"Daniel Andai, the concertmaster, proved an exemplary leader"
- The New York Times
"A lyrical dialogue unfolded between orchestra and solo violin, whose melodic lines were expressively performed here by Daniel Andai"
- The New York Times
“Killington Music Festival opened its 37th season of chamber music concerts Saturday with a particula
"Daniel Andai, the concertmaster, proved an exemplary leader"
- The New York Times
"A lyrical dialogue unfolded between orchestra and solo violin, whose melodic lines were expressively performed here by Daniel Andai"
- The New York Times
“Killington Music Festival opened its 37th season of chamber music concerts Saturday with a particularly rich performance by guest pianist Simon Graichy and violinist Daniel Andai, the festival’s artistic director… Andai and Graichy joined for one of the grand masterpieces of the repertoire, César Franck’s Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano. Both reveled in the virtuosity while plumbing its depths. Andai played with a seemingly newfound burnished sound, not unlike a rich red wine, and an overt expressiveness, while Graichy delivered the work’s large-scale architecture with virtuosic articulation and power. Despite limited rehearsal time, their performance was a singular statement. Their performance was pure pleasure.”
- The Rutland Herald
"Opening an all-Brahms program led by music director Eduardo Marturet, the concerto received a refined, supple rendering by Daniel Andai, the ensemble’s excellent concertmaster, and Brian Manker, principal cellist of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra."
-The Miami Herald
“A glowing Andante sostenuto. Concertmaster Daniel Andai’s singing, tonal sweetness was buttressed by the silky sonority of the entire string section.
- The Miami Herald
"Led by Artistic Director Daniel Andai, the KMF Chamber Orchestra...delivered a fine and musically poignant performance of Haydn's dramatic Symphony No. 49 in f minor, "La Passione."
-The Rutland Herald
"Andai and his players delivered the deeply brooding and Beethoven-like opening Adagio with power and nuance...The finale, Presto, which combined passion and drive and was genuinely exciting."
-The Rutland Herald
"The performance revealed Andai, an excellent violinist, to be a fine conductor. Not only did he understand the deep nuances of Haydn, he conveyed them through his students. Once a member of that student body himself and now a respected concert violinist, he is proving a godsend with his deep commitment to the festival and its students."
-The Rutland Herald
"Violinist Daniel Andai...performed the sprawling work with passion and lyrical beauty. Andai, Killington's artistic director, proved a particularly fine violinist, with an able virtuosity coupled with deep warmth and expressiveness."
-The Rutland Herald
"Andai and Manker proved fully equal to the concerto’s formidable demands in a performance that gained in momentum as it unfolded. At the cello’s first entry, Manker exhibited nimble dexterity, his intonation precise even in the daunting writing for the instrument’s highest reaches. Andai’s lean, sweet sound was a perfect match, the blend between instruments nicely focused with neither soloist overly dominant. In the opening Allegro, the duo brought spaciousness and depth to the second subject, finely combining lyricism and bravura."
-The Miami Herald
"The heart of the score comes in the singing lines of the second movement Andante. Andai and Manker interacted with the subtlety of fine chamber musicians, the long breathed melodies surging forward and played with lovely tone and a hint of expressive sadness. Here too the orchestral strings gained in richness and tonal warmth."
-The Miami Herald
"Musical clouds parted for a brilliant finale. The duo initially shaped the principal melody with almost Mozartean restraint, their sudden acceleration bringing extra intensity. Marturet led the orchestra with a steady hand, balances well judged and given proper weight."
-The Miami Herald
"Andai and Manker provided an unexpected encore with an exquisitely blended, precise and musical rendering of the Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia."
-The Miami Herald
"Concertmaster Daniel Andai’s darkly emotive solo captured the score’s enigmatic passion."
-The Miami Herald
"Concertmaster Daniel Andai was the soloist in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. His intimately scaled performance was a welcome contrast to the overheated pyrotechnical displays that many high profile soloists bring to this score. Andai’s tonal richness and firm sense of musical pulse traced the long arc of the Adagio without excessive vibrato. He attacked the final movement with fierce energy, Andai’s secure technique easily surmounting Bruch’s flashy virtuoso demands."
- The Miami Herald
"As an encore, the violinist offered a solo version of Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen, played with soulful fervor and gypsy inflected slides."
- The Miami Herald
"As an encore, concertmaster Andai took solo honors in an idiomatic, agile and lovely performance of a tango by Argentine master Carlos Gardel."
