R E V I E W S
"It was as if Mahler himself was resurrected in the persona of the Athens Philharmonic under the fluid and hypnotic baton of Yiannis Hadjiloizou, illustrating that Greek classical music has undergone a magnificent Resurrection. Exalted music remains the most eminent immortality that humankind may achieve. And that was what conductor Yiannis Hadjiloizou achieved at Carnegie Hall.”
- The Millbrook Independent
"Maestro Hadjiloizou was impressive. He has a commanding presence on the podium, his direction is crisp, his motions are precise and economical, and his mastery of the score was much in evidence. His approach was well thought out, and he maintained a firm hand on the wheel, never allowing things to devolve into bombast… Maestro Hadjiloizou and the orchestra saved their best for the final movement, which brought the evening to a triumphant close. The audience responded with a loud, extended roar of approval, justly deserved. The future should be bright for this promising orchestra."
- New York Concert Review
"The Athens Phil performance had quite a few assets, first their conductor Mr. Hadjiloizou. He is a magisterial figure, holds his long baton with authority, knows his orchestra well, and has the experience to hold them in check. Yiannis Hadjiloizou is in the tradition of Dimitri Mitropoulos, Iannis Xenakis, and Mikis Theodorakis. As a composer, he and his father Michael Hadjiloizou had two of their works performed (at Carnegie Hall) before the Mahler (Symphony No.2), and they were stunning ".
- ConcertoNet
"A conductor so authoritative, elegant, and impassioned, never seen before.”
- El Paìs (Spain)
“One can usually expect to hear a [Carnegie Hall] debut with Mozart or Beethoven, or something like Sibelius 1st or Dvorak 9th. In other words, something safe. Apparently, Yiannis Hadjiloizou and the Athens Philharmonic didn't get the memo. For their auspicious Carnegie Hall debut, they made the extraordinarily bold choice of the mammoth Mahler 2nd Symphony, "Resurrection" - a supremely challenging work for any orchestra - let alone one that is less than a year old!
The Herculean task of marshalling together the forces of 126 musicians, a 200-piece chorus and two soloists fell upon the shoulders of Maestro Yiannis Hadjiloizou and he was more than up to the challenge. The new orchestra's performance far exceeded all expectations… The sold-out house announced clearly that the Yiannis Hadjiloizou is no longer a stranger to New York.”
- Broadway World
"An ecstatic Mahler Second introduces the Athens Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall... Tall and erect, Hadjiloizou cut a Solti-like figure on the podium, though his gestural style was both more fluid and contained than the late Hungarian maestro’s hyperactive style."
- New York Classical Review
"Yiannis [Hadjiloizou] has the passion of Solti, the finesse of Abbado, the austerity of Barenboim, the star quality of Bernstein, the charm of a prince, plus himself”.
- Culture Point
“An orchestra all within himself”
– The Cyprus Truth (Αλήθεια).
"Yiannis Hadjiloizou dares to take Mozart's Requiem to new levels of musical expression, creating an awe inspiring and commanding effect, both with his music, as well as with his personality on and off the podium. He is magnetic to watch and there is no doubt we will be seeing a lot of him around."
- Kathimerini
"Yiannis Hadjiloizou is a person of the highest humanity, artistic sensitivity, and integrity. I see something in him that not only sets him apart musically from so many others, but makes him a leader of men. This natural leadership is born from his love of life and people, and it serves him like a bright beacon of light in the night sky."
– Franz Anton Krager, Conductor
“A rare talent.”
– Theodore Antoniou, Composer & Conductor
“The perfect conducting!”
– Joshua Rifkin, Musicologist
“Born in a family of musicians in Nicosia, Cyprus - the only divided capital in the world, Yiannis followed his star around the continents… His father, Michael, the national composer of Cyprus with 6 operas in his portfolio, knew well how a genius should be raised… Surely among the best conductor-pianists in the world today, Yiannis Hadjiloizou is pure art and extraordinary. He is equally comfortable conducting a Mahler symphony or a Wagner opera, playing Jazz standards at the piano or singing his original songs, composing and acting for theatre and cinema… Yiannis’ [Hadjiloizou] story is nothing short of a fairytale. His Carnegie Hall triumph was only a natural step toward global stardom for this modern day Greek Titan Atlas…”
- Cyprus Mail
“A Carnegie Hall triumph!”
– Joshua Bell, Violinist
“He [Yiannis] has been compared to Solti, Bernstein, and Mitropoulos.... He emits the severity of Furtwegler, yet also the finesse of Abbado. He conducts with the same rare ease and austerity as Barenboim, both from the conductor's podium as well as from the piano. He is distinguished by the refinement of a Hollywood star, and the personality of a fairytale prince. But beyond comparisons, Yiannis Hadjiloizou possesses something unique. That is, the absolute combination of simplicity and majesty at the highest level. And that makes him timeless.
- Cosmopoliti