cmiel, Acoustic Guitar Magazine
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Recording Reviews
Serenado-Lou Harrison (2003)
superlative…a delectable collection of Harrison’s guitar pieces performed with vigor and sensitivity by David Tanenbaum.Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
Tanenbaum, who premiered the work [Nek Chand] at Other Minds Festival in 2002, plays it with both flash and warmth. So far, this is my CD of the year.T. Hashimoto, San Francisco Examiner
David Tanenbaum, who is one of the Bay Area’s finest guitarists, arranged all the material, and he gives each piece a beautifully articulate performance.Georgia Rowe, Contra Costa Times
A triumphT. Hashimoto, San Francisco Examiner
It is no surprise that following the death of Lou Harrison, one of the great champions of modern music on the guitar should provide a retrospective recording of Harrison’s idiosyncratic contributions to the repertoire. Housed in New Albion’s earth-toned, stylish packaging which, like the composer, entices the consumer with casual wildness, the new recording also surprises, as the composer did, with an intellectual rigor and honesty often obscured by outside appearances.
“Over the last thirty years, no one has done more for new music on the guitar than David Tanenbaum. Henze, Riley (Elder, younger), Harrison, and Kernis have all found champion, friend and interpreter in Tanenbaum..Tanenbaums excellent program notes provide the background for his remarkable performance…The great spaces in these works are a test for any guitarist – but Tanenbaum maintains a larger musical conception of these works that keeps one centered in the work.
“The centerpiece of the Tanenbaum’s disc is the Scenes from Nek Chand a haunting work for steel guitar. Much like the aforementioned Threnody and Plaint the work is built on remarkably open vistas. But Tanenbaums deft sliding creates connections between the notes not possible on classical guitar. Finally, the long lines are not hinted at but connected. Like a set of dots on a page that once only hinted at an image, they are now connected giving us a complete picture of the work.Andrew Hull-Guitarra Magazine
The Book of Abbeyozzud (1999)
Awards:
- Amazon.com Picks The Book of Abbeyozzud as No. 4 on its Best of 1999 CD’s!
Reviews:
After Terry Riley’s revolutionary In C, it certainly never seemed that the compositionally brash cofounder of the minimalist movement would take on a lyrical bent. But that’s what he’s done on this collection of pieces for violin, guitar, and percussion. Violinist Tracy Silverman and guitarist David Tanenbaum play warmly and sublimely on Cantos Desiertos, finding pristine melodies and high, arching curves around which to spread their finesse. Tanenbaum gets unbelievably rich tones from his guitar, and his range is the one consistent ingredient throughout these pieces. He duets with Riley’s son Gyan, himself an accomplished guitarist, on Zamorraand with percussionist William Winant on Dias de los Muertos. Winant’s marimba and gongs are especially appropriate for Tanenbaum’s resonant string work, fluctuating from an absolute crispness to a milky froth. Where Riley’s chamber works, such as Salome Dances for Peace, are intensely rhythmic, these works veer much more stealthily toward a kind of glorious flowering, even if the blooms are in dusky colors and muted, curvy patterns.Andrew Bartlett
The appeal of this disc lies in the playing of guitarist David Tanenbaum. Lord, does that man make a classical guitar sing and dance. His dynamic range is astonishing, his melodic exuberance scarely less so.Joshua Kosman, Sf Chronicle
The lyricism of Cantos Desiertos is most immediately striking. It is a lovely five-part invention…It helps, for sure, that the players are superbly adept…If the two closing solos by tanenbaum are the most concentrated music on the disc, that’s because he is clearly at one with Riley’s rather cheerful mysticism.Richard Cook, The Wire
The Book of Abbeyozzud stands as one more example of how Riley subtly integrates an extraordinary range of cultural influences, musical forms, and emotional states into his music. It also underscores another crucial aspect of Riley’s career; he may live in a remote rural enclave, but everything he does-from composing to performing to teaching-seems inextricably bound to a sense of community. His genius is individual, but he relishesexpressing it through genuinely collaborative ventures.Derek Richardson, San Francisco Bay Guardian
Riley has transformed himself into a master of guitar composition equally at ease writing chamber music or works for the solo instrument. The CD begins with a magnificent guitar and violin duo … which brims with energy and drive … and the guitar solos, especially the rhapsodic Ascencion, present a soundscape that is spectacularly inventive. David Tanenbaum and the other musicians on this disc (Gyan Riley is the composer’s son) deliver with great conviction. In Terry Riley, the guitar has found a new voice capable of making a substantial contribubution to the repertoire.James Reid, Soundboard.
