Fanfare Magazine,
Chihara, Works for Viola

I don't believe there's a better violist currently on the musical scene today, and few who can match the standard set by this artist. Paul Coletti plays superbly. His luxuriant tone caresses each nuance found in the stylistic compass of these works. All the numerous technical demands of the music are likewise met with supreme confidence.

New York Times
The violist Paul Coletti is a remarkable musician with a distinct artistic personality that is entirely his own. Although Mr Coletti has an impeccable technique, there is nothing ostentatious about his playing; The mastery is there and needs no promotional fanfare. He is an elegant artist who enhances all he plays.
The Strad Magazine
Paul Coletti's recital started brilliantly. Before Bach's suite, Coletti announced his intention of extemporizing........it was one of the most exhilarating renditions of Bach's music I have ever heard. An impressive recital, Coletti's playing provided one hour of pure bliss.

Scottish-born Coletti is an outstanding musician of the quiet, intense type that is so often drawn to the viola.

CD Review Magazine
PICK OF THE YEAR.

Superb advocacy for some scandalously neglected music by Rebecca Clarke. Coletti and Howard's performances deserve to re-establish her reputation once and for all. Both players storm the heights, sweeping the listener along with indomitable heroism to project the work's full fantasy and stature. Paul Coletti's tonal purity and refinement should effectively silence viola detractors everywhere. Confronted with artistry of this caliber, a recording of the Walton viola concerto clearly beckons.

Berliner Morgenpost
Paul Coletti gave an extroverted, technically brilliant performance of Bartok's concerto for viola.
San Francisco Chronicle
Exceptional musicianship, with perfect technical control and as fine a bow control as can be heard. But more importantly Coletti's umber rich tone and tasteful stylishness were a delight.
The Guardian, London
He showed prodigious confidence with the musicianship and technique to justify it.
Repertoire, France
Radiant musicality, seductive and poetic, mystical and intimate, the warm sonorities of the viola burst from the heart like mirrors of the human soul, the best of what expressivity taken to the breaking point will allow.
Fono Forum, Germany
Outstanding performances performed with virtuosity and eloquence.
Classical Music : The Listeners Companion
Schumann's Marchenbilder Op.113 for viola and piano. Paul Coletti's beautifully balanced Hyperion recording leads the field, edging out both Bashmet's RCA, and Kashkashian's ECM recording.
Gramophone
GRAMOPHONE'S CRITICS BEST 100.

Whilst Coletti audibly relishes the bracing sonorities, the performances throughout are past praise, touchingly eloquent in their sensitivity and dedication. I eagerly look forward to future offerings.

San Francisco Examiner
Paul Coletti reminds me of a few times when I heard the great William Primrose at his best. Coletti's playing in the Martinu piece was the sort of thing that makes hackles rise. He would surely be welcome to join any of the world's premiere string ensembles. Although he knows how to take advantage of the viola's warmth and subtle power, he also knows how to hold off until the right moment to let those qualities be seen and heard at their richest.

If he chose, Coletti could have a second career in the modeling business. He is handsome and has the additional blessing of seeming at ease with himself. His performance however seems to be focused on the music, and on helping the listener to enjoy the ideas and concepts the music intends to express. It was a rewarding evening.

Strings
A GIFTED COMPOSER.

He is considered to be one of this generation's most creative and artistic classical performers, constantly reinventing himself and the possibilities of the instrument. Coletti often takes the road less traveled, intentionally, to expand and develop every area of his artistic abilities. This road frequently leads Coletti to major successes.

The Gazette, Montreal
In the 1919 sonata of Rebecca Clarke, U.S. violist Paul Coletti captured the mystic aura of its first movement with a sweet, expressive sound and played with throaty beauty at the start of the finale.
Seattle Post Intelligencer
An extraordinarilly persuasive performance.
BBC Music Magazine
BEST OF THE YEAR.

A deserved inclusion in the BBC top 1000 CD guide. The Scottish-born violist Paul Coletti is a master of his instrument and deploys an impressive array of colors.

Der Bund Germany
In the Bartok concerto, the violist Paul Coletti demonstrated his stupendous knowledge and interpretive skills.
Conviccion, Buenos Aires
He plays marvelously with infinite pleasure.
The Scotsman
The incandescent glow of Edinburgh-born Paul Coletti, particularly in three poignant yet lush pieces by Rebecca Clarke, was unforgettable.
Diario de Noticias, Portugal
A thick warm sound......impeccable musicality
Louisiana State Times Advocate
Scottish violist Paul Coletti brought a wealth of beautiful tone and technical expertise to Walton's concerto for viola and orchestra. Thursday night's audience appreciated the rare treat of artistry as fine as Coletti's.
Glasgow Herald
His technique and tone are both outstanding, but more important is the rare quality of his musicianship.
Seattle Times
Coletti sent waves of rich opulent sound into the audience. His viola tone, remarkable for its size and beauty, is produced with a natural ease and fluency, and it poured its way along the music with a genuinely liquid turn of phrase.
The Juilliard Journal
Fortunately Chihara has found his latest muse in Paul Coletti (Postgraduate Diploma ’84, viola), assisted by colleagues from the Colburn School in Los Angeles. In Concerto Piccolo for four violas (2007-11), Coletti is joined by his wife, Gina Warnick (M.M. ’99, viola), Ben Ullery, and Zach Dellinger. Coletti is particularly impressive in the second movement’s lush waltz. The Colburn Orchestra, conducted by Yehuda Gilad, sounds magnificent in the glittering orchestral part. In the disarming Sonata for Viola and Piano (1991, rev. 2011), the violist’s tonal splendor is ideally matched with Vivian Fan’s clarity in the piano line.