Timothy McAllister – McAllister 'wows' with the BPO!

[Review: “Albany Symphony, Cheng and McAllister in top form”]
To finish the evening, John Corigliano’s “Triathlon for Saxophonist and Orchestra” would be hard to beat. With Grammy-winning saxophonist Timothy McAllister as the star, the piece is not only a tour de force for the saxophone but also for the orchestra…the overall effect was buoyant, bold, funky, and very in-your-face confident…as they say in jazz terms, he wailed on the part with great energy and Miller and the gang followed suit.”

Geraldine Freedman The Daily Gazette (6/5/22)

“[Glint] is a varied anthology of contemporary pieces…tangy, oxygen rich and kaleidoscopic.”

Rob Barnett MusicWeb-International (UK)

“…McAllister performed solos crucial to the work’s flavor with brashness that never overpowered a beautifully rounded tone.”

Michael Rodman The Ann Arbor News

“Timothy McAllister delivers unusually pure and sweet tone”

Joshua Rosenblum Opera News (February 2019)

“He gave the piece the knockout performance it deserved…[McAlllister] gave a fluent demonstration of what his instrument —all his instruments—can do. He tore his way nimbly through intricate passagework, shaped lyrical melodies with the grace of an opera singer, and gave the piece all the theatrical panache it wanted.”

J.Kosman [John Corigliano’s ‘Triathlon’ - world premiere with the San Francisco Symphony] San Francisco Chronicle

“Timothy McAllister gave intense, intelligent performances…mournful [and] exuberant…”

Bruce Hodges S&H International Concert Review - MusicWeb (UK)

“Handling the extensive saxophone solos was guest musician Timothy McAllister, who performed the work’s world premiere and who was brought in at Adams’ request. Although seated in the middle of the orchestra, he stood for the solos and played the jazz-inspired riffs in a nervy, improvisatory style, a highlight of what was a fine performance.”

David Fleshler The Miami Herald/South Florida Classical Review

“Timothy McAllister is both an agile soloist, easily surmounting any technical hurdles, and an expressive, communicative musician able to plumb the depths or scale the heights of these contemporary composers’ inspirations. His fellow musicians are equally accomplished; these renditions are finely honed collaborations between talented peers.”

R. Schulslaper FANFARE Magazine

“They [McAllister and Class] give a truly remarkable performance of Lilith…a superior recording.”

William Bolcom

“hypnotically swirling lines and propulsive rhythms…brilliantly performed by all concerned and recorded with life-like fidelity.”

FANFARE Magazine FANFARE Magazine

“Dudamel led a bracing, propulsive performance with instrumental lines clear even in Adams’ most riotous contrapuntal moments. The L.A. Phil members covered themselves in glory with outstanding contributions…especially, Timothy McAllister’s evocative and bravura alto sax playing.”

Lawrence A. Johnson The Classical Review

[Review: “LA Phil Brings ‘New World’ to Seoul”] “Resplendent saxophone solos thrilled audiences throughout…”

Kwon Ji-youn The Korea Times (3/27/15)

“…jaw-dropping technical display…a well-known master of his instrument.”

Daniel Coombs Audiophile Audition

“a titan of contemporary music and the instrument in general”

Zachary Lewis The Plain Dealer, Cleveland (10/7/14)

“a mature, polished performer…whose dynamic and color contrasts enhance his ability to communicate - Bravo!”

Leone Buyse Former Associate Principal Flute, Boston Symphony Orchestra

[“SLSO fires on all cylinders with creative concert featuring ‘Bolero’”] On Connesson’s ‘A Kind of Trane’: “Much of it sounded like dazzling improvisation…complete mastery of every nuance of phrase and melody”

John Huxhold St. Louis Post-Dispatch (3/6/20)

“John Adams said he wouldn’t wish [that alto saxophone solo] on anyone, but Timothy McAllister dispatching it with wonderful grace on this world premiere evening.”

Fred Child Commentary from American Public Media/Performance Today’s coverage of Gustavo Dudamel’s Inaugural Concert with the LA Phil

“McAllister literally mesmerized the audience with a virtuoso performance that captured the full range of the sax, bringing thunderous applause and two curtain calls for bows”

Bill Jones Charlotte Sun (1/17/19)

[Review: ” CSO end year literally with a bang”] “The Prokofiev benefitted from distinguished solo playing by Chris Martin on cornet, Michael Henoch on oboe and uncredited guest players Lorna McGhee on flute and the great Timothy McAllister on tenor saxophone.”

John Von Rhein Chicago Tribute (12/19/14)

“[City Noir’s] second movement, “The Song Is for You,” is softer and, on the surface, sweeter than the first, and jazzy. I heard hints of Gershwin in the horns after a flamboyant saxophone solo played by Timothy McAllister.”

Mark Swed Los Angeles Times

News

McAllister ‘wows’ with the BPO!

December 9, 2019

Timothy McAllister joined Maestro Thomas Wilkins with the superb Buffalo Philharmonic this past weekend, showcasing two different saxophone concertos on the same program across two evenings. The Buffalo News critic Leonidas Lagrimas’ full review can be found HERE.
(Excerpt)
“World-renowned saxophonist Timothy McAllister’s brilliant, crowd-pleasing performance was equal parts rock-star swagger and supremely polished musicianship.
Following the full-blast intensity and crowd-pleasing pyrotechnics of “Rush,” the more restrained tone and mellower lyricism of Aleksandr Glazunov’s Saxophone Concerto came across as somewhat anticlimactic (the program’s first half would have been far more effective if the Fuchs and Glazunov were reversed). Nevertheless, McAllister’s refined performance was as good as saxophone playing gets, a masterclass in phrasing and another reminder of this instrument’s full dramatic and musical range.”

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