A miraculous concert

EL NORTE 14th November 2003
Alberto Ubach

Facing a crowd captivated by his interpretation, Judicaël Perroy received the greatest ovation to this date at the 10th Hispano-American festival that started November 6th in the concert hall of Tijuana Cultural Center. This concert confirmed the power of expression this popular instrument has in a concert hall.

A miraculous concert
I have never been interested by musical therapy and do not care about healing properties music has on men, animal or plants. And I do not like the idea that music could be associated with aspirin. However, on Wednesday the 12th of November, I felt the healing properties of the music played by Judicaël Perroy.

I have arrived in the concert room with a cough which in other circumstances would have prevented me from attending the concert (in the audience of course) but Judicaël Perroy's guitar, rather than healing my cough (on that matter, I still have doubts) has managed to keep me silent during the whole concert.

How is it possible to interrupt the masterly interpretation he has offered?

How can one disturb the attention of an audience captivated by this rare combination of virtuosity and good taste?

Of course, there is always an absent-minded person to think that listening to a concert comes down to listening to the radio sitting in an armchair, but hopefully, neither these absent-minded persons nor my cough have succeeded to disturb the great musical experience this happy audience went through.

At the end if the first piece (Grand Sonata op39 of Niccolo Paganini), Judicaël tried (as much as he could in Spanish) to tell the legend surrounding this piece.
[…]

The other pieces of the first part were very homogenous, stylistically wise.

He played the Fantasy Op 19 of Luigi Legnani, the introduction and the Caprice Op.23 of Giulio Regondi and the Fantasy on Traviata themes (Verdi) by Francisco Tarrega, in which Judicaël showed his stunning virtuosity that always goes along with good taste.

Then the Valses poeticos of Granados were played with the same clearness, precision, velocity, meaningful strength, and followed by expected and deserved showers of praises. All he lacks is fame. He has got the rest, and much more than necessary.

Then there was a slight modification in the program: instead of the Variations on "Folia de España" and Fugue by Ponce, he played the second Suite for lute by Bach. What he achieved with Bach (which even if it does not seem to be so, is very difficult to play) verged on the boundaries of magic. The interpretation from the Suite of the Prelude to the Double of the Gigue was simply magical.

To finish, he played as a first encore the Waltz Op 18 n°4 of Agustin Barrios and then the Catedral (the whole piece) also of Barrios.

I have no other word or praise to add, so I'd simply say that these encores were played with as much mastery that the rest of the concert.

 

FRENCH GUITARIST'S MASTERY AND POWER LIGHT UP FESTIVAL.

Not for the faint of heart was guitarist Judicaël Perroy's incandescent recital Saturday night for the South-West Guitar Festival in Travis Park United Methodist Church.
This young Frenchman may be the most intense, driven and jaw-droppingly brilliant performer around, on any instrument. Some of the music on his program had been essayed ably by others during the Festival: Astor Piazzolla's wistful "Invierno Porteno", an Agustin Barrios waltz, Johann-Kaspar Mertz's "Hungarian Fantasy" - but Perroy took each to a new level.

His sheer facility was astonishing, but more remarkable style was his mastery of instrumental color - including some timbres that he seems to have invented.

He was impetuous, probing, wilful. He played every note as though it might be his last. Every phrase contained wheels within wheels. Even Enrique Granados' innocent "Valses Poeticos" became epics. His second encore, Nikita Koshkin's frantic "Usher Waltz" was like a galaxy exploding.

Transcendent artistry? Perhaps not the cerebral type.

Compelling? Unforgettable?

Absolutely.

Roland Dyens,
Paris, December 2nd 1998

"I got the opportunity to meet the young guitarist Judicaël Perroy many years ago in Nice (France) for the very first time. He was a child and already had been really impressed by all the evident musical qualities he could show up at that time. (I remember that he played the Vivaldi concerto).
After a quite long time, I recently took part in the jury that gave him the first prize at the Conservatoire de Paris in June 1996.
Judicaël Perroy is, no doubt, one of the most gifted and talented young guitarist I know. According to me, somehow, he is even more than an excellent guitarist: he is a true musician, full of the rare qualities that are flexibility, cleverness and heart.'

 

CUERNAVACA GUITAR FESTIVAL 1999

Matanya Ophée

… This guy is good! Someone to watch out for.

