Press

The New Yorker

Notable Classical Recording of 2023

Inon's 'Rachmaninoff Reflections' included in The New Yorker's year-end round-up of notable classical recordings.

Diapason

Barnatan is not afraid to transcribe the Symphonic Dances for solo piano... the pianist rises to the challenge brilliantly. The ‘Vocalise’ transcription... is a model for humility... a beautiful program, resolutely turned inward.

The New York Times

Can a Piano Capture the Grandeur of Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Music?

Inon Barnatan has created a solo transcription of “Symphonic Dances” in which he tries “not to imitate an orchestra, but to embody it.”

Textura

Rachmaninoff Reflections - Review

Apparent immediately is his sensitivity of touch and elegance of phrasing... There's no shortage of memorable moments...

Klassieke Zaken

With his latest CD, [Barnatan] has managed to really add something to the Rachmaninoff discography... through his own arrangements of the Vocalise for solo piano and especially Symphonic Dances. Translating this adequately to a single piano requires courage and insight. Both are fully present in Barnatan and he has thus reduced the Symphonic Dances to their true essence.

International Piano

Reflecting on Rachmaninoff

Inspired by a covert recording of the composer, Inon Barnatan has arranged Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances for solo piano. He explains what drove him to make this arrangement and introduces his new recording.

The San Diego Union-Tribune

Review: SummerFest’s elegant kick-off concert a promising overture for the monthlong series

"Director Inon Barnatan’s selections for the concert were savvy and smart, perfect for Summerfest’s opening salvo, in that all the works, interesting in themselves, referred in some way to other music, creating a narrative fabric that wove together chronology, genre, and geography in a promising stylistic overture to the entire series."

CBS8

What's in store for this year's La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest?

Inon Barnatan, Music Director of La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest talks about the July 28–August 26 concert series on CBS8.

"Everybody in that audience feels like they have a direct connection to what's happening on stage.. it's a conversation really."

The San Diego Union-Tribune

SummerFest a La Jolla joy ride for music director Inon Barnatan and his family, including Jasper the whippet

“It’s very special and we take our time — no more than eight hours on the road a day. We don’t drive in the dark. Each time we plan a different route and have nice places to stay, see beautiful things and meet special people. This is a precious time to just be together and have this mini-vacation where we slow down. I travel a lot, but don’t always get to visit places without concert halls. So I really enjoy this.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune

Summer musts: 50 ways San Diegans can celebrate the season in 2023

“The Great Unknown” is the name of this year’s SummerFest, a monthlong festival by the La Jolla Music Society, programmed by Music Director Inon Barnatan. Beginning July 28, the festival promises myriad highlights, including opening night with a star-studded orchestra led by acclaimed conductor Alan Gilbert, the multidisciplinary Carnival of the Animals and closing night which pairs Tchaikovsky and Freddie Mercury.

South Carolina Public Radio - Sonatas and Soundscapes

Inon Barnatan shares the keys to his artistic approach

"Let go, in some ways, of the idea of perfection. Make the thing in front of you the best it can be."

Broadway World

Review: THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY PERFORMS TWO CLASSICS AND A WORLD PREMIERE At San Diego's Rady Shell

"Barnatan’s intensely passionate concentration evident... powerful final movement brought the audience to its feet..."

The San Diego Union-Tribune

Review: Payare, Barnatan share crackling chemistry in Brahms piano concerto at Rady Shell

"Barnatan made Brahms’ ubiquitous hemiola rhythms sound new, rising to rhapsodic heights, and then receding into spectral pointillism beneath a ghostly wind chorale."

KPBS Midday Edition

San Diego weekend arts events: Brahms, sauce packets, and a benefit concert at the Casbah

Pianist Inon Barnatan returns to San Diego to perform with the San Diego Symphony, conducted by Rafael Payare at The Shell. He'll perform Brahms' beautiful, expansive and symphonic "Piano Concerto No. 2." KPBS/Arts producer and editor Julia Dixon Evans spoke with Barnatan about what it's like to play Brahms and his role as director of La Jolla’s annual SummerFest.

KPBS

Editor's Pick: SummerFest Opening Night: 'Expect the Unexpected'

"This festival we delight in the unknown, the surprising and the unexpected. In that spirit, music director Inon Barnatan has created a concert program for opening night that will not be disclosed in advance and which, like an Omakase meal at a sushi restaurant, invites you to trust the chef to create an unforgettable experience."

Orlando Sentinel

Mammoth Mahler caps Orlando Philharmonic classics series | Review

“Barnatan’s exceptional entrance into the work was so organic you could believe he was simply inspired by the orchestra to start playing. Thus began the masterful conversation between soloist and orchestra, with elegant trade-offs of the musical motifs.”

San Francisco Classical Voice

The SFCV Summer Music Festival Guide, 2023

"The “crown jewel of La Jolla Music Society’s annual programming,” SummerFest is a full month of outstanding performances brought together by Music Director Inon Barnatan at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. True to the festival’s 2023 theme, “The Great Unknown,” conductor Alan Gilbert curates the first concert without disclosing the program."

The Jewish Standard

Meet a grateful Inon Barnatan

"Not only is Mr. Barnatan acclaimed for his very personal and mindful approach to interpreting and performing what’s been described by his peers in the classical music world as sensitive and hypnotic piano music, he insists on making known his deep appreciation for the teachers, musicians, composers, and mentors who have supported and inspired him throughout his career."

New Zealand Herald

William Dart review: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra

"American pianist Inon Barnatan gave Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini the lithe workout it demands, with devilish virtuosity tempered by impish humour. Around him, the orchestra joined in with consummate style and wit."

The San Diego Union Tribune

La Jolla SummerFest will rock you with musical twists and a cello-driven take on Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Inon Barnatan has more than a few surprises and treats up his sleeve as he begins his fifth year as the music director of La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest... Enough, in fact, that some might wonder if he has a few hidden extra arms — each with its own sleeve — at the ready.

Gramophone

Inon Barnatan: Time Traveler’s Suite

A fascinating and thought-provoking piece of programming – spanning the Baroque to the 21st century – that works wonderfully, thanks of course to Inon Barnatan’s hugely impressive pianism.

The San Diego Union-Tribune

La Jolla Music Society renews Inon Barnatan’s contract for three more years

“It’s deeply gratifying to feel the audiences responding so enthusiastically and with such love to the work we have been putting on stage. I can’t wait to see what the next three years bring.”

Pianist Magazine

3 idyllic US music festivals to attend this summer

The US is home to many summer festivals with robust offerings, but three in particular stand out for their idyllic settings and the spotlight they shine on the piano this season.

The New Yorker

Notable Performances and Recordings of 2021

Inon's “Time Traveler’s Suite” album selected to the New Yorker's prestigious 'Best of 2021' list

Boston Musical Intelligencer

From Bach to Barber with Barnatan

"Making his Boston debut for the Celebrity Series of Boston, New York-based pianist Inon Barnatan gave us a thoughtful and personal program backed by formidable technique."

The New York Times

In Review: Inon Barnatan

"Mr. Barnatan can do almost anything with tone. He moved in an instant from plush to pearly, giving subtly different colors to the iterations of a repeated note."

Philadelphia Inquirer

“A breathtaking charisma that comes from gorgeously turned out technique, a masterly sense of color, and an expressiveness that can question, weep, or shout joy from the rooftops.”