Reviews of Ned Rorem: The Three Piano Sonatas

“Their clarity, sparkle, wit, sentiment, brio, and idiomatic pianism are a continual pleasure. … It’s especially pleasing to have all three of Rorem’s sonatas on one disc, superbly played by Thomas Lanners, and in clear, vivid sound. Lanners’ informative and enlightening notes are models of graceful writing, too. Anyone who cares about mainstream 20th Century piano music should seek out this superlative recording.”

Mark Lehman, American Record Guide

“Lanners has positioned himself as a champion of Rorem's music, performing all three piano sonatas with precision, lively energy and a light French feel, staying true to Rorem's love of French Impressionism.”

Anna Reguero, Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle

“The robust and sympathetic performances by Thomas Lanners may go far to persuade skeptics of these pieces' value. … Lanners delivers the music with great skill, sensitivity, and enthusiasm.”

Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

     *Links to three tracks on the Ned Rorem: The Three Piano Sonatas recording were included in Sunday New York Times articles in 2018 and 2022, on the occasion of Rorem's 95th birthday and then as a tribute soon after his death.

Reviews of Ned Rorem: Piano Works, Volume 2

“The piano pieces on this fine recording attest to Rorem’s penchant for lyrical and dramatic contrast. Although the music hails from a vast period (1948-2003), Rorem’s style remains steadfastly warm, vital and clear. Thomas Lanners brings exceptional detail and urgency to the repertoire, taking as much care with inner voices as he does with arching statements. Grade: A.”

Donald Rosenberg, Cleveland Plain Dealer

May 3rd, 2009 Sunday edition of the St. Petersburg Times, John Fleming wrote of the Ned Rorem: Piano Works, Volume 2: “With this recording and the previous volume, Lanners has recorded nearly all the composer’s output for solo piano. Lanners is an excellent, expressive interpreter of Rorem, whose piano music ranges from the fiendishly difficult Eight Etudes to the glamorously romantic Song and Dance. Grade: A.”

John Fleming, St. Petersburg Times

“These works flow similarly to Rorem’s art songs – the short, descriptive movements from his collections are cozy works with touches of jazz, romanticism and Rorem’s notoriously lyrical chromaticism. Lanners has an obvious affinity for these works due to the breathlessness and assuredness of his performances, along with keen attention to detail in this recording.”

Anna Reguero, Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle

Review of both recordings of Ned Rorem’s piano works

“These works deserve wider acclaim than they currently enjoy . . . a significant body of captivating works that musically inquisitive pianists would be wise to explore.” … Everything is highly polished, never overblown or distended, whether forcefully dramatic, scintillating, lyrical, spare, or sentimental.” He writes of the Eight Etudes: “This is an exciting and imaginative set in a modern idiom—‘fiendishly difficult but exceptionally well-crafted for the instrument’—that deserves a place alongside such famous 20th century etudes as those by Bartók, Messiaen, and Ligeti.” “Lanners plays it to the hilt, as he does all the virtuosic pieces, and he’s also a sensitive musician who communicates the essence of Rorem’s varied moods. Recommended.”

Robert Schulslaper, Fanfare

*Lanners’ championing of American piano music was the topic of an interview article in a 2010 issue of Fanfare.

Reviews of Touches of Bernstein: The Complete Published Piano Music of Leonard Bernstein

“Thomas Lanners totally understands this music, pointing up the jazzy qualities to idiomatic perfection as well as projecting Bernstein’s lyrical generosity without milking it. … All told, Lanners’ loving mastery easily holds its own in any company, and the recording quality is excellent. Warmly recommended.”

Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

“Lanners brings out [the] personal, intimate side of these pieces wonderfully. Even in those like the one for Aaron Copland, that uses broad, open spaces, or the one for William Kapell, where the briefness and energy represent the pianist's short life, there is a feeling of closeness, as if Lanners expects no audience other than himself. … Lanners makes them as personal to himself as they were to Bernstein.”

Patsy Morita, All Music Guide