Press
01 · Critical acclaim
In the press
Selected responses to the music, drawn from more than two decades of international coverage.
“Melodicism and rhythmic buoyancy.”
Steve SmithThe New York Times · 2013
“An art not only to entertain, but to reach into the mysterious, the spiritual, the profound … into what is really important for the listener.”
La TribunaNovember 11, 2002 · English translation
“The Art of Creating Melodies, with capital letters.”
Julián CarrilloMundoClásico.com · 2002 · English translation
“Spotless construction … charming … ironic.”
Xoán M. CarreiraMundoClásico.com · 2002 · English translation
“Full of melodic clarity … circular and sublime works, spacious and meditative.”
LiceusJanuary–February 2003 · English translation
“He writes and plays with an extraordinary romantic passion that is less a shadow of a past century than a burning torch for the next.… [He] is a master in his own right.”
Mark GreenfestThe New Music Connoisseur · June 12, 2003
“This composer understands his palette, and like a Velázquez, he is unafraid to portray a full spectrum of emotion.… The music intermingles the familiar with washes and tempests of stunning sonorities.”
Mark GreenfestThe New Music Connoisseur · November 25, 2003
“A massive formal elegy, its profound feeling reminiscent now and then of Shostakovich.”
Kölner Stadt-AnzeigerMay 7, 2004 · English translation
“Combining memory and reaching out … [he] looks beyond the surface.”
Guido FischerKöln Musik Triennale · 2004 · English translation
“One of the foremost composers of his generation.”
José Luis EstévezEl País · 2007 · English translation
“Music at the highest level … makes the public grab on to their seats and spend two whole hours just like that.”
Sandra AlonsoLa Voz de Galicia · 2007 · English translation
“Simply dramatic to the core, a bit eerie, full-hearted and spiritually profound.”
Harryet CandeeThe Artful Mind · January 2012
“Astonishingly virtuosic.”
Al KunzeSoundboard Magazine · 2013
“…a truly important addition to the guitar repertoire. I’d go to any concert where it’s on the program … the crowning jewel of a superb CD.”
Brian ReinhartMusicWeb International · 2013
“Brimming with seductive melodies and infectious humor.”
Paul FowlesClassical Guitar Magazine · 2013
“Epic and restrained—not an oxymoron.”
Marta VeigaEl Progreso · 2014 · English translation
“The writing is transparent and concise, reclaiming something as ancient as melody—the heart of music.”
César WonenburgerLa Voz de Galicia · January 26, 2014 · English translation
“A tense and profoundly meditative work, allowing no repose.”
Ramón G. BaladoEl Correo Gallego · 2015 · English translation
“Unprecedented twilight beauty that overcomes the barriers of any academic concept.”
Roberto Relova QuinteiroCodalario · 2016 · English translation
“A fine work and the strongest performance on the program. His music is fresh and original, with some echoes of Shostakovich and Poulenc.”
Luke PfeilAmerican Record Guide · 2016
“Profound creative power … great technical mastery and impeccable contrapuntal, harmonic, formal, and stylistic command.”
Julia Dopico ValeGalicia Ártabra Digital · 2017 · English translation
“Imaginative language, rich in timbre and harmonic effects.”
Antón de SantiagoLa Voz de Galicia · 2017 · English translation
“His capacity for orchestration is especially important in his music, and Eleusis is a superb example. Through it, he transports us through time.”
Julián Carrillo SanzGalicia Symphony Orchestra concert program · October 2017 · English translation
“A beautiful, at times Mahlerian sequence … with mastery of color and timbre.”
Santiago Martín BermúdezScherzo · 2019 · English translation
“Vázquez played his piano role with vigor and crystal clarity, and seemed to light a fire under the members of the quartet … terrific energy.”
Harvey SteimanThe Aspen Times · 2021
“A very moving and memorable work.”
Susan BrallThe Maryland Theater Guide · 2022
Artists on the music
Words from fellow composers, performers, and conductors who have engaged closely with the music.
“Octavio’s musical language is unique, so rather than relying on my knowledge of performing the great German masters, or even Ravel and Debussy, I was challenged to understand his exotic sound world. That involved using a part of my musical imagination which I had not explored prior to this collaboration. And that sense of discovery … led to meaningful and inspired performances.”
Peter WinogradFirst violinist, American String QuartetPersonal reflection on performing Vázquez’s music · 2026
“Vázquez has something to say and doesn’t let himself get carried away by false displays of technical virtuosity.”
Antón García-AbrilComposer; chair of the Andrés Gaos Competition juryLa Voz de Galicia · December 1998 · English translation
“Octavio Vázquez is an extraordinary composer whose works combine great intellectual substance with accessibility.”
José Miguel Pérez SierraConductorEl Progreso · 2016
“The pieces reveal an inspiration magnificently assimilated from a refined tradition.”
Isabel Pérez DobarroPianistEl Correo Gallego · 2015
“Octavio’s Trio has been challenging and enormously satisfying.”
Suzanne GilchrestFlutist, Eight Strings & a WhistleFeatured Composer interview · 2015
02 · Selected reviews and features
Writing on the work
Reviews, essays, and reporting on premieres, recordings, and artistic collaborations.
03 · Published writings
Essays
Published reflections by Octavio Vázquez on music, artistic practice, and the ideas that animate his work.
04 · Interviews and profiles
Conversations
Long-form conversations on musical language, cultural identity, collaboration, and vocation.
59-minute radio interview
Musicians of Rochester: Octavio Vázquez
Brenda Tremblay speaks with Vázquez about Galicia, artistic formation, composition, and vocation, with musical excerpts.
Listen at WXXI ↗03
Travel profile
Soundtrack in Los Angeles
Mercedes Cebrián follows Vázquez through Los Angeles and the city’s film-music landscape.
Read ↗04
Long-form interview
Featured Composer: Octavio Vázquez
A thoughtful conversation about Galicia, migration, musical language, and the personal experiences behind the work.
Read ↗06
Career profile
Hot Jobs: Meet postsecondary educator Octavio Vázquez
Robin L. Flanigan traces Vázquez’s path from hearing music as a child in Galicia to his work as a composer and university educator.
Read ↗05 · Press archive
In print
A visual selection from the newspaper archive. Select a clipping to examine the original page.
This is a selective public gallery from a larger historical catalog. Additional material will be added as sources and publication details are verified.