“Her touch is magical... a remarkable pianist, with a cool determination, a tone full of glowing color and a seemingly effortless technique”

“…offered an elegant, and incisive performance…”

“…This performance [Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2] was so exceptionally confident as to send sparks through the audience at (Avery Fisher Hall in) Lincoln Center. A rare moment of heart-pounding electricity at a time in our collective American musical lives when risk-taking is viewed as slightly abnormal elicits from this reviewer only the highest of praise for this emerging artist.

“The evening took on an even more exciting provenance as we were all treated to the major debut of a significantly talented and mature performer. Gabriela Martinez presented a strong case for her inclusion into his particular category of precocity. … What was most impressive about this soloist was her audacious courage. The proud owner of an extremely strong left hand, Ms. Martinez was willing to take all of the risks necessary for an extremely powerful first movement realization; this was forceful epic poetry. She executed like a champion, with a ‘Rubinstein reach’ … that always stood her in good expressive stead. … The pianist set her own standards very high, whizzing through the notorious scherzo virtually flawlessly and enunciating the poetry of the intermezzo with an expressive touch beyond her years. If one word could sum up this reading it would be ‘confident.’ Remember this name: Alicia Gabriela Martinez.”

“In October, when we are drawn to probe the mysteries of death and the supernatural, there’s nothing like Rachmaninoff. And there is nothing like the specific Rachmaninoff repertoire the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is exploring this weekend, as Part 2 of its Rachmaninoff Festival. … After “The Isle of the Dead” came to its eerie close – muffled timpani, an uneasy closing chord – it was time for another guest artist, pianist Gabriela Martinez. Martinez was the soloist in the Piano Concerto No. 1. Like the Fourth, heard last week, the First Piano Concerto is not heard that often. It should be. It’s a marvelous piece, with strong and memorable melodies, a breathtaking slow movement and a whopper of an ending. Martinez got through it with flying colors.”

“[Gershwin’s piano concerto]…brilliantly played by the Venezuelan Gabriela Martinez. Eschewing flash and glitz, she sat upright at the piano, playing with confidence and poise rather than excessive drama. … ...she performed flawlessly. Her accented syncopations were superb, and she gave the [third] movement a dramatic arch that was sustained until the last measure.”

“Accomplished, talented, youthful and glamorous, she is clearly headed for a major career.”

“Martinez ...was especially convincing in the free, fantasy-like opening movement. I especially liked her dynamic control, and the sense of spontaneity and freedom that she conveyed. Her sparkling runs and bounding arpeggios showed full technical command...”

“Martinez plays with a clarity that communicates with great immediacy to an audience.”

“Martinez proved to be a thoughtful musician, sometimes even cool. She handled the Grieg with a delicate touch, at times, managing its scherzando impulses with pinpointed nonchalance. She allowed the lyrical flights to breathe, taking her time. When the big moments came, she avoided pounding for its own sake, looking after voicing and shape. Gaffigan and the Pacific Symphony shadowed her ably and enjoyed the volcanoes of the moments on their own.”

“...an impressive guest artist… ...The Venezuela-born Martinez...plays with an elegant lyricism. From the deliciously prolonged first movement to the finale, she created graceful poetry of Beethoven’s taut writing.”

“Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Martinez brought refinement, elegance and a penchant for lyrical expression to her Toronto recital début at the Glenn Gould Studio on Friday night. From every traditional measure, this was a fine occasion: Martinez has technique to burn, she brings a clear sense of where she wants each piece of music to go, and she knows how to bring a wide range of expression to the instrument without ever making her interpretations come across as forced or contrived. She is, in other words, a natural.”

“Gabriela Martinez brought panache and poetry to music from Beethoven to Rachmaninoff and Szymanowski.”

“Brahms’ Quintet in F minor made a perfect vehicle for Martinez’s collaboration with the Takacs Quartet…. And the beauty of tone she produced throughout made her contribution compelling. In addition, she clearly has a well-conceived vision of this monument of 19th-century chamber music, with each section and movement building toward the climax. The electrifying introduction of the final movement, carefully prepared by all that went before it, provided one of the most memorable moments of the evening. …

Her Liszt Petrarch Sonnet No. 104 was drop-dead gorgeous, the expressive freedom lavish but organic. Two Rachmaninoff Moment Musicaux were passionately played… In the Beethoven D major Sonata (Op. 10 No. 3) she found charm and playfulness, and she ended (the solo recital) with a powerful account of Karol Szymanowski’s Variations in B flat minor.”

“Venezuelan Gabriela Martinez was the exquisite soloist in the Chopin. She drew an expressive tone from Perelman’s own Steinway concert grand, uncovered countless inner voices, shaped every phrase with delicate tenderness, projected pyrotechnical brilliance for stunning dramatic effects, and worked beautifully with both her conductor and her colleagues.”

“In Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 in E minor (with Lawrence Foster and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra) the success fell almost entirely on the young shoulders of Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Martinez. Martinez is well aware of music’s “song and dance” principal … She approached the Chopin with a fully mature sense of grace and clarity ... Martinez comes to the keyboard with an uncommon sensitivity to dynamics … always seems to be on the move, constantly seeking variety”