Reviews
"The Capova sisters, Rebecca and Kirsten, brought the season to a triumphant close with superbly-devised piano duets. The programme, a "musical sandwhich", had lightweight opening and closing works, and central works that were weight and deeply satisfying. Haydn'e witty Il Maestro e Lo Scolare had Kirsten as the teacher, masterfully articulating the themes and variations in the low register. Rebecca, the student, copied these with the same articulation in the treble. Far from such repetition becoming tiresome, its perfection was awesome, suggesting something special to come. That something special was Ravel's Ma mere l'Oye. the brilliant playing was so full of colour, delicacy, and imagination that I could hear the orchestral version in my mind as they brought each successsive scene to life. The three pieces from Rachmaninov's Op. 11 were equally special. The atmospheric Russian theme was reminiscent of Tchaikovsky's Legend, and the Scherzo demanded, and got, a huge range if differing qualities of touches. Slava gave the players scope for big, virtuosic playing and they took advantage of the writing to create a huge, almost orchestral sound that was never harsh. To close the programme - rythmically, charmingly, excitingly, energetically - they brought Poulenc's Sonata to life. Each sister is an accomplished soloist; as a duet, they seem like twins, sharing the same musical brain. I cannot remeber hearing better"
Declan Townsend, The Irish Examiner, 24 June 2010
"displayed mature musicianship and seemingly effortless technical brilliance....Everything she played showed a mature awareness of style and total command of nuance; in short, she is a musician who listens intently to the music she is playing and creates the atmosphere and colours that the music and the composer demand in a charming, self-effacing manner"
Declan Townsend, The Irish Examiner, February 2010
"Un Talento che ha permesso alla Capova di spaziare con naturalezza dal Haydn al suadente cromatismo di Szymanovski" "l'interprete ha spranato ogni singola nota nei passagi di agilita" "Capova ha sfoggiato una vena intimamente espressiva, tratteggiando con soave chiarezza"
La Liberta, January 2009
"A highly skilled pianist who never allowed her technical abilities to outshine her musical ideas... Capova masters a beautiful legato line and shows an astonishing range of colours even in complicated polyphonic textures"
Kouvolan Sanomat, Finland, January 2009
“sharply-pointed account of Poulenc’s Sonata..unfailing delights of Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances”
Michael Dervan, The Irish Times, 18 September 2007
“They (Byrne, Čápová) were at one in terms of phrasing, colour, balance, nuance and approach. Čápová, a powerful, full-toned solo performer, was a superb accompanist to Byrne’s sensitive, focused playing…..Nielson’s Two Fantasy Pieces….a masterclass in the shading of dynamics…..This was music-making of the highest order. Čápová revealed a wonderful command of colours and dynamic shadings in the Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos’ Prole do Bebe, and she carried this authority, combined with sensitivity, through to Liszt’s transcription of Schumann’s lovely song, Widmung.”
Declan Townsend, The Examiner, 4 August 2007
“There was no late afternoon concert, so I took myself off to the Parish Hall for the recital featuring two sisters at one piano, another of my favourite musical things. Rebecca and Kirsten Čápová produced shimmering and lustrous tones for Debussy's Petite Suite, and Schubert's Fantasie in F minor, before presenting an exuberant rendition of four Slavonic Dances Op 46 of Dvorák -- the numbers 1, 2, 7 and 8. Having misplaced my notes, I can't identify the encore, but it was as charming as the rest of the program”
Kelly Ferjutz, Ensemble, July 2007
“Their (Byrne and Čáp) playing showed some of the best characteristics of Germanic training at this level of maturity and earnest engagement with the music…Not once did they try to convince by means other than the purely musical…a reliable and homogenous partnership…Serious purpose was also shown in R. Čáp’s playing of the most demanding and wide ranging of Schumann’s Novelletten Op.21 for solo piano”
Martin Adams, The Irish Times, May 2004
“Schubert….melodic and dynamic contrasts; sudden rests; all this was shown beautifully by 1981 born Rebecca Čáp who played Schubert’s Sonata in a minor, Op. 143. One could hardly believe the amount of emotional energy from this petite pianist”
Rheinische Post, July 2004
“Rebecca Čáp played supremely well…sophisticated, unbelievably expressive and mature”
Kolner Kunstsalon, January 2004
“La ventunenne Rebecca Čáp ha superato brillamente la la sua prova in virtu di un eccellente nitore di suono, bello il fraseggio, calibrate con invidiabile virtuosismo le dinamiche”
Ezio Barcone, Strumenti E Musica, October 2002
“Rebecca Čáp has a sensitive and penetrating tone, fluid and clear technique, a richness of colour and a clearness of thematic form evident in Ginastera’s Sonata Op. 22”
Amici della Musica, September 2002
“The young Rebecca Čáp played the omnipresent solo part in the style of Chopin beautifully lyrically…the end like a shimmering butterfly”
Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger, May 2002
“Rebecca Čáp from Ireland played Faure’s Ballade Op. 19 in a highly graceful way. The young petite pianist let the music flow gently in lyrical figures. The piece seemed dream-like and demanded from the soloist a high degree of virtuosity”
Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger, May 2002
“Thoughtful musicianship was one of the qualities of Rebecca Čáp’s piano recital at the Bank of Ireland Arts Centre…..Her playing has that objective quality - free from histrionics and concerned primarily with doing justice to the music….”
Martin Adams, The Irish Times, May 1999
“When nature breaks through, as it certainly does in the case of Rebecca Čáp, the result is exciting, and somehow, rather magical….Her Scarlatti Sonata in G was like champagne, well-balanced, crystal-clear and it bubbled. She played Ravel’s gorgeous Oiseaux Tristes with such lovely sense of colour and desolation…..The moderato movement from Sonata in a minor, D 845.…showed an astonishing range and control of dynamics that were perfectly scaled and beautifully balanced…..”