He opened with two large scale works by Bach in his own transcription, the Concerto after Vivaldi BWV 972, and the A minor suite BWV 997. Expertly played with a good understanding of the style, perfect control over the phrasing, just about as satisfying Bach as one could wish for. He followed that with the Fantaisie Hongroise by Mertz, one of those magnificent displays of Hungarian gypsy passion which most non-Hungarian botch up mercilessly as an empty display of digital pyrotechnics. Perroy got the hang of this right and proper. He would dispatch himself with honor and respect in any gypsy gathering in the Hungarian Putza.
I still think it is better to play this work on the instrument for which it was written: the 10-string/24-fret Scherzer double-back guitar, than on a bare bones six-stranger. A different animal altogether. But given the correct stylistic peculiarities of the typical Verbunkos, one can get away it. Perroy did, and magnificently so. I enjoyed his Mertz very much.

He was scheduled to play two pieces by Albeniz after the intermission, Cordoba and Asturias. Mercifully, perhaps in deference to a statement I made to him privately before the concert regarding this music, he dropped these pieces from his program. The gesture touched me deeply. His performance of the Cinco piezas by Astor Piazzolla carried all the trademarks of his teacher, Roberto Aussel. Well played, but, and this is my measure on how anybody can play Piazzolla, I would not last on the tango dance floor for two measures with this music.

The program ended with Koshkin's Usher waltz in a rendition which makes that John Williams pale by comparison. Mind you, even though I am the first person to ever publish this music, and its popularity owes much to my promotion of it, I think it is over-played and it's time it was given a well-deserved rest. Judicaël, however, had given this lollipop such a blazing interpretation it almost sounded like real classical music. The audience loved it and would not let him go without putting out three encores which included some of the usual Lauro waltzes, a token Albeniz (Sevilla) and the Barrios La Catedral.

 

CUERNAVACA GUITAR FESTIVAL 2000

Matanya Ophee

The performance, however, was anything but pedantic. Fire and brimstone and a " Romanza " played truly amorosamente. Two transcriptions of Paganini Caprices followed, no.16 and the inevitable no.24 from Paganini's op.1 one of the few works by him in which he used an Opus number. It was difficult not to compare this with Fisk's performance at the beginning of the week, but as I said, there is more than one way to skin a Paganini Caprice and Judicaël dispatched himself here with distinction. The second half of the program was dedicated to music by Nikita Koshkin, the Prelude and Valse, the Usher Waltz and the sonata. Well done. Nikita recently informed me that he was invited to this year's Cuernavaca Festival. It will be interesting to hear these two getting together. But the best was yet to come. The first encore was the Mertz Hungarian Fantasy, which Judicaël performed with distinction in a true Hungarian gipsy style, in last year's festival. I do not recall if Karin Schaupp was there, but I would strongly advise her to listen to this young man's interpretation.

 

The Piazzolla Man delivers

Steve Waechter
Classical Guitar Society of Northern Colorado
December 1998

In his Rialto Theater concert, Oct 24, 1998, Judicaël Perroy stunned the capacity audience with a totally masterful performance from the first note to the last. Comments heard at intermission and ovations after the concert left no doubt the audience was enthralled by the virtuosity and artistry they heard.

Judicaël opened the recital with Campero ,Romantico ,and Compadre by Astor Piazzolla These were played with affection and created a charming effect for an opening set .The Grande Sonata ,Op 39,by Niccolo Paganini received an enthusiastic performance .This Sonata is performed infrequently, perhaps due to the difficulty in making the first movement sound musically coherent and natural.JP did a convincing job ,but clearly looked forwards to the gorgeous second movement(lovingly played).He has fun with the pyrotechnic third movement dazzling everyone present with wonderful finger gymnastics and dramatic effects .The first half concluded with the Tango of Enrique Nuñez. This piece has a quiet ending which he handled admirably, but seemed a bit odd to end the half with and introspective type of work.

The second half began with one of the finest performances of La Catedral (by Agustin Barrios) the reviewer has ever heard…and I have heard a few hundred !The lyrical movements sang and the final Allegro was a breathtaking pace but clean, impassioned, and" just right ".Bach's 2nd Lute suite was next ,and JP's performance was masterful. The tempi were perfect, his articulation superb, the phrasing clear and convincing .He finished the concert with two movements from Albeniz's suite Española: Cataluña and Sevilla. Both were exciting and fun to hear and brought the audience instantly to their feet for a well deserved standing ovation .The cheers were rewarded with an encore; Paganini's 24th Caprice (arr .John Williams); my personal highlight of the evening. I am tempted to say he "out John Williams'd John Williams with his performance .He had the audience gasping for breath as he flew through the variations. When he finished, the crowd cheered wildly, hollered, whistled and wanted more.

