Clelia Iruzun

"The past few years have seen an almost endless number of recorded piano recitals built around the dance. From the first track, Chopin's Waltz, Op. 34:1, it was apparent that this one was going to be something special. Clélia Iruzun knows how to perform Chopin and pushes all the right buttons for tone, phrasing, and the elusive natural-sounding rubato. She applies this to the melancholy Waltz Op. 69:1 and to the rest of her program as well. There is a refined sensibility to everything she plays, enabling the listener to feel fully comfortable with her performances.
The Granados is the 13 minutes of Valses Poeticos. From her native Brazil, there are waltzes by Fernandez, Mignone, and Villa-Lobos. Each in its own way is captivatingly played, with spirit and warmth. In the more virtuosic pieces such as Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No. 1 and the Schulz-Elver arrangement of the Strauss Blue Danube she has plenty of sparkle and does not rely on the sustaining pedal as a crutch when the going gets rough. Brief waltzes by Godowsky, Levitzki, and Brahms (guess which one?) complete the program. I will certainly be searching out her other recordings."
American Record Guide, Jan-Feb, 2004, by Alan Becker

“Ah, what a musician! Throughout you are struck by her imagination always grounded in musicality; All those stretching rubatos, which she always keep on the right borders of sentiment and sentimentality. Chopin's A flat major waltz, "Farewell", is a brilliant pearl which has not shimmered more beautifully since Rubinstein died, and she breathes new, and rather unexpected, life in to old war horses like von Weber’s Invitation to the Waltz or Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz what more can You ask on such great journey of discovery”.
DAGENS INDUSTRI (The largest finance paper in Sweden)

"There are few grounds for complaint about Clélia Iruzun’s technique, which allows her to confront the challenges of the Mephisto Waltz with justified self-confidence. She can also summon up the rhythmic fluidity necessary to shape the improvisatory lines of the Mignone and Fernandez charmers.
There are enough persuasive items here not only the Mignone and Fernandez, but also the sunny Granados and the dashing account of the Weber to make this CD worth the attention of pianophiles."
INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW, UK

“This is a generally imaginative programme by a thoroughly musical and capable pianist, well played and recorded, musicianly throughout. Most welcome here are the waltzes by Villa-Lobos, Mignone, Fernandez and Levistzky, most welcome because least familiar and like everything else, they’re excellently played.”
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE, UK

“The attraction of this disc is its variety, a mix of the familiar, such as Weber’s Invitation to the Waltz and those by Chopin, Brahms and Liszt, with comparative rarities, in this case three of them by Brazilian composers Mignone, Fernandez, and Villa-Lobos (all active in the 20th century), an apt choice by this talented young Brazilian pianist. Clélia Iruzun is a fine pianist with a few discs already behind her and a seemingly full schedule of recitals ahead of her and is not only technically assured and idiomatically colouful, but she also gets to the heart of these varied waltz styles. A highly enjoyable hour and a quarter listening”.
MUSIC ON THE WEB

“When recording a collection of piano music, it’s imperative in this day and age that you show you have something different to say, as Brazilian pianist Clélia Iruzun demonstrates here. Overall her playing has a pleasing warm tone and a good transparency of texture, resulting in an emphasis on harmonic texture.”
THE PIANIST, UK