Reviews/Quotes

After the grace of the Barcarolle and undulant drama of Orage, L’Isle Joyeuse was a pleasant resolution. “Water Play” was fun, accessible and thoughtfully curated – and Park was a thoughtful one-woman show, guiding the voyage with elegance and emotion.

Leah Borts-Kuperman – the WholeNote, July 2020

Throughout the hour-long work Cox-O’Connell and Park seem to revel in the pleasure of the give and take of words and music and in their occasional joining up…For her part Park’s playing is exquisite. She brings out a wide range of colours from the piano and is as impressive in the beautifully paced quieter passages as in the stormier louder passages. Together Cox-O’Connell and Park reveal Strauss’sEnoch Arden not as a curiosity but as an unusually moving work in which Strauss’s music immeasurably enhances the impact of Tennyson’s poem.

Christopher Hoile – Stage door review, November 2016

Enoch Arden is an epic poem written by Tennyson in 1864. It’s a Romantic’s take on the tale of Odysseus, and it is utterly beautiful and heartbreaking. It is set to a gorgeous score by Richard Strauss, and seeing them performed together by two immensely talented artists (Frank Cox-O’Connell as the narrator with Angela Park at the piano) made for a sublime experience…This masterful reading from Cox-O’Connell, combined with Angela Park’s delicate, touching performance hooked me and pulled me into the story.

Stephen Lubin – Mooney on Theatre, November 2016

“The [NAXOS] Canadian Classics series is enriched by another interesting chapter devoted to writing for cello and piano, with compositions by Canadian young composers. The performers are the duo Rachel Mercer (cello) and Angela Park (piano), two amazing musicians that stimulate the common denominator of the collection, ie the identification of “the sounds of our time”….we can certify the validity of the inspiration of the composers involved, as well as the intelligent homogeneity that the two musicians have given to the entire project, to a level that seems to ascertain their intervention in the creative process….”

Ettore Garzia

“…une confirmation : les Made in Canada”
“Mozart, produit du Canada
…ce fut le “Quatuor”, également en mi bé mol majeur, exprimé avec intégrité et une belle densité sonore. Made In Canada presente une juste fusion sonore entre les instruments, un premier violon plein de vie, et de solides alto, violoncelliste, et pianiste. Un concert dont on sort comble´…”

J.J. Van Vlasselaer – Ottawa Chamberfest 2014
“Ensemble Made In Canada’s Debut CD Paced with Style and Grace

…This is a bold and stylish debut for Ensemble Made In Canada. The sound of their recording in the Glenn Gould Studio co-produced by violinist Scott St. John and engineered by Ron Searles is first-rate.”

Stanley Fefferman – OpusOneReview December 2013

“Mercer and Park are joined by other local young lionesses Elissa Lee (violin) and Sharon Wei (viola). The EMIC’s debut CD features the second piano quartet of Mozart and the third of Brahms in dramatic, nuanced and, where appropriate, playful performances. Produced by Scott St. John and EMIC and recorded at Glenn Gould Studio in August 2012, the sound is everything you would hope for (and expect).”
“Ensemble Made in Canada enchants in Mozart and Brahms debut.

David Olds – Wholenote Magazine2013

The impressive, elegant interpretations of piano quartets by Mozart and Johannes Brahms on Ensemble Made in Canada’s debut album is proof that DIY recording can result in big-label quality. The Mozart is balanced, clear, delicate yet still filled with colour and energy…The Made in Canadians get it just right, with Mercer and Park anchoring Brahms’ all-important lower timbres confidently, and the two higher-pitched instruments adding the spark of life without ever sounding strident…Both pieces in their very different ways reveal new layers of beauty with each listen – and the fine performances by Ensemble Made in Canada make it all the more tempting to do just that.”

John Terauds – Musical Toronto Daily Album Review, November 2013

“Angela Park’s recital had everything–unflagging energy, technical perfection, kaleidoscopic color, perfect control of sound, imaginative phrasing—but all at the service of the music, creating an organic, maturely balanced whole. She belongs in the top echelon of today’s pianists.”

Garnet Ungar, University of Evansville, March 2013

“Gifted pianist Angela Park played the 9′ Fazioli piano on loan from Merriam Music and made full use of the piano’s warm and sublime voice while playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto #21. Ms. Park also showed the audience the genius of Mozart – the Concerto was simple and complex at the same time. ..Ms. Park gave all listeners a spectacular rendition of a familiar and much-loved piece.”

Oakville Symphony, February 2013

“The featured work on the program was the ‘A Major’ (K. 488) Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by Mozart. This piece opens with one of the most beautiful melodic lines that Mozart put in any of his Piano Concertos…When it was replayed a moment later with soloist Angela Park finishing it off, a wave of greatest beauty washed over the Cathedral and its occupants. Often her touch seemed as light as a feather making lovely runs of soft notes soar above the work of the ensemble. She played with grace and beauty and allowed the work of the composer to speak for itself.

Brian Hay, Reviewer for Orchestra London, October 2010

“…this chamber group of Judy Kang, violin, Sharon Wei, viola, Rachel Mercer, cello, and Angela Park, piano, was outstanding. They form a true ensemble, working together to present the music with not just unified playing but with one soul…Park seemed to lift the sound out of our good Yamaha piano and blended beautifully with the warm string tone…Made in Canada was inside the music for all its turmoil and passion, burning like a candle in a pumpkin with all the right nuances in the right places…superb illustration of the high standards of Canadian chamber music.”

Murray Charters, Brantford Expositor, October 2009

“Northern Lights Music Festival opened on February 20 with more enthusiasm than ever before….What a splendid evening of music. Master pianist Angela Park played Shostakovich (Piano Concerto No. 1) with such brilliant clarity it took your breath away.”

Lakeside Living, Chapala, Mexico, March 2008

“Throughout the work (Clarke Sonata for Viola and Piano), Angela Park showed complete mastery of the elaborate piano part, with its virtuosic passages, especially in the second movement. Ms. Park was equally adept at handling the alternating delicate and percussive sections….a deeply-felt performance…
…the quartet’s unforced tone, confidence and energy were noteworthy. All splendid individual players, as a quartet they performed as one, always supportive, never assertive, united in their devotion to the music.”

Peter Milner, The Lindsay Post, October 2007

“Angela Park, a wonderful Canadian pianist with a beautiful tone and a great deal of polish. Her slow playing was especially sensitive… it was the best performance of this sonata (Beethoven Sonata No.13) I have ever heard!”

Donald Vroon, American Record Guide, 2003

“How wonderful! When a music critic or journalist must write a review of a concert, he would probably make some notes during the performance. When Angela Park played her programme in this second round, she played Schumann’s Fantasy in such a great style, so captivating that I was enjoying it intensely. I was listening with great attention, and I did not wish to make any notes… her Schumann was simply outstanding in atmosphere and tone.”

Gustav Alink, 57th World Piano Competition, 2003

“Park flawlessly rendered a series of dazzling and dramatic variations, bringing the concerto (Mozart K. 491) to a conclusion and the audience to its feet.”

The London Free Press, April 2003

“Stunningly beautiful pianism.”

Grace Welsh Prize for Piano, Chicago Illinois, May 2002

“Angela has been the most refined and promising pianist to study here at the Faculty of Music in the last ten years. She is a young talent of rare distinction, destined to take her place in the professional life of this country.”

William Aide, the University of Toronto