Tom Poster

Solo and concerto performances

“… a blazing account on Friday of Ligeti’s blistering Piano Concerto, given a barnstorming performance by pianist Tom Poster in which the music’s jaggy, bouncy rhythms ricocheted off the City Hall walls as Poster, revelling in the resonances of Bartok and Ravel that propelled and coloured the music, splashed a generously-sized palette with fabulous colouring and, in the slower section, some genuinely haunting atmospheres.”
The Herald, April 2010 (Ligeti Concerto, Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Ticciati, Glasgow)

“Soloist Tom Poster was a willing conspirator. His cut-glass performance emphasised the super-sensitised intensity of Ligeti’s nerve-jangling score, which was matched by Ticciati’s energised direction of the cut-down (though percussion-enhanced) orchestra. This is music that makes the hair stand up, which this performance achieved with uncompromising welter.”
The Scotsman, April 2010 (Ligeti Concerto, Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Ticciati, Glasgow)

“Throughout, the virtuosity of the solo piano is complemented by the demanding contributions of the orchestral soloists, a challenge that soloist Tom Poster and the SCO’s reduced ensemble met brilliantly under Ticciati’s direction. This is a truly remarkable work - a widely shared reaction, judging by the interval buzz.”
Musical Criticism, April 2010 (Ligeti Concerto, Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Ticciati, Edinburgh)

“Stravinsky’s ballet Les Noces brought about a rousing and rollicking conclusion… Poster, Wass, Williams and Firsova were a dream team at the pianos.”
Musical Pointers, August 2009 (BBC Proms Multiple Pianos Day, Royal Albert Hall)

“Under Edward Gardner, pianists Rolf Hind, John Constable, Ashley Wass and Tom Poster motored through George Antheil’s Cubist score like manic cartoon characters.”
The Independent, August 2009 (BBC Proms Multiple Pianos Day, Royal Albert Hall)

“This was piano-playing of the very highest order. The four pianists were preternaturally together in music that makes substantial demands.”
Classical Source, August 2009 (BBC Proms Multiple Pianos Day, Royal Albert Hall)

“A thrilling performance of Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto by Oxford’s brilliant young star Tom Poster was the high spot of the City of Oxford Orchestra’s St Valentine’s Day concert. A packed Sheldonian Theatre was treated to a stirring, romance-drenched account of a work which could hardly have been more suited to the occasion… [Poster] showed a special understanding of its subtleties.”
Oxford Times, February 2009

“Tennyson wrote of ‘Music that gentlier on the spirit lies, Than tired eyelids upon tired eyes’. The lines came to mind as the melody of Schubert’s Op. 90 G flat Major Impromptu, supported by its murmuring triplet accompaniment, seemed to weave its way into the hearts of an enraptured audience. It was Tom Poster’s aptly-chosen encore after a barnstorming performance of Stravinsky’s Three Movements from Petrouchka… [In Chopin’s Third Sonata,] the Bel Canto themes sang their hearts out, while the fleet passages of the Scherzo came across with quicksilver grace. The memorable theme of the Finale was delivered with magisterial authority… For some, [Brahms’ Klavierstücke Op. 118] was the recital’s highlight, and indeed the playing had a rare distinction throughout… I shall look out for his name in future with keen anticipation.”
Keswick Reminder, January 2009

“… Ireland’s piano concerto played in Russia, quite possibly for the first time since it was written in 1930, by a rising star in the UK pianistic firmament… Tom Poster, fresh from his triumph in the 2007 Scottish International Piano Competition, delivered a fluent account of Ireland’s masterpiece… So great was the audience’s acclaim for this performance that Mr Poster sat down once more and played us Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’s charming piano piece Farewell to Stromness.”
From Beyond the Stave – The Boydell and Brewer Music Blog, December 2007 (St Petersburg Festival of British Music)

“Poster skilfully changed the styles of his playing as demanded by the composer, creating arresting forward motion in the polyphonic sections and then sudden radiant stillness through the chordal accompaniment of the beautiful Adagio melodies. The endings of both the sonatas were also moments of poise and serenity.”
MusicOMH.com, April 2006 (Beethoven Sonatas Ops. 109 and 111, Barbican Hall)

