“Abduraimov possesses a fine technique and it always seemed to be at the service of the music. Everything about his interpretation was balanced between dynamism and subtlety. He was particularly fine in the glories of the slow movement, finding a new colour in every phrase.”

“This is a performance to set alongside the finest, urgently involving, yet also opening up on gorgeous vistas of sound. … That gift for pacing is key to the success of a grippingly powerful performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Throughout the work, Abduraimov invests the instrument with a stupendous range of sonorities that leaves one wondering why anyone would want to hear Pictures in through any other medium.”

“The Uzbek remains much more reflective and thinks wistfully and truly maestoso of the heroes who are honoured here, before staging the grandeur that Mussorgsky prescribed, not without producing something like a shudder at the end.”

“There are many talented pianists, but the Uzbek-born, American-educated Behzod Abduraimov is a piano technician at a level you rarely meet. This 30-year-old musician is simply a sublime piano player.”

“This is a pianist with an abundance of ​‘style and idea’: both virtuoso command and individuality of voice. Abduraimov’s visionary interpretation is on a par with the very finest. His secret ingredient is an acute awareness of orchestral colours … and an ability constantly to vary timbre and texture without damaging the natural flow. All in all, a serious candidate for a benchmark recording, capping a most distinguished recital.”

“Played on Rachmaninov’s own piano, this is a sizzling account from the top drawer, superbly recorded and accompanied.” Review of recording of Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under James Gaffigan (Sony Classical)

[..] Rachmaninov’s own piano [..] which, when handled as intelligently as here by the young Uzbek-born Behzod Abduraimov, allows for more subtle dialogue with the orchestral lines. This is in many ways the performance’s USP. But hear, too, how finely ​“Abduraimov points the references to the ​‘Dies irae’ chant in the inner voices, leading up to its final crushing appearance – just one highlight among many. Nor is there any lack of power or acrobatic fluency when called for.”

“If his artistic growth thus far is anything to go by, we are dealing here with a rare and enchanting musician.”

“After the concise introduction by the horn, the accomplished soloist created his part with such controlled virtuosity and genuine musicality that I was amazed. [..] The solo cadenzas sparkled in compelling brilliance, deliberately served with glittering arabesques in breath-taking finesse.”

“The chemistry between soloist and orchestra in the Rachmaninoff was unmistakable. Dudamel’s tempos seemed comfortable and natural, generating the right amount of harmonic tension and contoured to highlight Abduraimov’s considerable technique, lyrical gifts and finely judged musicality. […] His encore, Liszt’s ​“La Campanella” étude, with its chiming chords, finger-busting repeated notes and dazzling upper register passages, felt like another shot of adrenaline. Someone needs to book him at Disney Hall for a recital.”- Rachmaninov’s Concerto for Piano No.2 with Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel at Hollywood Bowl

“He has technique in spades, playing close to the keys without the need for extravagant gesture, applied at the service of musical sensitivity and sensibility, with an attention to detail and emotional engagement that made the Prokofiev piece sparkle.”

“He has the ability to justify experiments and risks, and the results were compelling. […]Abduraimov is something of a piano whisperer, an approach that worked wonders with Liszt’s transcription of the ​‘Liebestod’, which in his caressing performance, full of shimmering tremolandos and voice-leading of inimitable delicacy, transcended its orchestral origin as surely as Isolde’s love transcended Tristan’s death. […] His velocity is fearless, secure and stupendously even, but it was the moments when he led the music into the furthest recesses of romantic isolation – to the extent that you wondered if it would ever find its way out – that you got the measure of a musician fully equipped with an imagination synchronised with the composer’s astounding harmonic, thematic and spiritual plan.”

“The diagnosis is clear: pianist Abduraimov can do anything. The Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov made two dream debuts in Amsterdam this week. His secret: authenticity, control and a velvet pianissimo.”

“Not very many pianists have chosen the tougher cadenza. The mighty Horowitz didn’t. Even Rachmaninoff himself didn’t in his 1939 – 40 recording. Abduraimov did, plunging in with a smashing, unified account full of fire that also left room for subtle touches and finally the most delicate of arpeggios. Abduraimov triumphed again”

“At 26, he is the most perfectly accomplished pianist of his generation.”

“After delivering strikingly clear-toned pianism in the concerto, Abduraimov displayed amazing delicacy as well as formidable virtuosity in the Paganini-Liszt La Campanella”