Reviews

Minna's Hands
photo: Yves Lacombe

“Minna Re Shin and her great talent.” – Lazar Berman, pianist

“Of an exquisite poetry—an artist.” – Françoys Bernier, conductor

“A daring undertaking to execute this great and perilous work [Dutilleux’s Choral et variations], but Minna Re Shin comes out as winner. The dexterity, the color, the sense of form, all of her palettes propel me to predict a great future for her.” – Françoys Bernier, conductor

“Minna Re Shin’s performance was impeccable … unveiling her great musicality as well as her flawless virtuosity. In addition to these qualities are a sense of sonority of the piano—which is rare in our times—and an original perception of musical discourse.” – Daniel Constantineau, conductor

“Minna creates such a beautiful atmosphere in my music —a fine performance.” – Jean Coulthard, composer

“The challenge [in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2] was to make it
simultaneously transparent and intense. Exactly the way Minna Re Shin had
executed.” – Marc David, conductor

“Very beautiful performance—natural, musical, sensitive.” – Pierre-Max Dubois, composer and conductor

“Remarkably talented. Exceptional.” – Pierre-Max Dubois, composer and conductor

“Minna Re Shin performs with originality, and her intensity brings the composer’s music to life. (…) From the moment Minna steps onto the stage, she exudes confidence and desire to entertain her audience with her programme.” – William Dueck, director, ombú productions

“Minna has that vital ‘spark’ which distinguishes her from the others.”
– Iwan Edwards, choral conductor, Montreal Symphony Orchestra

“Minna Re Shin’s great talent.” – Denis Gougeon, composer

“… one of the most fascinating and captivating piano recitals … a magical display of exciting contrasts, where Minna Re Shin demonstrated from the very beginning a supreme command of creative interpretation.” – Bengt Hambraeus, composer and former music critic for the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation

“Minna Re Shin’s rendering revealed an incredible power, which I rarely recall from other pianists’ performance … (Shin was) able to create, by interpreting and recreating, in this case, the wild dramatic sources in Chopin’s music, far beyond the concert stage.” – Bengt Hambraeus, composer and former music critic for the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation

“Exceptional virtuosity and musicality.” – Louise Lebrun, soprano

Minna's Hands
photo: Yves Lacombe

“Minna Re Shin is an extremely dedicated pianist. Her fine playing and artistry are superb, and her concern of serving the composer before herself is always present in her interpretation of the music.” – Alain Lefèvre, pianist

“Minna Re Shin’s great talent, the seriousness of her work, and the intelligence of her musical perception.” – Alain Lefèvre, pianist

“Minna Re Shin is one of the finest musicians in Canada today. Born and raised in Montréal, this talented young woman plays the piano at such a high technical level and with a musical touch that’s so natural it makes her interpretations seem like the composer’s original thoughts … her virtuosic technical and musical abilities are honest, effortless and speak of a deep understanding of each composition she plays.” – Andrew MacDonald, composer

“Minna Re Shin has brought my Trois Ballades and Jeu de mains to this world, and she defends these works magnificently well. The intensity of her pianistic execution, her powerful personality, and, above all, her sensitivity make her an amazing performer.” – Alain Payette, composer

“I am not exaggerating at all by stating that I have never heard my music [Trois Ballades and Jeu de mains] performed with so much power, intensity, and sensitivity … Minna Re Shin performed magnificently well.” – Alain Payette, composer

“Regarding my Préludes, Minna Re Shin’s very personal touch, marked with great sensitivity, moved us emotionally and effectively.” – Alain Payette, composer

“Minna Re Shin, a piano-genius!”

“Minna Re Shin is an outstanding pianist whose performances are of international caliber. (…) an artist who has a virtuoso technique, mature musicality, and stage personality. Miss Shin possesses all these qualities to a highest degree, adding to them a special magnetism, rendering her performances memorable. A sense of perfection leaves her listeners with rare satisfaction.” – Charles Reiner, pianist

“Minna Re Shin has a great talent, she has an excellent technique, excellent sonority; she is musical, sensitive.” – Robert Savoie, baritone

“Her (Minna Re Shin’s) beautiful playing and superb musicianship. Her energy and presentation are sure to please any audience.” – Kerry Stratton, conductor

Minna's Hands
photo: Yves Lacombe

“Minna [Re Shin] showed herself not only to be versatile in style and repertoire (performing Chopin and Prokofiev) but also pleased us with her personal and intimate presentation. Particularly with her Chopin, she impressed us with her sensitive playing and musical phrasing. Her Prokofiev was also interesting and original in its interpretation, with great sonority, confident technique and personality.” – Michael Waters, composer

“Her (Minna Re Shin’s) seriousness of purpose, strong will to succeed, and ever increasing ability to communicate her ideas in performance, indicate the emergence of a young artist of unusual promise.” – Patricia Zander, pianist

“impressive recital which Minna Re Shin displayed her confident technique and musical personality.” – Ireneus Zuk, pianist

“Virtuosity and impeccable technique marked with energy and abundant sensitivity, Minna Re Shin knew how to make us go though the whole gamut of emotions. The more gentle first part, composed of Haydn works, was immediately followed by far more dynamic pieces of the Quebecer composer Alain Payette, which beautifully completed this marvelous programme.” – Francine Allain, programme director, Centre culturel de Prévost

“Minna is the future in Music.” – Dudley Gibbs, program director, University of Guelph

CD Reviews:

