“But the most dramatic performance of the evening belonged to pianist Alessio Bax, who skippered the remarkable dynamics within Faure’s “Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor, Opus 45.” From the tossed sea sensibility immediately conjured for the opening Allegro movement to the similarly sudden conclusion to the third Adagio non troppo movement that triggered an audible audience gasp a few rows behind me, this was perhaps the most fully realized and openly emotive performance so far in the festival.”

– Lexington Herald-Leader (Walter Tunis) (Faure’s Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor, Opus 45 at the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington), 2017

Read full review

“(…) pianist Bax was impressive. This relatively young artist eschewed overly dramatic gestures of the crowd-pleasing sort and channeled all his considerable energy into the music, demonstrating complete mastery of the demanding writing.”

–Cleveland.com

“Bax is a true storyteller, using the piano as his voice, and Gabetta reminds us through these selections why the cello was created – as an instrument of raw emotion to reflect our own capacity for feeling. This concert was a wonderful showcase of two talented artists.”

–The Independent

“Throughout the evening, pianist Bax proved an inspired partner for Bell. The two ably prodded each other, especially in the night's sonatas. In the Brahms, particularly, Bax's account of the keyboard part was notable for its tonal warmth and excellent textural balance.”

–Telegram

“Bax found plenty of poetry in the work [Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No 14 “Moonlight”] and capped it with quite a stormy finale. (…) Pictures at an Exhibition is a virtuoso piece in its piano form, full of many moods including some spooky passages. Virtuosity and variety were strongly present in Bax’s interpretation, which ended with a grand Great Gate of Kiev.”

–Star Telegram

“Bax wisely eschewed extensive rubato in the first movement [Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No 14 “Moonlight”], marked Adagio sostenuto, instead creating a dignified, elegant sustained line. He attacked the thorny third movement, marked Presto agitato, at a breakneck clip, but Bax is a musician with technique up to the task.”

–Theater Jones

“Bax gave it [Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 31, No. 1 in A major, Op. 110] a sensitive and insightful performance. (…) The majestic fugal section in the last movement was played with great clarity and the entrance of the subject in octaves in the bottom of the instrument was an awe-inspiring sound. It was fascinating to hear him boldly step forward in this solo appearance and then return to the collaborator a moment later.”

–Theater Jones

“Bax’s bracing prestidigitation was evident in the strongly projected playing of the declarative solo that begins the work [Barber’s Piano Concerto], and even more in the explosive later cadenza and his consistently fast and accurate passagework. Yet the soloist was also able to relax into the more lyrical sections, with some affecting phrasing in the Canto middle movement. (…) Bax racheted up the power and velocity in the virtuosic final section, making the sparks fly in a combustible coda.”

–Chicago Classical Review

“Bax had the measure of this knuckle-busting virtuoso piece [Barber’s Piano Concerto]. His winning account combined youthful bravura in the outer movements with an innate feel for the ebb and flow of melody in the central Canzone: Not even wailing fire trucks on nearby Michigan Avenue could mar his concentration. His fingerwork was incisive without degenerating into pounding, and the torrent of pianistic energy he unleashed in the explosive, toccata-like finale kicked up tremendous excitement. Let's have him back.”

–Chicago Tribune

"Closing the program was Mr. Bax’s tastefully enhanced interpretation of “La Valse” by Ravel: less mordant than richly opulent, rising from Stygian gloom into a gaudy efflorescence, with glissandos that whistled as if no touch were involved."

–New York Times