This concert was well attended and a huge success for both JP and the CSG .We heard a tremendous young player share his soul of passion for music .We heard nothing of this young guitarist prior to the week he swept the 1997 GFA competition .If Judicaël Perroy continues to perform with the heart and soul that we heard this evening his reputation will continue to grow long after his GFA tour is finished… and we will all come to know him well.

 

Classical Guitar Magazine May 2000

Colin Cooper

A bright and forward style but a very musical one […].
He finishes a line very well, with a sense of dramatic shape that is always satisfying. A glowing, resonant tone completes the picture of a young and promising talent […].
Judicaël Perroy goes up in my estimation for tackling a difficult modern work (fantasy-divisions) and making a success of it.

 

Guitar Review

N°104 / 1996

All the performances were of an extremely high standard.
One would not normally single out one individual, Judicaël Perroy caused such a sensation with his outstanding performance of Barrios' Catedral that it would be an injustice not to flag up his name at this time.

 

Les Cahiers de la guitare et de la musique
N°45/1993

Bernard Piris

… Judicael Perroy won the fist prize of the René Bartoli International Competition. This young French guitarist (20years old) has amazing talent, but more than that, he has a strong understanding of music. He is truly an expert at what he does. To be continued…

 

Newsletter of the Austin Classical Guitar Society

Winter 1998

Matthew Hinsley

…His performance came with all the trimmings one would expect from a rising international star…
…His sensitivity and extreme care combined with a jaw-dropping speed, gave the impression of an artistic dancer on ice…
Newsletter of the Austin Classical Guitar Society.

 

Orange County Guitar Circle

February 24th, 1999.

Dave Weisbart

I am struck by the possibility that in describing the wonderful performance given by GFA winner, Judicaël Perroy, last November, I may run out of superlatives.

Mr; Perroy has technique to spare, making the most demanding literature flow flawlessly from his instrument. Add to that a seemingly innate musically and vibrant spirit, and you end up with truly breathtaking and magical evening of music [...].

Campero was intern, mystical and powerful; Romantico lived up to its title, even though it was punctuated with many rhythmic surprises; and Compadre used the lively and exotic elements (such as slapping the guitar) that make Piazzolla so distinctive. All were played with stirring eloquence […].

Mr. Perroy's performance of the Grand Sonata op.39 of Niccolo Paganini was a joy to be hold […].

Excitment in the hall was high as he began two works by Albeniz : Cataluna and Sevilla. Suffice it to say that these sparkling performances yielded a standing ovation at the conclusion of Sevilla.

 

Soundboard Spring 1999

Richard Long

The first prize winner of the 1997 GFA Competition, Parisian Judicaël Perroy, returned to play a demanding program; because of confusion at the airport, he barely made it to his concert, but there was no indication of either fatigue or distraction in his performance. Paganini's Grand Sonata in A, op.39, his becoming a sort of signature piece for him; its technical demands match his abilities very well. His concert also included Bach's Lute Suite BWV 997, selections from Piazzolla's Cinco Piezas, Albeniz's Sevilla and Cataluña, and a very good arrangement (his own) of Granados' Valses Poeticos. Perroy is capable of some outstanding virtuosity, as in the Paganini Variations, the scale at the end of Cataluña, or some of Granados' luscious waltzes, but the Bach Sarabande and Paganini's Romance also revealed a musician capable of great subtlety and sensitivity. He has a silvery tone, power, taste, and breathtaking scales. The GFA competition has another worthy representative in this young artist. Formidable!

 

Ouest France 4/27/84

The young Judicael Perroy, 11 years old, looking like Roberto Benzi with his curly hair, played " The Variations on Malbrough s'en va- t-en -guerre " by Fernando Sor. Obviously, the audience was held spellbound by this little guy who, hopefully, will neither be manipulated by the media, nor feed the music business. His variations are relevant of an already mature technique and personal sound (the Bach Prelude played as an encore is not at everybody's level). But please, let us allow him to take his time and build up his personality. His debut is very promising; therefore his coolness and innocence have to be protected.