David Tanenbaum (1997)
A strong candidate for Record of the Year.Stephanie von Buchau, Oakland Tribune.
Bay City Best-Top Picks for the Coming Week Guitarist David Tanenbaum is one of the singular musicians who calls the Bay Area home. He is also one of those rare artists who has inspired for his instrument a repertory that transcends the baroque transciptions and Spanish miniatures that have kept many listeners from taking the guitar seriously…An acoustical treat.Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner.
***1/2 …it’s inspiring to hear Tanenbaum’s cavalcade of new guitar music…This collection manages to be both challenging and soothing.Joseph Woodard, Los Angeles Times.
Superb…uniformly well played.Jeff Bradley, The Denver Post.
Guitarist David Tanenbaum’s exciting new recital disc is a reminder of two facts about him that are well-known: the breadth of his musical taste and the deceptively low-key mastery of his playing…the disc is chockablock with surprises throughout…All of (it) is rendered with such quiet precision and amiability that the depth of Tanenbaum’s interpretations can sneak up on you.Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
El Porteño (1994)
San Francisco’s ace guitarist meets the late Argentine master of El Nuevo Tango, and the results both soothe and sizzle…Tanenbaum’s suave readings make them all sound natural to the stringed instrument.Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
A very fine release…technically excellent…The gem of the 12 pieces is Triston, a 4 1/2 minute work of Bach-like serenity that someone will no doubt turn into a film score, so haunting is its simple elegance.Jeff Bradley, The Denver Post
The four arrangements by Sergio Assad that comprise Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas bring Piazzolla’s music into a new light that emphasizes both the darkness of his melodies and the diversity of his influences, particularly the early jazz and ragtime of the United States that subtlety inspired his work.Cliff Furnald, CMJ New Music Report
David Tanenbaum, the Berkeley-based guitarist, displays his pristine technique, his swinging soul and his good taste…Beautiful, clean sound.Stephanie von Buchau, The Oakland Tribune
***** Languorous, melodious and rhythmically varied, Astor Piazzolla’s music comes seductively to life on this gorgeous disc by San Francisco guitarist David Tanenbaum…Tanenbaum’s playing is lively and exquisitely pointed.Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
*****Peter Paffgen, Gitarre und Laute
On El Porteño, noted classical guitarist David Tanenbaum provides a unique glimpse at the steely skeleton of the Nuevo Tango…Tanenbaum wisely avoids any tango-type flourishes, and instead delivers precise, delicate readings that…underscore the chord-structure and melodic richness that give this music its weight.Glen Hirschberg, Creative Loafing
SuperbKarl Quinn, Sydney and Melbourne Weekly
David Tanenbaum’s playing is stylish and sensuous, elegantly serving Piazzolla’s intentions.Robert Carl, Fanfare
I’d put this CD on a shortlist of required listening for (in a perfect world) a mandatory five-year apprenticeship in the recording of music.Mike Silverton, Fanfare
…it took someone of Tanenbaum’s musical caliber to draw out the fire and passion of the late Argentinian composer, Astor Piazzolla. (El Porteño) is an alluring trip through a cauldron of sensuality, marrying the feverish rhythms of the tango with the personal intimacy of the guitar.May Kongfong, Ink Nineteen
gorgeous, capturing every drenching bit of the Argentinean passion, while somehow refining the lines: a tango in silks, a tango in satins…you’ll love it (listen by candlelight in a bubblebath).Yellow Silk
spirited and technically fluent.. the bright daylight of his interpretations …reveals finely wrought stylistic detailsJohn Schneider, Soundboard Magazine
…if you never thought that the guitar lent itself to this steamy dance form, then this disc will come as an auditory revelation. …His feel for dynamics and nuance is coupled with an intensity that brings the pieces across with fire in every note.Christopher Gaynor, Santa Cruz Sentinel
Great American Guitar Solo (1994)
technique is exemplary and is always placed at the service of the music. The result is a recording that is sympathetic, revelatory, and highly satisfying on all fronts… His mission is to enlarge musical perceptions, and toward that end, he succeeds admirably. This release ought not to be passed up by any serious guitar aficionado, classical or otherwise.William Zagorski, American Record Guide