-The Miami Herald
"Evocative oboe and violin solos (by concertmaster Daniel Andai) and fine detailing of the two harps showcased Marturet’s excellent balancing of instrumental choirs."
- South Florida Classical Review
"Several works demonstrated more sophisticated harmonies and orchestration, requiring greater nuance of interpretation. Daniel Andai’s libertine solo on Williams’ tango from Scent of a Woman brought panache to an otherwise rather banal piece."
-The Miami Herald
"Andai’s pitch-perfect, refined solo for Williams’ music from Schindler’s List brought well-earned bravos."
-South Florida Classical Review
"Daniel brings exceptional talent, experience and musical sensitivity to his position as concertmaster...a great asset for the artistic future of our organization."
- Eduardo Marturet, conductor
"Invited guests of different levels of government, senators, federal deputies and delegates, elected local and national officials made their presence at the gala to honor the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Puebla that featured, as invited artist, the talented Daniel Andai, that pleasantly surprised his colleagues in the string section with his interpretation."
- El Sol De Puebla
"While the suite from Aaron Copland’s 1944 ballet has become a staple of the American symphonic repertoire, guest conductor Daniel Andai chose Copland’s original thirteen-piece chamber version of Appalachian Spring rather than the later arrangement for full orchestra. Shorn of thick instrumental textures, this thrice-familiar work proved revelatory, the highlight of an excellent program that also traversed late Richard Strauss and a Mozart masterwork."
-The Miami Herald
"Andai led a seamless performance with vigorous, clean string articulation, the score’s changes of mood and meter flowing organically. Copland’s mastery as an orchestrator is even more potent in this slimmed-down version, and the crisp rhythms and nostalgic lyricism were put across with balletic energy. The tinkling rhythmic underpinning of the piano was a delight, particularly in the variations on the Shaker melody Simple Gifts, which Andai took at a taut, unsentimental clip. In the coda, the exquisite combination of flute and clarinet over soft, high strings proved magical, and the excellent playing did full justice to this piece of classic Americana."
- The Miami Herald
"Andai’s clear, no-nonsense beat and attention to textural details elicited finely blended playing from the entire orchestra. Long a fine orchestral player, Andai clearly has strong interpretive instincts and knows how to command total concentration from his players."
-The Miami Herald
"Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 (Haffner) received an exhilarating ride. Andai brought special clarity to the inner wind lines in a lithe reading of the opening Allegro and drew silken tonal sheen from the strings in a relaxed Andante. A sharply accented Menuetto featured idiomatically Viennese hesitations in the trio section. The final Presto was light and brisk on its feet, Andai bringing dynamic variety to the repetitive string figurations and giving emphatic heft to the timpani rolls at the climaxes."
-The Miami Herald
"Richard Strauss’ brief Duo Concertino for clarinet and bassoon was the centerpiece on this chamber orchestra program... Andai provided attentive support"
-South Florida Classical Review
"Maurice Ravel’s Ma Mère L’Oye (Mother Goose) demonstrates the composer’s sumptuous orchestral palette...In the fourth section, “Beauty and the Beast,” Daniel Andai’s superbly rich violin solo provided the most beautiful moment near the end of the movement."
-South Florida Classical Review
"American Waltzes was the winner among the new scores. Opening with a virtuosic violin solo, ably realized by concertmaster Daniel Andai, the piece abounds in lustrous and sentimental melodies."
-South Florida Classical Review
"In Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas’ Ocho por Radio, a thoroughly entertaining work blending mariachi melodies with neoclassical rhythms. Clearly carved, bright colors dominated, with plaintive solos in the central section from trumpet, clarinet and bassoon. The musicians clearly relished the Latin rhythms, especially the violinist Andai brothers."
-South Florida Classical Review
"Killington Music Festival opened its 30th anniversary season...with a splendid evening of extroverted chamber music expertly played. The major work was Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence. The performance, like the work, was beautifully extravagant. These fine string players barely contained their joy in this music making. Of note - and illustrative of the quality of the school's faculty - was the lusciously lyrical slow movement, Andante cantabile e con moto. In a tradeoff of the gorgeous melody, violinist Daniel Andai (concertmaster of Stowe's Music Festival of the Americas) began expressively with his warm lyrical sound. The line moved onto cellist Brian Manker (principal of the Montreal Symphony), who matched the warm expressiveness, and finally to rich sound of Timothy Deighton. It was delicious."
