“She sounds fresh and fully engaged every time”

"An absolute must for any of Mozart's fans.”

“unimpeachable artistic instincts.”

“You may be wondering whether the world needs another Mozart Piano Sonata cycle, but Shaham proves that we do: hers is truly different, merging a robustly modern pianistic approach with an authentic and distinctive dose of improvisatory flair.”

“one of the finest interpreters of Mozart”

"Shaham’s performance here reaches the sublime"

"a consummate musician of prodigious ability whose deep engagement with the sonatas and grasp of their form and detail make the release essential listening"

"Mozart recordings that are well-nigh irresistible.”

"The stylish intelligence and pianistic refinement distinguishing the first volume in Orli Shaham’s Mozart piano sonata cycle (released in 2020) continues"

“Exhibiting a deft touch and the sort of keen eye for specific nuance and detail that these piano sonatas require, fans of top-shelf-piano performance and solo classical repertoire will find much to enjoy here"

"Mozart’s 18 sonatas contain multitudes, and with Shaham we have an intelligent and sensitive guide.”

“Her delicate phrasing creates a feeling of innocent melodiousness, yet each movement is intelligently worked out, and Shaham’s subtle manipulation of timing conveys a strong sense of Mozart’s puckish and quick-witted compositional approach.”

"These are very fine modern-piano performances"

[An] outstanding disc of Mozart piano concertos from Canary Classics...Orli Shaham's affection is never in doubt in K453, making you fall in love all over again with this most radiant of concertos.

Orli Shaham revels in the theatrical richness and breathtaking invention of Mozart’s piano concertos.

[The Mozart Piano Concertos recording] is a real beauty, from the performance of the superb St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Robertson, to the clarity and musical responsiveness of the piano, which makes Mozart’s famed concerti sound like chamber music. Shaham’s cadenzas are elegant, her passage work shimmering, her sound and playing simply ravishing.

[Orli Shaham's Mozart CD] is the first studio recording released in over 15 years by the [St. Louis Symphony] orchestra – we think this gem makes it very much worth the wait.

Shaham gave a commanding, powerful performance of the Bartok concerto, playing with a big, warm sound that was full of sometimes-bold and sometimes-subtle shifts in timbre and color.

Her reputation as a Mozart specialist was on display as her crystaline and lucid touch drew a very Classical sound from the modern concert grand onstage. Mozart requires enormous precision, but that detailed playing shouldn't be at the expense of warmth. Shaham has all those bases covered and earned an enthusiastic standing ovation from the crowd.

"...spirited and elegant performance of Mozart’s 21st piano concerto"

"Speaking of sparkles, Rachmaninoff can pack more notes into a measure with the best of them, and they poured out of the piano in shimmering cascades, all of which were negotiated without a hitch. Hands crossing over each other always came down in the correct spot; loud passages were not attacked so much as leaned into with solid control; all the melodies, especially the famous 18th variation, had a natural flow and sensitive rubato."

"an exquisite Mozart interpreter"

Shaham’s cadenzas were especially appealing. Throughout the piece, she marvelously created moods that were majestic, dreamy, and playful.

Shaham brought mesmerizing musical expression to the piece, giving clear shape and constant direction to long expressive lines, short interjections and colorful series of chords alike.

Playing with a relaxed command of the instrument, she used crisp executions, judicious pedaling and absolutely meticulous rhythms to give the audience a clear understanding of the architecture of the piece.

But this was far more than a diagram. Shaham's thoughtfully, gracefully shaped phrases, fascinating variety of accents, colorful shimmering passages and sweeping, powerful statements gave constant, compelling direction and meaning to the music.

“… Grand Pianola Music is a built on a solid musical foundation. At least that’s how it sounds in the hands of pianists Orli Shaham and Marc-Andre Hamelin, who really find and make something of their highly involved, if relentlessly triadic, solo parts. Adams has been faulted (most memorably in the late ’80s by The New York Times) for his extensive use of arpeggios, but in Grand Pianola Music they function in a similar way as they do in Beethoven, namely as the scaffolding of the music’s expressive aim and it’s the job of the pianists here to make them sing. Shaham and Hamelin manage that beautifully and with lots of heart, especially in the second half of Part 1. Pianists Shaham and Hamelin are also heard to full advantage as they boisterously cut loose with technique ranging from Rachmaninoff to Liberace. (Hey, Adams said it first.)"

Arts Fuse – Jonathan Blumhofer
August 27, 2015

 “Pianists Orli Shaham and Marc-André Hamelin dazzle, and the three vocalists are impeccably balanced.”

Arts Desk - Graham Rickson
October 5, 2015

“…played with precision by Orli Shaham”

Music Web – Michael Cookson
September 6, 2015

Her playing across the board is warm and intelligent, shading the music with a range of emotions and creating some very special moments.

“As this new, superb live recording, with Orli Shaham and Marc-André Hamelin as the two swashbuckling pianists shows, Grand Pianola Music – together with Harmonielehre, Adams’s following score for the SFS – was a manifesto, a statement of intent…Grand Pianola Music remains as glorious as ever."