“I was surprised and delighted to receive your CD. I have listened to all of it now. You are an amazing pianist. The selection was most interesting. I really enjoyed hearing those rarely played pieces. Your technique is brilliant, clear and vital. I hope you will make many more recordings.”
—William Corbett Jones, January 2013
“(Your CD) is delightful. Bravo!”
—David Dubal, author of The Art of the Piano, Program Director WXQR, New York
Dreams, by Amy Beach, was an evocation of late Liszt, complete with exotic harmonies and smooth glassy lines. Pianist-soprano Manna-Zucca’s Valse Brillante was full of turn of the century bravura, and Bogart polished it off in the true “fire and brimstone” style of the composer’s contemporaries, Lhevinne and Godowsky… A suite of tunes arranged by Gershwin himself was both touching and swinging, especially in Bogart’s rendering of The Man I Love. A powerful performance of Saturday Night Waltz and Hoedown transcribed for piano by Copland himself from his ballet score Rodeo brought the formal concert to an exuberant conclusion. Encores followed: Zez Confrey’s Dizzy Fingers and Morton Gould’s Boogie Woogie Etude as dazzling icing on the cake.”
—Miles Graber, San Francisco Classical Voice
“I have to say that I enjoyed Rebecca Bogart’s playing on this disk more than I enjoyed the barnstorming of the Van Cliburn finalists reviewed above. If you want to know the reason, I will give it to you in one word: charm! With the Van Cliburn winners, each one is sending us the message, “I am a great pianist, and I am going to impress you with my virtuoso technique.” With Ms. Bogart, you get the message, “I am a musician. I love these pieces and want to share them with you. ” … she has technique to burn.”
—Lyn Bronson, California Music Teacher
“A firecracker of a concert!….Rebecca Bogart’s performance of piano music written by American composers spanning three centuries was one of the season’s most interesting— and well attended— displays of virtuosity.”
—Joanne Ridley, Independent Coast Observer
“Bogart clearly illustrated the beauty of how music speaks to an audience. She executed each piece with conviction and concentration. Her sound combined a clarity, control and element of calmness….she demonstrated passion for the music.”
—Kristina Anderson, Trinity News
“Ms. Bogart plays with sensitivity and understanding….and a very fine sense of interpretation.”
—Monterey Herald
“On stage, Rebecca Bogart is graceful and poised, gliding up to the piano and creating music in a way which can only be described as gifted….Bogart’s range is wide and versatile. Her interpretation made the ovation she received well deserved…Richly expressive playing.”
—Stephanie Kirtland, Peninsula Times Tribune