- Rutland Daily Herald
"The concert opened with Rachmaninoff's early one-movement trio Elegiaque No. 1 in g minor. Pianist Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, Andai and Manker gave this overtly virtuosic work a passionately rhapsodic performance."
-Rutland Daily Herald
"You play chamber music, the way chamber music is meant to be played!"
- Richard Danielpour, internationally recognized composer
"Andai, the soloist in the Mendelssohn, is the orchestra’s concertmaster...Of all the orchestras I’ve worked with, I’ve never seen such a natural leader for a concertmaster. He’s definitely my counterpart in the orchestra, my right and left hand. And the orchestra I think, all feels that way about him. There’s going to be a special feeling for the orchestra because it’s him”
-Alondra de la Parra, conductor
"A very sensitive violinist"
-Aaron Rosand, international violinist
"Daniel Andai's talent reminds me of Yehudi Menuhin's"
-Ruggiero Ricci, international violinist
"The best involved soloist"
- The Palm Beach Post
"Violinist Daniel Andai led the Vols Quartet in a dazzling concert"
- The Piedmont Post
"Great violinist master Daniel Andai, who has played in the most respectable theaters in the world with repertoires of master classical pieces, showing how versatile upstanding music can be accessible to the mass."
-Rosana Sandoval, Exclusive Reviews and Interviews
"The Miami Symphony’s excellent string section had a field day with this attractive, rollicking score, concertmaster Daniel Andai’s solo showcasing his sterling musicianship."
-South Florida Classical Review
"Gustavo Campa’s 'Melody for Violin' is a lyrical, heart-on-sleeve song, played with...affection and a beautiful tone by the Orchestra’s concertmaster, Daniel Andai."
-Strings Magazine
"Daniel Andai's wicked violin slurs"
- The Piedmont Post
"His virtuosity and lyricism dazzled the audience"
- The Florida Sun Sentinel
"With his pure, refined timbre, Daniel Andai proved a worthy solo protagonist"
- The Florida Sun Sentinel
"Andai's subtle vibrato and phrasing made the lyric delicacy blossom"
-The Florida Sun Sentinel
"The sensitivity and excellence of Daniel Andai, concertmaster of the MISO, was brilliant"
- El Nuevo Herald
"The first half of the evening was a surprise, since it presented Transfigured Night Op.4 by Schoenberg in its original version...pleasantly presented by the first violin, Daniel Andai, and Miami Symphony's concertmaster.
As appropriate as the venue were the performers, clearly showing the quality of soloists of this orchestra. The attention by which the public heard this music and its final ovation showed its gratitude for their exquisite job or rendering the interpretation."
- El Nuevo Herald
"The soloist, excellent concertmaster of MISO, ...posses a refined technique that permits him to execute the most devilish passages with impressive security. With equal execution, his pianissimi were impeccable. [I] wouldn't know which to choose more, his sensitive offering of the Adagio or his sparkling version of the final Allegro Energico."
- El Nuevo Herald
"Both concertmaster Daniel Andai and cellist Ashley Garritson gave it their best shot and were rewarded by a storm of applause from the audience."
-South Florida Classical Review
"In Mahler's Symphony No. 4...Mephistophelian grotesquerie of the scherzo with its 'mistuned' scordatura solo violin...concertmaster Daniel Andai was not afraid to make an acidy sound in the Devil's violin solos of the scherzo"- South Florida Classical Review
"A lift of the bow, an arch of the head, a moment of hushed anticipation - and suddenly the electric air fills with the breathtaking sound of a haunting violin melody...you will recognize this moment...it was the stirring solo flawlessly executed by MISO concertmaster, Daniel Andai"
- Dilettante
"In Korsakov's Iberian postcard [Capriccio Espagnole], MSO made the most of their opportunities, and concertmaster Daniel Andai lent a neat peasant touch to the gypsy-flavored violin solos"
- The Miami Herald
"The POA’s concertmaster, violinist Daniel Andai, was the warmly expressive soloist..."
- Times Argus (Vermont)
"Violinist Daniel Andai was exceedingly passionate in his art...it was mesmerizing"
- Audience Member Published
"The ensemble led by Daniel Andai, provided lively, stylish support"
- South Florida Classical Review
"Miami Symphony ensemble rose to the occasion. Led by concertmaster Daniel Andai, the orchestra’s string section produced velvety sonorities with a burnished glow"
- South Florida Classical Review
Concertmaster Daniel Andai traded in his bow for a baton, making his conducting debut with the Miami Symphony. His engaging, likeable manner connected quickly with the audience, and clearly had a similar affect on his colleagues, who performed admirably under his clear, enthusiastic direction. Daugherty’s Flamingo is a high-energy work with quirky, jerky rhythms and multilayered colors, and MISO’s performance was vibrant, with a tight, powerfully unified sound."