Imaginative, ingenious and expertly performed.Joseph McLellan, The Washington Post
Tanenbaum plays with compassion, precision and great depth of understandingJohn Schneider, Soundboard Magazine
The Perilous Chapel (1993)
Award:
- Top 10 Classical CD’s of 1993- San Francisco Chronicle
Reviews:
superb renditionsJoe Gore, Guitar Player
any composer would be lucky to have an advocate like guitarist David Tanenbaum whose luscious, pointed playing is featured most prominently…Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
Tanenbaum weaves a magical spellAllan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
Sensational…superbHeuwell Tircuit, In Tune
*****…incredible range of music transposed for acoustic guitar. Lulling, lilting, joyous, minimalist, its seven parts evoke all of Harrison’s interests. Korean modes, tuned water bowls, Flamenco, finger cymbals, Indian music all weaved together by Tanenbaum’s energetic guitar…superbMark Prendergast, Classic CD Lute Masterworks (1987)
As the rest of the civilized world already knows, Tanenbaum is one of the more exciting musicians to emerge from the Bay Area in recent years. In his first recorded recital…Tanenbaum’s playing is remarkably blandishing in passage work,. uncommonly patrician in overall effect.Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
A strong debutJoshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
Acoustic Counterpoint (1991)
Awards:
- Critics Choice Award: “25 best CD’s or the last 25 years” -Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
- The Desert-Isle Top 100 (5 Classical): Acoustic Guitar Magazine
Reviews:
Spectacular…palpable warmth and emotional power…masterful phrasing and exquisite tone…the quality of the playing is beyond reproach.Peter Golub, CD Review
If you don’t believe that we are living in a golden age of guitar music, listen to David Tanenbaum…the quality is uniformly high.Joseph McLellan, The Washington Post
What Segovia was to the emotional side of the guitar, Tanenbaum is to the intellectual…This record should be in the hands of every fledgling guitar student…Tanenbaum is a brilliant interpreter.R. Ellis, American Record Guide
…stunning authority and personality…this is an important album…do we, perhaps, have a new Bream here?George Warren, Guitar Review
…the collection we’ve all been waiting for, a provocative and deeply moving anthology of important recent works by one of the Bay Area’s and the country’s most adventurous performers.Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
Tanenbaum proves he is on the cutting edge of contemporary classical guitar music and is one of its most accomplished players.Jim Ferguson, Guitar Player
ExcellentLesley Valdes, Knight -Ridder News Service
Guitarist David Tanenbaum is well-known in the Bay Area as (among other things) a first-rate interpreter of contemporary scores, and the five works on this disc, all of them dating from the 1980’s, benefit from his crisp technique and sharp musical insight. Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
****Stephanie Von Buchau, Oakland Tribune
MarvelousPaul Hertelendy, San Jose Mercury News
A brilliant albumFanfare
Estudios (1991)
Tanenbaum undertakes a formidable workload, yielding 108 minutes of some of the best recorded classical guitar ever.Tom Mullhern, Guitar Player
This double disc recording should become part of our instrument’s heritage…a milestone…Tanenbaum uses musical technique everywhere. He’s got the prowess in abundance, and knows when and how to use it. This intelligence pervades the whole recording.Chris Kilvington, Classical Guitar
Each stunning new release takes Tanenbaum one step further in establishing himself as the premier guitarist of his generation…no guitarist will want to be without it…He finds a balance that’s both emotionally and intellectually rewarding. Few guitarists ever garner my complete, undying respect. Tanenbaum has earned it.R.Ellis, American Record Guide
Royal Winter Music (1989)
Tanenbaum has not yet received the attention he deserves from record companies…glowing, meticulously shaped readings.Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
Throughout, Tanenbaum shows a profound understanding of Henze’s unique musical language and rises above the incipient technical difficulties to produce a transcendent, organic performance that breathes with every phrase.Jim Ferguson, Guitar Player
