Press
“Ms. Petersen’s charming musical personality shone throughout her varied programme, which was accompanied by equally charming and attentive harpsichordist Gunnhild Tender and included music by Berio, Castrucci, Christensen, Hosokawa and Uccellini. Of her interpretations, I’d say that her virtuoso rendition of the C major Sonata by Pietro Castrucci remains foremost in my memory, as does her glorious sound in her opening Estampie ‘Principio di Virtù’.”
David Bellugi The Recorder Magazine, The American Recorder and EMS newsletter Spring 2010
“Opening with an anonymous piece ca. 1390 Principio di Virtu, Petersen’s wide-bore recorder was the perfect instrument for the fast flourishes and long complex lines that were played from memory. Berio’s Gesti (1966) was powerful and played with confident ease. There was an innate sense of timing in this complex piece and it was a memorable performance. Warm applause followed. Hosokawa’s Vertical Song 1 (1995) showed a most effective use of the voice with Peterson holding the audience’s attention in the pauses. She played this with commitment and power and a pure, sure, sense of pitch. For the Uccelini Sonata Nona Peterson was joined by the harpsichordist Gunnhild Tønder, giving a nice change of style and tone in the programme. Christensen’s Birds of a Spring Night (1993/4) was played with humour with very bird-like chirrups and very neat fingering and articulation earning enthusiastic applause. Peterson was obviously at home in Telemann’s Fantasia in C minor, making the most of her fine technique and tone. Unfortunately the last movement was interrupted by an announcement that a suspect package had been found in the Painted Hall. After some minutes Petersen was allowed to continue and calmly concluded with a very convincing and fast 4th movement. She returned to the platform with Gunnhild Tønder to give a beautiful performance of Castrucci’s Sonata II in C major, which received loud applause.”
Caroline Jones, The Recorder Magazine and EMS newsletter Spring 2010
“I suspect that Pernille Petersen’s poised charm, and the natural musicianship displayed in all her phrasing, tipped the balance. She played Berio’s Gesti as music (!) and was completely unfazed by a security alert in the middle of one of her pieces, carrying straight on afterwards as if nothing had happened.”
Peter Grahame Woolf, www.musicalpointers.co.uk, Early Music Review december 2009