“The British pianist, Tom Poster, proved himself an unparalleled sound-magician. It was fascinating to observe the way he led the audience into the dreamworld of Schumann’s C Major Fantasy, for whose fragmented poetry he has a flawless instinct. A tender melancholy resonated from his performance of Schubert’s G flat major Impromptu, whose melody was not simply celebrated for its pathos but translated into delicate structural form. And in Beethoven’s Tempest Sonata, Poster opened the audience’s ears to the piece’s mysterious internal coherence, to the lucid dialogue in the Adagio and to the tonal magic of the Finale.”
General-Anzeiger, December 2005 (International Beethoven Competition, Bonn)

“Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1… presented no problems last Saturday for Tom Poster, the 24-year-old rising star who already plays with the confidence and technical assurance of a veteran. Launching into that famous, gloriously majestic opening theme, Poster established his credentials early on, embracing the roller-coaster of emotions with exuberance and fluency. By contrast, the Andante semplice was treated with elegance and lightness of touch, before summoning up that earlier energy for the final Allegro con fuoco. Poster is not afraid to show his enjoyment, and all the players were swept along in the wake of his infectious enthusiasm. This was as virtuosic a display as you could hope for; a real tour de force.”
Oxford Times, July 2005

“One Pianist Defies Tradition… lean, dark-haired, green-eyed Tom Poster, 23, gave the jury and the small audience reason to sit up and listen. Poster defied the competition cliches and opened with late Beethoven, giving an attractively high-spirited, accessible performance of the Sonata in E, Opus 109… he concluded the audition winningly with a brilliant rendition of 20th-century French composer Olivier Messiaen’s jazzy, joyfully dissonant Regard de l’Esprit de Joie (”Meditation on the Spirit of Joy”)… Poster is clearly a musician with great potential to make a mark on the international scene.”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, February 2005 (Van Cliburn Competition audition recital, Lugano)

“A prodigious talent… Quite amazing.”
Daily Post, July 2004 (Solo recital, Chester Festival 2004)

“A deeply thought out, original conception of the work… Poster’s touch in the floating, cantilena melody of the Adagio was truly exquisite.”
Oxford Times, January 2004 (Beethoven Emperor Concerto)

“The real joy of the evening, however, was Tom Poster’s masterly account of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue… his lyrical, unforced interpretation… rhythmic subtleties and dreamy chords - for a moment, the Sheldonian became a Manhattan nightclub.”
Oxford Times, November 2003

“An artist of fastidious tonal refinement and rare musical intelligence… This was playing of great distinction, allying the necessary bravura to a strikingly beautiful sound and a keenly individual kaleidoscope of tonal colours.”
Dorset Echo, November 2003 (Solo recital, Weymouth Music Club)

“Tom Poster… displayed great authority and astounding virtuosity [in Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini]. The public, won over by the commanding presence of this young man, gave him a standing ovation.”
Est Républicain, March 2003 (Epinal International Piano Competition 2003)

“Tom Poster… won over his audience with his alert and lively playing, revealing a true rapport with the orchestra.”
Liberté de l’Est, March 2003 (Epinal International Piano Competition 2003)

“A pianist-composer of distinction… His 1998 Illumination for violin and piano… gave scope for Poster’s own extrovert talents.”
The Times, January 2002 (Park Lane Group recital, Purcell Room, London)

“I caught a magnificent piano recital in the Friends Centre by 20-year-old Tom Poster, playing tumultuous Cesar Franck and ravishing Ravel with a maturity way beyond his years.”
Daily Mail, May 2001 (Solo recital, Brighton Festival)

“This was an enchanting performance… Poster is surely a natural exponent of 20th-century French music; he understands the mixture of lucidity and inner tension, and has an ear for the most subtle dynamic gradations… Marvellous.”
Oxford Times, February 2001 (Ravel Concerto in G)

“Tom Poster’s performance of the Grieg [Concerto] was one of the most thoughtful I can recall… a limpid tonal purity not unlike Gieseking… There was all the evidence here, both technical and musical, of a major talent.”
Oxford Times, January 2001

“Tom Poster… stunned us with his interpretations of Liszt and Chopin. Such devastating confidence and love of his music is the mark of a star performer.”
Gulf Daily News, November 2000

“The standards achieved by the young people performing here were astoundingly high. After hearing the opening performance by Tom Poster of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini it seemed impossible that he could fail to win.”
Financial Times, June 2000 (BBC Young Musicians Final Concert, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester)

Chamber music performances and recordings

“A word for the Aronowitz Ensemble, whose Sunday morning Coffee Concert at Wigmore Hall offered spirited, virtuosic accounts of Mendelssohn’s String Quintet No. 2 and Dvorak’s Piano Quintet, and the premiere of the 10-minute To See the Dark Between by the young, Glasgow-born Martin Suckling.”
Sunday Times, May 2010 (Aronowitz Ensemble, Wigmore Hall)

