The appearance of John Rose presented a high quality, refined musical taste and aesthetics, concern for detail, and mastery of the piano! - Dubrovnik News May 2012
"He is clearly a capable pianist, with both sets of the Chopin Etudes in his repertoire, as can be heard from his virtuoso performance in the Piano Concerto" (Gramophone, September 2018)
"With the very first composition, the Piano Concerto “Tolkien Tale”, John Alan Rose introduces himself not only as a composer, but also as a gifted pianist. At the beginning this concert seems a little bit as if it belongs more to the category of film music, in its later course it develops a sophistication that sets it apart." (Click here)
"Ineffable Tales-The Music of: At first blush, this set played with a Czech orchestra seems like a John Williams parallel universe recording---then it hits you that this is the real deal. Bringing Disney qualities to his Tolkien tales, Rose is actually as serious as a heart attack, he just does it without the expected bombast. A serious composer/muso that should be taken seriously, one good break and Rose can find himself in Hollywood leap froging over the established pack. By all means, check it out." (Midwest Record, August 2018)
"Very approachable neo-romanticism. The Piano Concerto was conceived after a reading of Tolkien's The Hobbit, and while not expressly programmatic the first movement in particular follows the general outlines and contrasting episodes and moods - humor, adventure, heroism, danger - of the book. Rose wears his influences fairly close to the surface - Saint-Saëns, Ravel, Rachmaninov (especially in the last movement), Prokofiev - and there is a suggestion of the modes of folk music. If the outer movements sprawl a bit and sometimes suggest the romantic pastiche of film music (the grey area between Rachmaninov and Addinsell), there are numerous delicious turns of phrase and the piece is never less than thoroughly enjoyable, and the writing for Rose's own instrument has all the hallmarks of a traditional virtuoso vehicle. 25,000 Years also sounds close to a conventional violin concerto, though in one span subdivided into short sections. The work is a tribute to Native American history and culture, and much of the material is derived from traditional melodies and rhythms (very familiar-sounding from Natalie Curtis' "The Indians' Book" and works based on it, like Busoni's Indianisches Fantasie). Old Father Time is more of a tone poem with cello obbligato, much of the work with the melancholy, heavy tread of Holst's Saturn, though with a wistful, contrasting section. Ticket... is also a kind of concertante work, for singer and actor with orchestra. A musical entertainment, it presents a rather silly Monty-Pythonesque narration about a theatre performance with only musicians, but the music is fun." (Records International)
"Tolkien's fairytale worlds, the sensations of particular moments of existence, the stories of great peoples, or imaginary theater, are the inspirations from which John Alan Rose draws his orchestral compositions of 'Ineffable Tales'. A tonal, burlesque style, very descriptive, but also sentimental and expressive, characterizes the musical world of the American author. The Hobbit is the novel that inspires his Tolkien Tale concert for piano and orchestra, which he himself performed well together with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra. A colorful musical tale of Bilbo's exploits, well constructed and brilliantly executed, in particular in bringing out the timbral colors of the writing. The descriptive ductility of Rose's music is further highlighted by the imaginative piece Ticket to the Theater where a soprano and a narrator dialogue with the orchestra in an imaginative and highly suggestive journey. A neo-romantic style combined with the melancholy sound of the cello of Old Father Time explore other shores of expressiveness and emotional intensity, but it is with 25,000 Years of Peace that John Alan Rose fascinates us even more. This composition is in fact inspired by the Native American people, and based on their folk music. A truly effective composition, which tells the story of this great people whose indissoluble bond with nature and animals was indispensable and necessary. By varying the thematic ideas drawn from the music of the natives, the composer manages to create a truly fascinating piece, at times moving, but also full of intense and vigorous impulses." (Kathodik Webzine, Sept. 12, 2018)
"John Alan Rose's 'Sleepy Hollow Suite' for piano has a timeless appeal that bridges centuries. You can imagine Washington Irving claiming this as a soundtrack for his eponymous story. Rose empathetically retells the American literature in a three-movement suite." (Click here)
"John Rose's Preludes are a set of idiomatic, attractive and expressive pieces which are rewarding to play and which deserve to be heard." -- Stephen Hough
"J.A. Rose's Buson's Ballet for cello, clarinet and piano received its world premiere on December 17th, and was performed admirably by pianist John Rose, clarinetist Marianne Lacaille, and cellist Nicholas Anderson. The work, reminiscent of the music of Faure and Poulenc, is attractive and has audience appeal." - Anthony Aibel - New York Concert Review
"A calendar set is always a challenge and usually a good, focused idea, but to his credit, John doesn't try to musically describe each month. Instead, they serve as a springboard for his own good ideas...And by the way, he's a terrific pianist." - IBLA Foundation Jury, writing about a performance of my 12 Piano Preludes on the Seasons
"Mr. Rose has the gift of melody." - Maestro Robert Ian Winstin (ERM Media)