-South Florida Classical Review
"The spirited, jam-session nature of the work even featured Andai grabbing a violin and playing from the podium."
-South Florida Classical Review
"concertmaster Daniel Andai...rewarded by a storm of applause from the audience"
- South Florida Classical Review
"concertmaster Daniel Andai...rewarded by a storm of applause from the audience"
- South Florida Classical Review
"Faculty virtuosity was on tap in Paul Schoenfield's (b. 1947) flamboyant "Cabaret Music." Violinist Andai...clearly enjoyed every second of it."
- Vermont Times Argus
"The Best and most moving of the entire evening without any doubt, was when MISO's concertmaster, Daniel Andai, took the role as a soloist"
- El Nuevo Herald
"Concertmaster...the talented Daniel Andai"
- El Nuevo Herald
"Daniel Andai's polished performance"
-Divirta-se
"Accompanied by the exquisite soloist...invited concert master, Daniel Andai"
-Divirta-se
"His entrance was immediate and engaging as concertmaster. Daniel Andai interchanged deftly with the able clarinets...in the Alborada of Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnole"
- Coral Gables Gazette
"Daniel brings exceptional talent, experience and musical sensitivity to his position as concertmaster"
- Eduardo Marturet, MISO
"En el marco de la extraordinaria acústica del South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (Cutler Bay), la Miami Symphony Orchestra (MISO) ofreció un concierto en la noche del domingo que no sólo significó el estreno de dos obras muy interesantes, sino el debut como director de orquesta del violinista Daniel Andai, talentoso joven que se ha desempeñado brillantemente como solista y concertino de este grupo musical."
"As part of the extraordinary acoustics of the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (Cutler Bay), the Miami Symphony Orchestra (MISO) gave a concert on Sunday night that not only marked the debut of two very interesting works, but the conducting debut of violinist Daniel Andai, the talented young man who has already played brilliantly as the orchestra's concertmaster and soloist."
- El Nuevo Herald
"Para colmo, en un punto de brillo, el propio Andai pidió su instrumento a un violinista de la orquesta y participó en un breve trío con la guitarra y el cajón. La obra fue ovacionada con algarabía y especiales aplausos."
“To top it off, at one brilliant moment, Andai asked for his instrument from one of the violinists of the orchestra and participated in a brief trio with the guitar and the cajon. The work was given a ovation with uproar and special applauds."
- El Nuevo Herald
"La noche culminó brillantemente con Las aves, de Respighi. Aquí Andai se lució al frente de la orquesta, entregando esta hermosa obra con toda su evocación descriptiva y sin perder la oportunidad para los guiños humorísticos. Sin duda un magnífico concierto."
“The night ended brilliantly with Birds of Respighi. Here Andai was showcased in front of the orchestra, giving this beautiful work with all its evocative descriptive without losing the opportunity for humorous winks. Definitely a great concert."
- El Nuevo Herald
"The five players presenting the Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 (published 1865) were solid. First violinist Daniel Andai (currently concertmaster of The Miami Symphony Orchestra) was energetic, often playful, challenging his cohorts to perform at a higher level as the consummate pianist Adolfo Vidal (the founder of the Miami World Music Festival) navigated the keyboard with strength and purpose. This string quartet with piano quickly lifted off the launch pad, passionately climbing, the strings soaring with one voice on a level playing field with the piano. The fervent conversation between the strings and the keyboard continued through the sonata based first movement, the dynamics ebbed and flowed seamlessly, the musical lines effectively descending at times. The woven fabric of melody passed from piano to violin and back again, into a full rich sound that was symphonic in scope, a lively pleasant interlude segueing into a rich build to conclude the movement. A slower textured second began with a soft conversation between violin and piano, the full quartet then taking up the satisfying theme, the violin and piano again dancing, leaving the quartet to amplify the melody. The acoustically exceptional Wertheim Concert Hall walls were humming when the group attacked the Scherzo (third movement), the agitated unison voices advancing into a sturdy cadence, driving and driving into a pleasant melody, cranking back into the broad march, the foot never letting up on the gas pedal. The Finale began with a sense of foreboding by the cello quickly joined by the other string voices in a rising figure, lifting off into a sprint, all voices sharing in the conversation. There came a fiery climb to the end, and suddenly it was over. This ample string quartet helmed by the strong violin of Daniel Andai included Thomas Cotik, violin, Ashley Garritson, cello, and Viera Borisova on viola. The piano and strings played equally significant roles throughout the entire piece. This nomadic quintet had backbone and spirit that brought the audience to its feet.