He doesn’t allow a single detail to pass unnoticed. His attentive ear fine-tunes the score’s suggestions in imaginative and gratifying ways…It would take a whole bag of tricks to outwit Bream in his element, yet Tanenbaum gives me the most Henze for the money. His playing is whimsical and complex like the characters that the guitar portrays.R.Ellis, American record Guide
Tanenbaum is simply one of the best guitarists around. Everything he does commands respect.Colin Cooper, Classical Guitar
Concert Reviews
Tanenbaum is without peer in this music. He captured every mood to perfection — ebullient opening, mournful solo, building determination, and painful conclusion — with an amazing command of color, time, and empathy.Scott Cmiel, San Francisco Classical Voice, 10/2008
A master of the instrument. Mr. Tanenbaum played so musically and so expressively that the listener was led directly to the essence of each composer.Allen Hughes, The New York Times, 10/1982
Refined, aristocratic music-making.Andrew Porter, The New Yorker
O Tanenbaum-Marvelous! All the grace, refinement, intelligence of a master.Richard Pontzious, San Francisco Examiner,
Tanenbaum is a musician of the highest quality.Gregg Wager, The Los Angeles Times
Tanenbaum exhibited brisk fingering and keen musicality as he played and played with the effervescent solo part.Andrew Druckenbrod, St. Paul Pioneer Press
David Tanenbaum is one of the most important figures in American classical guitar, a world-class player.Jim Ferguson, Guitar Player
The pinnacle of flawless playing.Paul Druey, Geneva Tribune
Supremely delicate, fine-toned and selfless.The London Times
Brilliant technique. His fluency and nuance resulted in masterly interpretations.Jim Koop,The Atlanta Journal
America’s foremost classical guitarist.Stephanie Von Buchau,Oakland Tribune
If you don’t believe that we are living in a golden age of guitar music, listen to David Tanenbaum.Joseph Mclellan, Washington Post
A recital to challenge state-of-the-art standards anywhere. Tanenbaum is the complete artist, way ahead of the pack. His skill and musicianship are such that the instrument becomes almost irrelevant.Heuwell Tircuit, San Francisco Chronicle
Aristocratic, wonderfully vivid, eloquent and technically accomplished.Andrew Porter, The New Yorker
Tanenbaum’s brilliant playing, a combination of lace and velvet, marked him as a major artist.Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
The first few minutes of David Tanenbaum’s recital warned the listener of the ensuing dilemma of wanting to concentrate on the performer’s impeccable guitar playing while attention was constantly diverted to focus on his incredible powers of musical interpretation. It seems that Tanenbaum must have long ago conquered the task of playing the guitar and now spends his time locating and learning repertoire that speaks to him.Sue Taylor, St Louis Post-Dispatch
Superb.Seattle Times
A memorable event.Los Angeles Times
Tanenbaum is one of the finest guitarists and musicians of our time.Scott Cmiel, Acoustic Guitar Magazine
One of the nation’s outstanding young guitarists.Phil Hunt, The Oregonian
Tanenbaum is one of the world’s finest guitarists.Alison Bert, Guitar Review
Tanenbaum is simply one of the best guitarists around.Colin Cooper, Classical Guitar magazine
A truly passionate performance…a vibrancy and power which touches the heart.Mary Guthrie, Guitar Review
Tanenbaum is one of the most exciting musicians to emerge from the Bay Area in recent yearsAllan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
One of the rare, highly distinguished masters of the classical guitar.Stefan Shickhaus, Frankfurter Rundschau
To call him a master of the instrument seems like faint praise — he’s among the finest musicians on any instrument you’ll ever hear, one of those rare players whose technical and interpretive skills are both of the highest order. ” James McGuillen, The Portland Oregonian,
Magical playingMain Echo (Germany)
Recital of the year -1987Paul Hertelendy, San Jose Mercury News
Tanenbaum exquisitely created an intimate atmosphere..Versatility of expression and sonorous brilliance characterized the well-balanced interpretations, which had remarkable clarityFrankfurter Neue Presse
Tanenbaum’s obvious excellence as a musician makes his choice of instrument nearly irrelevant…dazzling technique and musicality.David Surkamp, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Guitarist David Tanenbaum attended to Rodrigo’s concerto with the assurance and passion of one who has known the piece intimately, but is still in love.Josef Woodard, Los Angeles Times
