"Leshnoff’s handsomely wrought, lyrical Trombone Concerto . . . played glowing melodic lines over autumnal string harmonies . . . . The afternoon’s keenest discovery was Mr. Leshnoff.”
- Steve Smith, New York Times, November 4, 2008
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“Saturday night, however, a new concerto from the exceptional composer
Jonathan Leshnoff found a deservedly warm welcome at the Germantown
Performing Arts Centre . . . His Double Concerto for Violin, Viola and
Orchestra, composed last year, is an elegant creation, beautifully
rendered by the orchestra and the two outstanding soloists . . .
Leshnoff’s full embrace of harmony grants accessibility without
sacrificing depth or musicality. It is complex but not complicated,
exploring a range of emotions . . . IRIS is one of five organizations
that commissioned the work and the orchestra plans more performances
from this terrific composer.”
- Jon W. Sparks, The Commercial Appeal, March 31, 2008
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"The rich repertoire for violin and orchestra got richer with a work by Leshnoff. His Violin Concerto . . . is remarkably assured, cohesively constructed and radiantly lyrical.
There is something at once familiar and fresh about both the harmonic
and melodic language. If Leshnoff sometimes seems to be channeling,
say, Samuel Barber, he still sounds original.
An interior drama unfolds in the score, a progression of events and
emotions, leading to an inevitable, cathartic release of tension. The
concerto has imagination, integrity and heart. You can't ask much more
of any composition."
-Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, MD), February 11, 2006
"Jonathan Leshnoff's music can be boldly
dissonant or hauntingly lyrical, wildly animated or intriguingly
contemplative. His new Violin Concerto is all of those things.
Premiered by the Columbus Symphony in Ohio in November . . . the
concerto was commissioned by a consortium of five orchestras, including
one in Mexico, reflecting the composer's ever-increasing visibility."
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"The new concerto strikes one as thoughtful and
intricate yet economical. Having heard much of it in rehearsal
Thursday, I can say the piece grows on you and its themes quickly
become familiar and welcome by the ear. I'd like to hear it again."
-Barbara Zuck, The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus,
OH), November 19, 2005
"A diaphanous orchestral fabric of beautiful transparency. . . . Lush, evocative slow passages alternated with driving rhythms. . . . The structure was clear and the themes showed an avoidance of cliche."
-Paul Horsley, The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO), May 22, 2006
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"...a fluid, thoughtful work, superbly textured and unafraid to be intellectual."
-Jon Sparks, Commercial Appeal
(Memphis, TN), December 6, 2004
"Jonathan Leshnoff's contrastingly gentle "Wadi Valley Echoes" was inspired by a visit to Israel and the decision to listen intently to the sounds of the desert, including bird calls echoing from rock walls, as well as falling pebbles and the water in a spring. Incorporating bowed cymbals, vibraphones, tom-toms and the inner workings of a piano into his scoring, Leshnoff used repeating melodic cells and sudden interruptions to convey the mysterious, constantly changing and sometimes unsettling aura of the experience."
-Allan Kozinn, The New York Times, January 17, 2004
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"However the most memorable and significant piece on this disc is, for this listener, Cosmic Echoes
by the young American composer, Jonathan Leshnoff. This is one of the
most imaginative and compelling works for trumpet and organ that I have
ever heard, and ought to be widely-known by trumpeters everywhere.
There is a haunting quality about it that will ever remain with me."
-Arthur Butterworth, MusicWeb International (UK), August, 2006
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"[Leshnoff's] Nightcries for violin, saxophone and piano is an engrossing piece that extracts myriad colors from all three instruments . . . . You can feel the pull of opposing emotions in Leshnoff's score with its contrasts between spiky harmonies and lyrical lines; the quiet, slow-fading end suggests a gradual coming to terms."
-Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun, April 2, 2004
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"...[his] compositions are enjoying considerable exposure around the country..."
-Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun
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"Kendall conducted this work and the opening number, Jonathan M. Leshnoff's "Racing Pulse" -a curiously attractive work inspired by the composer's studies with Albert, particularly his harmonic theories. Like Albert's music, it managed to generate sounds both unfamiliar and inviting, with vivid orchestration and contrasting patterns of tension and relaxation."
-Joseph McLellan, Washington Post, January 28, 2002
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"Jonathan Leshnoff . . . has been steadily building a successful career as a composer. The premiere of his Concerto for Five Percussionists and Band will give that career an extra boost. The new score was played with extraordinary care and control by the United States Marine Band and five of its top-flight percussionists, all under Colonel Timothy W. Foley's assured conducting. . .
In five movements that alternate between uneasy calm and urban-pulse edginess, the half-hour concerto is deftly written and exerts a strong pull. The harmonic language is freely dissonant, yet non-confrontational; even fragments of melody, often no more than a mere flutter or sigh, communicate strongly.
The percussion battery, which makes waves at the softest and loudest volumes, may be center-stage, but it doesn't hog the unfolding drama. The array of drums, gongs, bells and cymbals is imaginatively integrated into the total sonic picture, while the wind instruments of the band - augmented by piano, harp and double bass - are likewise employed with considerable imagination and sensitivity to tone coloring. The ear is never bored.
. . . the concerto represent a masterful grasp of form and function. . . The music moves surely, seamlessly through its contrasting moods. Recurring ideas, especially gentle staccato notes from the piano and harp that fall like ominous water droplets, help unify the score. It's easy to hear underneath the music a sense of longing for something safe and serene - something that, in the slow fade at the end, remains tantalizingly out of reach."
-Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun, February 17, 2004
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“This luscious concerto ended far too soon, with its haunting four-note
theme still expanding within my brain . . . Leshnoff’s concerto was
complexly layered, though never dull. The interplay between brass and
strings was colorful, even as the two soloists kept attention focused
on their technical wizardry.
In the power of the conclusion, that memorable four-note theme emerged
victorious, assuring us tat at least some new symphonic music will have
a confident future.”
-Samuel Black, Duluth News Tribune, May 5, 2008
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