NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
“Liszt’s first piano concerto and his tone poem Les Préludes may be guilty pleasures of a sort, but both offer sustenance … Mr. Groh, too, was substantial, offering the music’s bravura as well as the sensitivity.”
NEW YORK TIMES
BERLIN SYMPHONY
“Groh plays straight, just as God and Brahms instruct him … [he] now ranks at the top of the German tradition, a worthy heir to Backhaus, Edwin Fischer, Wilhelm Kempff.” [Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1]
BERLINER MORGENPOST
ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY
“Few can play the piano consistently with the kind of power that really fills a hall, and only a small subset of that can play powerfully while maintaining the finesse that makes the sound musical. Groh belongs to that subset. He makes a big sound where called for, but not at the expense of those things that matter most. He pulled back in the quieter moments with beautiful delicacy, and then brought the sound back up, in perfectly judged performance.” [Grieg Piano Concerto]
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
CINCINNATI SYMPHONY
“[Groh] is the kind of artist who draws you in, not only for his personal magnetism – which he possesses – but also for his respect for the composer’s intentions. He played with clarity, singing tone and knew just when to project the right amount of drama. His phrasing in the slow movement was beautifully shaped, and the finale was irresistible." [Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2]
CINCINNATI ENQUIRER
OMAHA SYMPHONY
“German pianist Markus Groh making his Omaha Symphony debut offered an impressive performance of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major for Piano and Orchestra. [...] Groh is that rare artist who balances ample power with the lightest of touches. Commanding without ever being muscular, he offered beauty and evenness of tone, silky-smooth arpeggios and flawless trills. The orchestra matched him perfectly in execution and emotional context. At the end of the piece, a fellow to the left of me shot out of his seat exclaiming, ‘Oh, boy!’”
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
SANTA BARBARA SYMPHONY
"The final piece, Tchaikovsky's deeply sensuous Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, was Groh's turn to enchant, his style of playing stern and physical. Tchaikovsky's high-intensity composition paired with Groh's incredible precision commanded a powerful final applause."
SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT
GRAND RAPIDS SYMPHONY
“Groh appeared to hardly break a sweat even while pounding the instrument into submission [Liszt Totentanz], attacking phrases with relish, ending phrases and daring them to come back for more. His dark phrases, with little bits of light glimpsing through, smooth legatos and percussive staccatos in careful measure, all made for a performance that was as luminous as it was virtuosic. Friday's audience gave him a big, enthusiastic standing ovation.”
GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS SOCIETY RECITAL
“The program culminated, in every sense, with four Liszt pieces that showed Groh on his home turf. Liszt … is a good fit for a smart virtuoso such as Groh, who can do full justice to his probing, unorthodox mind and his finger-busting pianistic fireworks.”
WASHINGTON POST
BRUSSELS PHILHARMONIC
“Markus Groh made an impressive soloist, his massive hands and fluent playing making light of Bartók’s demands and there was a notably close rapport with the orchestra." [Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3]
CLASSICAL SOURCE (London)
TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
“Groh is an artist with a capital "a": technically proficient, passionately in tune with the score and not one to get caught up in showy displays. His fingers danced lightly over the keyboard like a ballet dancer, but the sound he produced was powerful and pronounced. He balanced out Bartók's bursts of dissonance with sublime reminders of the composer's intent to write a love song for his pianist wife in the months before he died." [Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3]
ARIZONA DAILY STAR