CynthiaMillar

Press

• Turangalîla-Symphonie

  London Symphony Orchestra

  Jun 2023

  • ★★★★★ [Rattle] was joined by the pianist Peter Donohoe and the ondes Martenot specialist Cynthia Millar, both of whom are steeped in the unique and unbridled sound world of this inimitable score. The rapport between them, allied to Rattle’s control of the work’s many loud but also its quieter sections – the latter contain some of Messiaen’s best writing – were all of the highest order.

    • The Guardian
    • 15 June 2023

  • ★★★★★ Millar brought consummate expertise and humour to her part.

    • The Upcoming
    • 15 June 2023

• Ophelia

  Aurora Orchestra

  Sep 2021

  • During the cantata, Davies had a rare rival show-stopper in the form of the Ondes Martenot played by Cynthia Millar. [...] Bennett’s writing ensures that the peculiar, unearthly wobble of the Ondes adds a strange, science-fiction glamour to poor Ophelia’s suffering. This alien voice harmonised not only with Davies’s finely-phrased counter-tenor lines but with the harp to generate the skin-prickling of mood of an extraterrestrial lament as soul and body part.

    • Arts Desk
    • 27 September 2021

• Turangalîla-Symphonie

  Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra

  Mar 2019

  • Cynthia Millar’s virtuosic ondes Martenot playing was full of different sounds and textures. From its entry with the piano in the first movement this exotic instrument added an ethereal edge to the music. [...] when merged with the circling and shimmering harmonies of the 6th movement, Jardin du sommeil d’amour, it produced the sense of timelessness and transcendence that the work is about.

    • Radio NZ

  • Messiaen's high-voltage first movement featured MacGregor's coruscating keyboard, sci-fi whoops from Millar's electronic instrument and a hulking brass theme that might have strayed from Mussorgsky's art gallery.

    • NZ Herald

• Turangalîla-Symphonie

  LA Philharmonic Orchestra

  Jan 2019

  • Cynthia Millar’s ondes martenot helped come as close to sonic pornography as the composer clearly desired.

    • LA Times
    • 21 January 2019

• Turangalîla-Symphonie

  BBC Symphony Orchestra

  Jul 2018

  • Cynthia Millar, unchallenged sovereign of the ondes martenot, provided whooping, sensuous caresses.

    • The Observer
    • 22 July 2018

  • The Ondes Martenot alone, handled with exquisite care by Cynthia Millar, adds its own mysterious, ethereal, almost alien ambience.

    • Bachtrack
    • 20 July 2018

  • ...the Ondes Martenot, played with expert finesse by Cynthia Millar.

    • The Times
    • 20 July 2018

• The Exterminating Angel

  Royal Opera House, London

  Jul 2017

  • Cynthia Millar’s Ondes Martenot insinuates its way into every aspect of this colourful score, perhaps playing the part of the exterminating angel itself.

    • Opera Magazine
    • 01 July 2017

  • A new sound for Adès is that of the ondes martenot, played by no less than Cynthia Millar, its pure-toned electronic swoops adding a B-movie sci-fi feel […]

    • The Guardian
    • 25 April 2017

• Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine

  Seattle Symphony Orchestra

  Jan 2017

  • Adding a sense of giddy joy to the texture were the swoops and whistles from the Ondes Martenot, played by Cynthia Millar, a renowned virtuosa.

    • Seattle Times
    • 06 January 2017

• The Exterminating Angel

  Salzburg Festival

  Aug 2016

  • Cynthia Millar’s playing of the ondes was so acutely expressive that she might have taken a bow with the singers.

    • The New Yorker
    • 15 August 2016

  • Hovering above all, making ghostly, whooping and poetic interjections, is that electronic wonder instrument beloved of Messiaen, the ondes martenot, played by the world’s leading player, Cynthia Millar.

    • The Observer
    • 31 July 2016

• Turangalîla-Symphonie

  Simón Bolivar Orchestra

  Jan 2016

  • It is a tribute to Cynthia Millar’s skill as a performer on her idiosyncratic electronic ondes martenot instrument that the sounds emanating from it made a telling effect in the ensemble without dominating it to the unwanted degree heard in some other performances. She also made a notable contribution to the overall success of the performance, of which there were so many and consistent highlights that any specific references are unnecessary.

    • Seen and Heard International
    • 18 January 2016

  • Also featured front-of-stage was Messiaen’s signature instrument, the ondes martenot, which was played with delicious engagement by Cynthia Millar.

    • MusicOMH
    • 18 January 2016

  • A chamber-like passage opened the third movement too, with a charming but eerie duet between clarinet and Cynthia Millar on ondes martenot. The ondes martenot is a curious addition by Messiaen, and Millar’s playing brought a fascinating other element to the orchestral sound. Its electronic sound was otherworldly, yet it blended seamlessly in with the strings, giving the section an unfamiliar edge.

    • Classical Discourse
    • 18 January 2016