"O Beauty! enormous, frightening, ingenuous monster!" It will be up to Baudelaire to deliver, in fine, the key to the extraordinary concert-recital given by Bulgarian pianist Maria Martinova and actor Pietro Pizzuti. This was happening at studio 1 in Flagey, sold out for the occasion…The presence of Maria Martinova promised sparks. The pianist is what can be called a "nature". A precocious artist, heiress of the great Russian school through her Bulgarian teachers, passed through the Juilliard School in New York and the Royal Academy of Music in London, a laureate of multiple international prizes, familiar to all repertoires, classical, gypsy or tango, she is, moreover, tall and beautiful, appeared the other evening, flamboyant hair and dressed all in black (boots and leather trousers) and, supremely chic, gloved with fine mittens... No need to resist Martinova's playing, take it or leave it. We chose to take it… The pianist propelled the music of Debussy - so often emptied of its sap - at the heart of an ardent and colourful sensuality...A jewel of an encore: Debussy's La Plus que lente and Apollinaire’s Sous le pont Mirabeau, voice and music intimately intertwined. "Time passes/I remain", ecstasy.”

Martine Dumont-Mergeay, La Libre Belgique

“…energy, splendid ear for tone colour, restless creative spirit…immense talent”

Jed Distler, Gramophone

"Pianist Maria Martinova explores themes of darkness and light with this release, featuring music by Debussy, Ravel and Swiss composer Gregorio Zanon. The album itself is named for his two-movement work, titled Nuit (Night) and Jour (Day). While there will always be those who prefer their music be left “intact,” with larger volumes ideally performed in their entirety, Martinova has carefully extracted and knitted individual movements together from Debussy’s books of Images and Preludes for her curated recital, augmented by selections from the other two composers. Her sensitive pianism is immediately displayed in Debussy’s Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut, as well as his Cloches à travers les feuilles from the same volume. Reflets dans l’eau from Images further showcases her luminous touch and artful phrasing that ebbs and flows like water. Another highlight is the ever-mysterious “La Cathedrale engloutie, submerging listeners into its tonal depths...Last but not least, Ravel’s brilliant La Valse, transcribed from his original “choreographic poem for orchestra” written between 1919 and 1920, never loses its power as an homage to the Viennese waltz — and by extension, the destruction of European civilization in the wake of the First World War. Martinova navigates its breathtaking sonic journey from kinder, gentler climes to the ravages of war, her fearless performance punctuated by explosive chords in her instrument’s lowest register that shudder like bombs.”

Holly Harris, Winnipeg Free Press

"A need to express oneself burns in all of the tracks of this album which feels like a picture book: the pages follow one another like so many contrasting engravings, the deepest black coexisting with a dazzling white. An album animated by the sense of Maria Martinova’s storytelling, who knows how to embark on it in first person, powerfully expressive."

Pierre Aimar, Arts-Spectacles

“...Martinova is a muscular pianist who handles the likes of “Scarbo” from Gaspard de la Nuit and La Valse, without any sign of strain… (Her) straightforward style has many predecessors, and many listeners will find it to their liking. Sample and learn." 

James Manheim, AllMusic

"What makes this album unusual is that its liner note is an integral part of the listening experience: a piece of literary stream-of-consciousness designed to accompany the music, a continuous prose poem written by the Bulgarian pianist herself, with Debussy’s literary hints woven in...Each piece has been chosen to fit Martinova’s nocturnal fantasy...And why should a pianist not indulge her fancy in this way, particularly when her artistry is as refined as Martinova’s? …(The) exciting finale is her own power-packed arrangement of La valse."

International Piano Magazine

"Her Debussy is very forthright and emphasises the not often pointed out influence of Liszt on the composer’s piano works...(Martinova’s) vigorous reexamination of this French repertoire is at its best in Ravel’s Gaspard...It turns out Ravel’s most robust score can take some rough treatment as it is very exciting. She gets right to the heart of the unhinged menace that lurks within Ravel’s inspiration and she does so with a display of absolutely fearless virtuosity…Her own transcription of La Valse glitters dazzlingly…I love it!...her larger than life Ravel stripped away my somewhat jaded preconceptions of having heard it all before. Hers is a huge musical personality…”

David McDade, MusicWeb International

"(Martinova) plays the pieces by Debussy very atmospherically. This contrasts with a fresh and light interpretation of Ondine, the first of the three pieces from Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit...The virtuosity in Scarbo is brilliant...The CD ends with Maria Martinova's own arrangement of Maurice Ravel's La Valse. The piece...remains extremely virtuosic and brilliant throughout, with novel accents and ornamentation…those who like piano virtuosity will delight in this version.”

Remy Franck, Pizzicato