Notes from Abroad
Worldly music for bassoon and piano
"...Jackson and pianist David Swan seem to exult in its fiery, romantic spirit...a rhapsody of tremendous force and turbulence...Ms Jackson is superb here, completely secure in her wide-ranging technique...one of the... finest bassoon recitals have have been lucky enough to review."
Steven Ritter, The American Record Guide, September/October 2004
"I was awed by the gorgeous sound Nadina produces on (the) bassoon...I have to consider this my favourite bassoon recording of all time...one of the finest independently produced CDs I've ever seen...performance, recording quality, packaging and notes are absolutely excellent."
Merlin Williams, WholeNote Magazine, September, 2004
"Nadina Mackie Jackson [is] a fantastic woman-artist-bassoonist of the highest order!... absolutely sparkling...an astounding surety and accuracy but still leaving plenty of room for expression and grace... beautiful, richly emotional expression... the performance, recording technique - everything - is so exquisitely done!... I am insanely jealous of NMJ's bassooning - technique,musicianship, artistry - the whole package! Buy this CD so that I won'tbe alone in my jealousy!"
Ronald Klimko, International Double Reed Journal, June, 2004
"...Ms Jackson and Mr Swan have a real feeling for how this music should resound, and I can't imagine a better performance."
Steven Ritter, American Record Guide, Sept-Oct 2003
"...by turns lyrical and rhetorical...Jackson's intense musicality...a memorably expressive performance."
National Post, Monday, June 2, 2003
"...incredible capacity for both virtuosity and poignancy...a brilliant mix of dazzling technique and gentle lyricism."
International Double Reed Journal, June, 2003
Nadina Mackie Jackson
Bassoon
Combining a virtuosic technique with an artistic flair, Nadina Mackie Jackson is one of today's most exciting and articulate performers on the bassoon. A talented visual artist as well as a bassoonist, she brings a quick creative spark to her vivid performances and recordings of new and traditional repertoire for solo bassoon.
The Double Reed has praised her "incredible capacity for both virtuosity and poignancy" and Canada's National Post newspaper wrote of her "intense musicality". She has collaborated with the pianist David Swan since 1999.
In 2001 Nadina produced the solo CD, "Twelve Fantasias for Solo Bassoon" by Georg Philipp Telemann, the first such recording by a bassoonist. She recorded her second solo CD with David Swan in 2003, "Ever After" featuring music by Bach, Scarlatti, Prokofiev,and Mathieu Lussier.
Equally at home as a chamber musician and orchestral player, Nadina spent over a decade performing, touring and recording with the Montreal Symphony, and later as principal bassoon with the Canadian Opera Company. She also performs and records with such period instrument groups as Aradia and The Theatre of Early Music .
Nadina has formed major chamber groups in Toronto and Montreal, the most widely known being The Caliban Quartet of Bassoonists which has produced two critically acclaimed CDs, "Bassoonatics" and "Feast". Other groups include the GalloisJacksonSwan Trio with the flautist Patrick Gallois, Whirlwind Octet, Les Chambristes de Montréal and Les Vents de l'Est. She has commissioned several new solo and chamber works for bassoon.
Nadina studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with Bernard Garfield and Sol Schoenbach. With her husband Fraser Jackson, she teaches at the University of Toronto, the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Camp Musical des Laurentides.
www.nadina.ca
David Swan
Piano
Winner of several major competitions, including the Eckhardt-Gramatté, the Helen Hart International Competition and the CBC Talent Competition, David Swan has appeared as a soloist in Canada, the United States and Europe.
David studied with Robert Silverman at the University of British Columbia and went on to complete his Doctorate in 1986 at the University of Indiana where he studied with Valint Vazony and James Tocco.
He appears frequently as a sonata partner with many instrumentalists including Rivka Golani, Robert Aitken and Patrick Gallois. A skillful improviser, David is involved in music of all time periods, particularly new music and unconventional ensembles.
David is the organist at Saint Paul's Presbyterian Church in Toronto and is married to fellow pianist Meyong Cho.
"...I can't imagine a better performance."
Steven Ritter, American Record Guide, Sept-Oct 2003
"...by turns lyrical and rhetorical...Jackson's intense musicality...a memorably expressive performance."
National Post, Monday, June 2, 2003
"...incredible capacity for both virtuosity and poignancy...a brilliant mix of dazzling technique and gentle lyricism."
International Double Reed Journal, June, 2003
"...very expressive, phrasing especially lovely, technique excellent."
Danielle Charbonneau, "Music for a while", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, May 7, 2003
"...a sparkling performance of Telemann's Twelve Fantasias...exquisite bassooning...and incredibly talented musician...I can't imagine them being played any better."
CD Review, The Double Reed (International Double Reed Society magazine), Spring, 2002
"I love this recording!"
Danielle Charbonneau, Music For A While, CBC Radio Two, November, 2001
"...exquisite playing...particularly from bassoonist Nadina Jackson."
Opera review, National Post, April 2, 2001
"...bassoonist Nadina Jackson gave us the real thing in her solos in the symphony."
The Globe & Mail, December 14, 1992
"The highlight of the evening was Nadina Mackie's commendable solo in the Mozart Bassoon Concerto."
The Montreal Gazette, 1985
"Nadina Mackie charmed us with a combination of beautiful simplicity and artistic brilliance...technical difficulties evaporated in the face of her disarming assurance."
Le Nouvelliste, 1985
"Here is an artist possessing a rich musicality and superb control..."
Le Nouvelliste, 1984
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