Tanenbaum has shown himself to be a consummate artist…in complete control of the instrument. I would not be surprised if, in the coming years, he achieves international prominence-beyond that which is already his.Michael J. Carroll, The Sante Fe Reporter
One of America’s outstanding exponents of his instrument.Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
David Tanenbaum gave a recital that brilliantly demonstrated the range of music for guitar and his mastery of it…He invariably finds the grand line of whatever he is playing so the music seems to flow artlessly from his fingers…He is also a master of his instrument, capable of realizing instrumental colors that elude many of his peers and playing with remarkable digital accuracy.Richard Simon, Sacramento Union
David Tanenbaum is one of the finest guitar players in the world today…David Tanenbaum is to guitar playing what the Taj Mahal is to architecture. His playing is the ultimate proof that technical skill can become so near perfection that it becomes obscured by the sheer beauty of the music that is being produced.Carl Metze,KXJZ radio, Sacramento
…a remarkably moving performance of Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez”…Tanenbaum was impressive from start to finish. Every phrase held meaning. One sensed that his speed and agility sprang from some very relaxed and peaceful source.Paul Christopulos, Santa Rosa Press Democrat
David Tanenbaum was the featured soloist in Rodrigo’s ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’.He and (conductor) Falleta breathed new life into this concert standard…Tanenbaum’s solo was filled with sincere, heartfelt emotion.Judy Davidson, Long Beach Press-Telegram
(Tanenbaum) enthralled a hushed crowd with his imaginative sense of programming and his gentle way with the instrument…All was delivered with polish, precision and poise…Tanenbaum easily won over the crowd.Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News
Tanenbaum lavished attention on each nuance of a phrase, yet still made lines sing and flow. He gave happy lie to the idea that the guitar, like the piano, is a percussion instrument. Counterpoint seemed to delight, not tax, him.Peter Mose, Toronto Star
The easy standout on this occasion was ‘Electric Counterpoint’, a rare and joyful exercise in almost lyric whimsy. Guitarist David Tanenbaum played with eager, caressive elan and pinpoint accuracy, imposing a surprising feeling of spontaneity on the prerecorded accompaniment.John Heinken, Los Angeles Times
Tanenbaum’s bewitching reading was tenderness itself. Reflective, inward, and extrovert by turn, the guitarist deployed subtle pianissimi and elucidated arpeggiated passages like strings of pearls.Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner
Tanenbaum’s recitals (have) such a confident and lively appeal…Tanenbaum’s performance was deft, making each delicate point one by one… Tanenbaum’s superior impulse for the dance came into full playMarilyn Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle
“His sound, for instance, was rich, full and nuanced…Mr. Tanenbaum also played with color and shapeAllan Kozinn, New York Times
One of the brightest of the young guitarists. He has built a distinctive reputation…The guitar is gaining respect as a concert instrument, largely because players with Tanenbaum’s skill and good sense are encouraging new works.Alan Rich, Los Angeles Herald examiner
One of America’s most esteemed and talented guitarists…Tanenbaum worked his magic on the entire repertoire, getting at the heart of each piece and resonating them to perfection…His interpretations invariably fulfilled all dimensions of the music’s expressive powers, with technique subservient to concept, and concept targeted accurately upon essence.Phil Collins, Santa Cruz Sentinel
A brilliant master of the guitar…a seasoned performer in marvelous control of his instrument, playing with extraordinary sensitivity and elegance.Monterery Peninsula Tribune
IncredibleHerb Caen, San Francisco Chronicle
Genuine musical insight and refinement…intense lyricism…poise and delicacy…Mr. Tanenbaum proved to be master.New York Times
Beautiful guitar playingChicago Daily News
Electrified a capacity audience with an astonishing New York debut recital…brilliant throughoutNew York City News
