”It is not easy to give a distinctive performance of Bach’s suites for solo cello, something that makes these familiar pieces sound new. That is what baroque cellist Tanya Tomkins did Saturday afternoon in an insightful traversal of all six suites over two concerts closing out the Library of Congress’ Bach festival.”
The Washington Post: “Cellist Tanya Tomkins plays Bach at the Library of Congress” April 2012
“Tanya Tomkins has got something to add to the Bach Cello Suites…”
San Francisco Classical Voice: “The Irresistible Flame: Bach Cello Suites” June 2011
“Tanya Tomkins recently delighted new and longtime SFCV fans with a ‘musical conversation’ held in a delightfully intimate space in the downtown area of San Francisco, where she played selections from Bach’s Cello Suites. So it’s no stretch to report that her Bach playing is at a level of deep-seated feeling and communion that most players can only dream of.”
San Francisco Performances, Preview April 2012
“She has that rare instinct for knowing the right millisecond for placing a note or adding a second string. She could vary interpretations when repeating a section. And she’s both a baroque and modern cellist, bringing a kind of cross-cultural richness to her playing. She studied and played for 14 years in Holland, where the Dutch masters taught her, but now she has a voice and style of her own: very clean, rhythmically alive, rich and transparent, unforced but expressively powerful. It was a superb performance.”
Crosscut Public Media, Review October 2010
“Acclaimed cellist Tanya Tomkins is equally at home with early music, the classics, and contemporary compositions…”
Cellist Tanya Tomkins: Suite Phase of Life, San Francisco Classical Voice, November 2010
Reviews of JS Bach: Six Cello Suites Recording (Avie):
“There are moments of genius in the demanding Sixth Suite…Her performances are characterful and heartfelt…”
Gramphone Magazine Review, June 2011
“A strong recording all around of these often-played suites, with original contributions.”
AllMusic, Review by James Manheim
With the Benvenue Pianoforte Trio:
“To hear Schumann played on period instruments seems a rare occurrence, but this inscription…bears listening, especially for the relative clarity of the melodic lines…The graduated entries of the sizzling Finale: Vivace ripple with rhythmic drive and tonal bite…Even more of a balance, the scale of this performance manages a robust energy of the concert hall fused to the musing interiority of the salon, quite a sophisticated achievement, I dare say.”
Audiophile Audition, January 2012
All Things Strings: 5 Minutes with Tanya Tomkins
Media, for more on Tanya, please contact:
Emily Polsby
Publicist
(510) 912-3386
Epolsby(at)Yahoo(dot)com