“This most rewarding concert left me with the strong feeling that chamber music playing doesn’t come any better than this.”
Oxford Times, May 2010 (Aronowitz Ensemble, Garsington Manor)

“The Aronowitz Ensemble, comprising seven young soloists, has attracted an enthusiastic following – not least as part of the BBC’s New Generation Artists scheme – for its recitals at Aldeburgh, the Wigmore Hall and elsewhere. And no wonder: this enterprising CD debut breathes sensitivity and purpose. The programme is a beautiful one, linked by a clearly identifiable national lineage… Elgar’s autumnal Piano Quintet makes a fitting climax.”
Financial Times, May 2010 (Aronowitz Ensemble debut recording, Climbing the Skies)

“In Elgar’s Piano Quintet, a late work imbued with nostalgia for pre-First World War certainties, the players find the muscle in its unashamedly Brahmsian writing, but there’s also an apt air of wistfulness in the way they turn the more pensive melodies. It’s an affecting account that deserves wide currency.”
The Strad, May 2010 (Aronowitz Ensemble debut recording, Climbing the Skies)

“Jennifer Stumm and Tom Poster were all that could be desired. Ms Stumm’s performance in the Schubert [Arpeggione Sonata] was rich and nuanced; Mr Poster’s accompaniment was just what one wants to hear: refined, delicate, not overstepping the bounds, and completely musical at the same time… Mr Poster’s playing is tempting beyond words. I would love to hear what he does as a soloist, and I know that many in the audience would agree. Last, and perhaps most important, these young performers had a wonderful time playing. It was a joy to behold, and to listen to.”
Newtown Bee, March 2010 (Duo recital, Newtown, Connecticut, USA)

“On the Sonimage label, newly founded by Paul Segar, the Aronowitz Ensemble… here demonstrates not only the players’ superbly polished ensemble and intensity of performance but their flexibility too. The Elgar Piano Quintet, the most ambitious of his three late chamber works, has rarely sounded so cogent as here… superb playing and finely honed recording.”
Gramophone, March 2010 (Aronowitz Ensemble debut recording, Climbing the Skies)

“This is an auspicious debut both for the label and the septet of performers. There are spacious accounts of VW Phantasy Quintet and Elgar’s piano quintet, the smoothness and subtlety of playing surrendering little in emotional intensity.”
Classical Music, February 2010 (Aronowitz Ensemble debut recording, Climbing the Skies)

“There’s virtuosic playing from the young Aronowitz Ensemble on their first disc… The seven-strong ensemble’s repertoire choice, a balance of old and new, proves satisfying… The players’ exuberance keeps English nostalgia at bay and all stays in keen, bright focus.”
Observer, January 2010 (Aronowitz Ensemble debut recording, Climbing the Skies)

“Natalie Clein, in superb partnership with pianist Tom Poster, produced a gripping performance of Delius’s Cello Sonata, steering a steady course through the variety of colour and mood in this melismatic work, bringing character and distinction to its often amorphous phrases, and building to its heroic conclusion with passion and technical aplomb. She was followed by Jennifer Pike, again with Poster, in a big-boned account of Elgar’s Violin Sonata, with mighty, impassioned climaxes in the first two movements as well as some wonderfully supple, nuanced playing in the second, and a finale mixing fire and reverie with a powerful sense of musical purpose.”
The Strad, November 2009 (BBC Proms Chamber Music Series)

“The members of the Aronowitz Ensemble produced performances that were outstanding in their technical prowess and musical insight… Elgar’s quintet - a great work revealed in all its glory in an account that combined a wonderful sweep and momentum with emotional depth and subtlety of shading. The clarity of instrumental texture and Tom Poster’s superbly graded piano playing, along with a magical realisation of the heartfelt Adagio, made this a performance to remember.”
Leicester Mercury, October 2008

“Fauré’s [La Bonne Chanson] is exquisite, as was this performance… [Huw Watkins' Sad Steps] was written for the Aronowitz Ensemble as “I always like to write for players I know”; they did not let him down. Nostalgic and despairing it may be in parts, Sad Steps was played with such verve and commitment that the overall impression was uplifting rather than melancholic… A most enjoyable concert enriched by musicians performing at the top of their game.”
Classical Source, September 2008 (BBC Proms Chamber Music Series)

