Press
Quotes
Piano Gems
“Whatley’s real strength seems to be able to slip into a
composer’s shoes as if into a pair of comfortable old slippers.”
“In this Margery McDuffie Whatley demonstrates that she is not just a pianist of prodigious technique but a musician of the highest artistry.”
“Margery McDuffie Whatley…is a highly musical,
technically superb pianist.”
“Piano Gems…is a delightful and uplifting experience.”
“Her attack at the keyboard is refined and punctilious, producing a variegated sound that she adapts skillfully to each composer.”
~ from Fanfare Magazine 2019 ~
Mozart to Gershwin
“What a delightful musical whirlwind tour”
“Whatley … a phenomenally accomplished pianist”
“a rhapsody in melancholy of such intense beauty one wishes it would never end”
“not only does the present disc come with the strongest possible recommendation, but the pianist’s imaginatively varied programming makes both albums [CM20110 & CM20076] a joy to listen to”
~ from Fanfare Magazine 2011 ~
“Although the competition is fierce, she more than manages to hold her own and gives a strong profile to the music.”
“Despite an almost endless list of fine performances, there is always room for yet another if it is of this quality.”
“Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue is a warhorse that has managed to survive practically every permutation, especially in the hands of pianists with imagination and flair. Whatley has both and manages to swing with the best of them.”
~ from American Record Guide 2011 ~
Margery McDuffie Whatley plays Bach, Haydn, Brahms and Ravel
[Haydn] “Whatley plays the sonata as well as I’ve heard anyone play it.”
[Brahms] “She brings to the music the very thing it needs most yet is the most difficult to achieve, a sense of vulnerability.”
[Ravel] “So effective is Whatley’s conjuring of the music’s waterworks … wonderful and strongly recommended release.”
~ from Fanfare Magazine 2011 ~
Piano Reflections – Encore Favorites
“the sound is excellent… the program as a whole is a most attractive one”
~ from Fanfare Magazine 1998 ~
A Selection of Press Clippings
- Fanfare Magazine, Article, “There’s So Much”: A Conversation with Margery McDuffie Whatley
- Fanfare Magazine, Review of Piano Gems by Peter Burwasser
- Fanfare Magazine, Review of Piano Gems by Huntley Dent
- Fanfare Magazine, Review of Piano Gems by Jerry Dubins
- Fanfare Magazine, Review of Piano Gems by Dave Saemann
- Fanfare Magazine, Review of Piano Gems by Colin Clarke
- Phil's Classical Reviews, Review of Piano Gems
- Fanfare Magazine, Review of Mozart to Gershwin
- Fanfare Magazine, Article, "Macon to Missoula: Pianist Margery McDuffie Whatley Reflects on Her Life and Career"
- American Record Guide, Review of Mozart to Gershwin
- Fanfare Magazine, Review of Margery McDuffie Whatley plays Bach, Haydn, Brahms and Ravel
- Atlanta Audio Video Club Website, Phil Muse's review of Mozart to Gershwin