"Andai shows impressive podium skill in varied Miami Symphony program."
"Impressive performance and a complete delight! Does not get any better than Copland in original format. A great gift from Maestro Andai"
"Andai shows impressive podium skill in varied Miami Symphony program."
"Impressive performance and a complete delight! Does not get any better than Copland in original format. A great gift from Maestro Andai"
"The concerto...is operatic and full of Paganini-like wit. Andai's singing tone and expressiveness...served this music well.'"
"An Appalachian Spring” was the appropriately celebratory theme of the Miami Symphony Orchestra’s concert on Saturday night at Florida International University’s Wertheim Auditorium.
While the suite from Aaron Copland’s 1944 ballet has become a staple of the American symphonic repertoire, guest conductor Daniel Andai chose Copland’s original thirteen-piece chamber version of Appalachian Spring rather than the later arrangement for full orchestra. Shorn of thick instrumental textures, this thrice-familiar work proved revelatory, the highlight of an excellent program that also traversed late Richard Strauss and a Mozart masterwork.
Andai led a seamless performance with vigorous, clean string articulation, the score’s changes of mood and meter flowing organically. Copland’s mastery as an orchestrator is even more potent in this slimmed-down version, and the crisp rhythms and nostalgic lyricism were put across with balletic energy. The tinkling rhythmic underpinning of the piano was a delight, particularly in the variations on the Shaker melody Simple Gifts, which Andai took at a taut, unsentimental clip. In the coda, the exquisite combination of flute and clarinet over soft, high strings proved magical, and the excellent playing did full justice to this piece of classic Americana.
Daniel Andai is usually the orchestra’s concertmaster but, for this concert, that position was occupied by his brother David. On the podium, Andai’s clear, no-nonsense beat and attention to textural details elicited finely blended playing from the entire orchestra. Long a fine orchestral player, Andai clearly has strong interpretive instincts and knows how to command total concentration from his players.
Wrapping up the program was Antonio Salieri’s Italianate Sinfonia in D major “La Veneziana.” Contrary to the unfortunate portrayal in the movie Amadeus, Salieri was a skillful composer of light Classical music.
In the Allegro assai, MISO’s strings delivered excitement, encouraged by Andai’s clear guidance. He clearly shaped foreground and background elements by fully exploiting dynamics and articulations, distilling an array of coloristic effects from the compact chamber orchestra. Light lower strings had a weightless quality under the violins’ lyrical melodies... under Andai’s playful direction.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/performing-arts/article18418880.html#storylink=cpy
Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 (Haffner) received an exhilarating ride. Andai brought special clarity to the inner wind lines in a lithe reading of the opening Allegro and drew silken tonal sheen from the strings in a relaxed Andante. A sharply accented Menuetto featured idiomatically Viennese hesitations in the trio section. The final Presto was light and brisk on its feet, Andai bringing dynamic variety to the repetitive string figurations and giving emphatic heft to the timpani rolls at the climaxes.
Richard Strauss’ brief Duo Concertino for clarinet and bassoon was the centerpiece on this chamber orchestra program. This late score (1947) is a comparatively minor piece, much of the autumnal lyricism and elegance tinged with the sadness of the composer’s contemporaneous Oboe Concerto.
Sinfonia Clasica by MISO composer-in-residence Paul Desenne received a polished North American premiere under the baton of MISO concertmaster and guest conductor Daniel Andai.
-The Miami Herald
"Andai was overly enthusiastic with dynamics." -The Miami Herald
"In the final Presto, Cambra’s fiery opening theme was matched enthusiastically by Andai"
-The Miami Herald
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/performing-arts/article18418880.html#storylink=cpy
Nuno Antunes’ sweet, resonant clarinet soared in long arcs of melody and exhibited bright agility in the dance like Rondo finale. Adrian Morejon’s warm, plangent bassoon sonority was particularly impressive in the long spun arioso of the central Andante. The two instrumentalists’ combined timbres were beguiling in duet passages. Andai provided attentive support, with Kristi Shade’s lustrous harp coloring the string textures."
-The Miami Herald