His guitar sang above the Russian orchestra, filling the hall and the stage with the glorious sound of the classical composer’s work. If Vivaldi were alive, he would surely have embraced the man.‘Nyet’ by Thomas Gambino (Prentice-Hall)
David Tanenbaum dazzled the audience with a well-rounded program of music…Tanenbaum proved his guitar mastery by displaying dazzling virtuosic technique…a well-deserved standing ovation.Gary Fiazza, The St. Augustine Record
Tanenbaum opened with a sparkling rendition of Malcolm Arnold’s Concerto and followed with a brilliant reading of a new and fascinating work for ‘concertante guitar and 15 instruments’, An Eine Aolsharfe, by Hans Werner Henze.Stephen Aron, Soundboard Magazine
Though still young, Tanenbaum is a master of his instrument. The vividness of his playing seems to bring the guitar to life-he speaks so directly through it one nearly expects it to move as freely as if it were another of his limbs, yet it is static and wooden in his arms. That the player draws such beautiful, organic music from an inanimate instrument seems a miraculous feat when it occurs at this level of virtuosity.Don Adair, The Spokesman Review and Spokane Chronicle
His playing is informed by a sensitivity that surpasses that which you often hear on the international concert trail…Particularly appealing about Tanenbaum is his consistency in putting artistry before virtuosity…(He) has assimilated the Segovia reserve, the subtle sense of dynamics and a profound feeling for moods. And he does it with such technical command that he might as well be playing the keyboard; no fingering pauses, no finger-slide sounds, no notes too loud because they are hard to get to…His Scarlatti lived. It flew. It soared…The Giuliani brought down the house.Paul Hertelendy, San Jose Mercury News
David Tanenbaum is an ambitious, gifted and disciplined performer. His playing has that rare combination of personal statement, virtuosity and utter lack of self-indulgence; he is a sensitive and honest musician.Charles Shere, Oakland Tribune
Consummate mastery.Berkeley Gazette
Tired terms of glory don’t measure up to Tanenbaum’s living greatness; in witnessing his musicmaking one really experiences something special, something beyond virtuosity…Tanenbaum could have been answering encores until dawn…Regardless of what kind of music you’re into, Tanenbaum’s mastery, his befriending stage presence, his provocative programming will win you over.Phil Collins, Santa Cruz Sentinel
The musician seemed divinely inspired…Tanenbaum roams the fingerboard, effortlessly., executing complex chord and position shifts without hesitation…Tanenbaum cradled the guitar like a lover, caressing the silken wood of the neck, and drawing from the nylon and steel strings sounds of tenderness and passion.Rusty Marks, Charleston, West Virginia
Classical guitarist David Tanenbaum delighted a full-house audience with a highly varied program…Graceful, lyrical and technically brilliantLaurence Perkins, The Penn
Another piece of superb musicianship came from the young American guitarist David Tanenbaum, whose flowing and seemingly spontaneous performance of the second Bach Cello Suite I shall long remember.Colin Cooper, Classical Guitar Magazine
…an abundance of talent. He had a fine ear for nuance and tone color, and possessed a strict rhythmic sense that accommodated flexible phrasing when needed. His finger technique wasn’t too shabby either, allowing him the freedom to be expressive even in the thorniest passages.David Stabler, The Oregonian
Tanenbaum, to whom the (Henze) work is dedicated, played with a delicacy of nuance and tonal resource that conveyed the spare textures and pointillistic statements beautifully. He is an artist of elegance and refinement, who draws an enormous variety of sounds from his instrument.Donald Rosenberg, Akron Beacon Journal
Music making of the highest order..unsurpassable intimacy. The guitar literally sang…When Tanenbaum comes around, don’t his him for his talent, his musicality and his flawless playing.Boris Nelson, Toledo Blade
Guitarist David Tanenbaum…really did Kernis’s piece justice with his elegant phrasing , speedy runs, and immaculately clean shifts.Robert Jordan, The Goergia Straight, Vancouver
The Bay Area guitarist David Tanenbaum furnished a high point with four pieces by as many composers. Each was played with strength and exquisite subtlety…brilliantly played.William Glackin, The Sacramento Bee