“The second CD of the pianist Minna Re Shin, Images & Ballades groups together works written by two well-known Canadian composers, Jean Coulthard and Alain Payette. The pianist’s interpretation is impeccable; it was as if they had lent her their pen. Winner of numerous prizes, Shin executes perfectly and gives quite a particular stamp to the whole. The compositions are modern and allowed to stray from common conventions. The melodic structures are simple and subtle. We recognize here the mark of meticulous work.” – Paroles & Musique

Minna Hands
photo: Yves Lacombe

“A kind of musical racism exists from the sometimes-heard claim that all Asian performers are petite mechanical perfectionists without soul. Nonsense! As proof, this beautiful disc of Canadian Minna Re Shin (…) is entirely devoted to the sonatas of Haydn. The playing is as fine as lace. All the notes are there, but it is the supplementary presence of emotion that makes the difference.” – Ici Montréal

“The pianists Alfred Brendel and Andräs Schiff have brought us their colourful renderings of the Haydn sonatas which we happily welcome, and it is now the turn of the young Montrealer Minna Re Shin. These sonatas ‘reveal Haydn’s highly imaginative writing.’ We have complete faith in him, since this young woman loves her subject, and it is with great sensitivity and intelligence that she enters the pantheon of great performers.” – Journal de Montréal

“The tone is exquisite, and her impeccable sense of registral balance, articulation and contrapuntal delineation makes this recording (Shin’s CD of Haydn Sonatas) a real treasure.” – Andrew MacDonald, composer

“Ms. Shin joins a very small company of artists who seize the attention of their audience, neither by the force of their personality, nor by the flash of their technique, but by the strength of their intellect.” – Jim Tuller, music connoisseur

“In the intellectual strength and transformative character of her interpretation, Minna Re Shin has accomplished for Haydn what her compatriot Glenn Gould did for Bach, some 49 years ago.” – Jim Tuller, music connoisseur

Music Video / Short Film Reviews:

“(Minna Re Shin’s) film Sonate Tableaux: Mouvement 4 wowed us.” – FilmArte Festival

“[In Sonate Tableaux: Mouvement 1] I was very impressed by the quality and the intensity of Minna Re Shin’s playing which offers a very moving musical interpretation. The whole is spectacularly filmed, and the images are very beautiful.” – Jacques Lacombe, conductor

“[In Sonate Tableaux: Mouvement 4] the dialogue between the different art forms succeeds very well and provides an interesting counterpoint to Minna Re Shin’s splendid performance of this demanding score. Beautiful musical and visual poetry nurtured by an astonishing creativity.” – Jacques Lacombe, conductor

“(Minna Re Shin) is magnificent and performs superbly!” – Rachel Laurin, composer and concert organist

“Exquisite. (…) The performance [in Sonate Tableaux: Mouvement 1] is wonderful. Minna Re Shin draws you in and you stay engaged for the entire film. Director mixes up the shots nicely so as to keep the pace steadily moving forward. Great sound!” – Brian McLane, director, The Transparent Film Festival

Press Reviews:

“Powerhouse at the keyboard. The pianist Minna Re Shin amazes with her energy and intensity.” – Journal de Prévost

“The immense artistry of Miss Minna Re Shin.” – Journal de Prévost

Minna Re Shin
photo: Yves Lacombe

“Minna Re Shin excels again.” – Journal de Montréal

“A great pianist … Minna Re Shin is a powerhouse. Her audiences are fascinated by her physical strength and her artistic expression. ” – Accès Laurentides

“Minna Re Shin plays with great precision and flare.”

“Minna Re Shin, pianist, brought along a program that requires much courage to announce—three Haydn Sonatas, two Ginastera Sonatas, and the latter’s Danzas
Argentinas. (…) Ms. Shin is a real pro … she performed mighty impressively, too. She has an obvious affection, and considerable insight into Haydn, whose Sonatas enjoy the admiration of a too-small band of aficianados, of which she is clearly one. And these were performances that smiled and sparkled and even, in their elegant way, sizzled. This artist really appreciates the distinction between Haydn and Mozart, and her touch, pedalling, and phrasing were all aimed at highlighting that distinction. Haydn’s amazing harmonic adventurousness, his quirky humour, his beautiful, elevatedly serious slow movements, and withal that classical balance and shape, were all on display to excellent effect here. Turning after intermission to the Argentinian master, this diminutive artist uncorked a Mr. Hyde level of muscle and a Captain Marvel level of energy in attacking these relentless and
high-density utterances. The earthy roots of this music were exposed for all to see in these powerful performances, which ended, with the Danzas Argentinas, with a brilliant bang. (…) a nice Chopin waltz for encore—nothing syrupy about its performance either. Ms. Shin, in short, is something very special, in the current pianistic world.” – University of Waterloo Gazette

“Endowed with a rare sensitivity, the virtuoso demonstrated all the richness of her talent by executing the demanding works which she has mastered with ease. Inspired, artist. Intense.” – La Relève

“The beautiful piano fairy Minna Re Shin performed at the height of her reputation. From Mozart to the Quebecer composer François Morel, the concertist gave an elegant demonstration of her talent and her versatility. Tender and gentle in the romantic pieces, she attacks ferociously the keyboard when it comes the time to perform the contemporary pieces. A true magician!” – La Seigneurie

“The revelation of a young oriental pianist, Minna Re Shin. The articulation is perfect, but what one admires the most are her musical and expressive qualities (…): musicality, control, alternating virile and caressing execution, well-balanced dynamics, maturity.” – La Presse