From The Recorder Magazine, UK:
“”If I had to describe Pernille’s performance in one expression it would be “speIIbinding”, she is clearly carving out her performing persona and her choice of repertoire was a real showcase of this lovely and expressive player emerging. I was in the audience at the Final in 2009 and not only was she a worthy winner but one of her many qualities is her ability to engage with an audience and draw their attention to her story-telling; she is an honest performer, expressive, with great technical control and a very good chamber musician too.
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Vertical Song 1 by Toshio Hosokawa came next and here I felt Pernille really came into her own as a performer. It was a theatrical performance of a beautifully still and spiritual piece, with so much great and confident variation of tone and technical command. There was a wonderful stillness in the audience as the piece started and the storytelling was fantastic.
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The last piece of the first half was the Castrucci Sonata Op. 1 no. 10 in D I\/Iinor. It was a great finisher, expressively played. These sonatas are ernille really brought it to life. She was joined by a wonderful continuo team in Gunhild and Thomas and together they made it great.
Feuerspiegel for recorder and accordion by Mogens Christensen (who was present at the concert) started the second half of the performance and was one of the pieces brought by Pernille that were written for her in 2010. This was my favourite piece of the whole concert. To quote Mr. Christensen: “Feuerspiegel neither imagines anything nor tells a story. lt is just meant for what it is, music. The title is borrowed from SchiIIer’s famous ‘Ode to Joy’ and it came to me when the mirroring of the parts began to take over.”
There was a perfect marriage between the two instruments, a symbiotic—Iike communication between the two performers and at points the listener didn’t know where the recorder sound ended and the accordion started, suiting the title which loosely translated means ‘fire mirror’. lt was pure magic the way these two interacted, the breathy tone of the accordion in complete harmony with the recorder — gorgeous! There was a very clever use of different recorders and the range got lower as the piece progressed.
Another Castrucci sonata followed, this time Op. 1 No. 2 in E Minor, which Pernille played on the voice flute. Again there was beautiful ensemble work from these accomplished musicians.
Entourage for Recorder by Kasper Rofelt was written for and in collaboration with Pernille in 2010 especially for this concert. Pernille wished for “a work that was not so virtuosistic. but more like a calm, musical interlude in a very expressive and demanding programme”. Of it the composer says, “The soloist is examining her surroundings where more than one idea is elaborated and combined in several different ways. You can view the material of the music as a landscape to be examined in a given time frame.” This was a lovely atmospheric piece; a real palate cleanser.
Pernille concluded her prize winning concert with the final Castrucci sonata ofthe evening this time Op. 1 No. 3 in G Minor which she played on the descant recorder. This was a brilliant and once more virtuosic performance of the Castrucci set.
As an encore Pernille surprised and delighted us all with a rendition of La Notte by Vivaldi, expertly accompanied by Bjarke on the accordion, full of effects that transported us all to a stormy night somewhere in Venice. Bravo, Pernille, for a wonderful concert a very promising rising star indeed!”
Lisete da Silva, The Recorder Magazine and EMS newsletter Spring 2011
Read more reviews at the press page.