“The pianist Tom Poster showed a light touch and a warm tone from early on… [As an encore, they played] the ensemble’s own pianist’s humorous, skilful arrangement of Gershwin’s They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”
Musical Criticism, September 2008 (BBC Proms Chamber Music Series)

“In front of a full concert hall, [the Aronowitz Ensemble] began with Mozart’s G minor piano quartet, one of his less comfortable pieces and in which the players quickly picked up the darker moods. Tom Poster on piano showed exemplary control and clarity in the rapid passage work of the finale.”
East Anglian Daily Times, August 2008 (Snape Proms)

“… well worth revisiting. So, too, will be the Aronowitz performance of Mendelssohn’s B minor Piano Quartet… A driving scherzo lost nothing in clarity, quite an achievement for the definition of line achieved by pianist Tom Poster, while the first movement was brooding, unrelenting in its minor-key severity under violinist Nadia Wijzenbeek. The mood was unabated also in the finale, in which Poster drove the performance at quite a lick, maintaining a precision to the lively counterpoint with the strings.”
Classical Source, June 2008 (City of London Festival)

“[Dvorák's Bagatelles are] a typical piece of 19th-century domestic music, the wheezy sounds of the harmonium supporting gracefully folky melodies on cello and violin, with a bit of “edifying” counterpoint slipped in. It was completely captivating… Finally, all five players [of the Aronowitz Ensemble] joined for a performance of Schumann’s Piano Quintet which caught all the music’s impetuousness.”
Daily Telegraph, June 2008 (Bath International Music Festival)

“The Aronowitz Ensemble, a collective BBC New Generation Artist and comprising promising soloists in their own right, gave a splendid performance. Immediately apparent was the players’ beautiful sound, projecting the melodies and rich harmonies with deceptive ease and a pleasing lack of indulgence. The opening of the piece is surely one of the most beautiful melodies in chamber music, and was touchingly played by Magnus Johnston, with florid arpeggios from Tom Poster, while the surging theme was fulsome in response.”
Classical Source, October 2007 (Wigmore Hall, BBC Lunchtime Concert Series)

“The passion which the Aronowitz Ensemble brought to Elgar’s Piano Quintet in A minor equalled their finesse in the [Vaughan Williams and Gurney] song cycles.”
Guardian, July 2007 (Cheltenham Festival)

“Evidently empathetic towards Britten’s mode of expression, Guy Johnston and Tom Poster gave a lucid performance [of Britten’s Sonata for cello and piano] that was coloured equally with passion and intensity.”
The Strad, June 2007 (Duo recital, Bishopsgate Institute, London)

“Manuel de Falla’s Seven Songs were delivered with an interpretive flair that evoked all the fiery atmosphere of the original words, with pianist Tom Poster coming into his own. But, for mood, nothing could beat the three Tangos by Astor Piazzolla, smouldering such Latin passion that St George’s briefly became a smoky Argentinian nightclub.”
Guardian, March 2007 (Balsom Ensemble, St George’s, Bristol)

“Best of all, though, was the second half of the Fauré Piano Quartet no. 1 which was backlit by Tom Poster’s fluent, translucent pianism… an energising spontaneity in the finale, while the slow movement oozed crepuscular magic.”
Venue, May 2006 (Aronowitz Ensemble, St George’s, Bristol)

“The Gallic finesse of the Fauré [Piano Quartet No. 1] was enhanced by the ensemble’s warmth of tone, an adept colouring and phrasing, and a temperament that struck an ideal balance between rapture and reason… The Aronowitz works as a true ensemble, listening, responding, moving as one and creating mellifluous, fascinating textures. Its tour is well worth catching.”
Daily Telegraph, April 2006 (Aldeburgh Easter Festival)

“I can recall few London debuts as exciting as this… a heroic interpretation of the [Brahms] G minor Piano Quartet. With the piano lid wide open, all four rose to the climaxes with seemingly limitless power. Yet there was also extraordinary delicacy, as Poster combined magically with the strings in the quieter passages of the first movement. There was further magic in the Intermezzo, broad phrasing at the ideal tempo in the slow movement and scintillating virtuosity in the Hungarian rondo… It is difficult to see how these fine players can greatly advance from this bridgehead. Let us hope we have many more chances to hear them attempt to do so.”
The Strad, March 2005 (Aronowitz Ensemble, St John’s Smith Square, London)

“The Brodskys were joined by Tom Poster for a warmly expressive first performance of Goehr’s Piano Quintet.”
The Independent, June 2002 (Aldeburgh Festival)