“The program featured acclaimed Canadian cellist Denise Djokic performing Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 that unfolds as a wonderfully crafted set of theme and seven variations. But in Djokic’s hands, it became so much more, as she displayed a breathtaking artistry that held the audience of 1,448 spellbound.
The Halifax-born musician immediately launched into the theme that provided the first taste of her well-burnished tone. Her lyrical phrasing and colourful palette of sound — including razor-thin notes coaxed out of her instrument’s extreme upper range — was matched only by her virtuosic technique, immediately evident with her unflinching delivery of triplet passages during the first variation. In spite of a few perilous moments, her soulful cadenzas held the crowd rapt until her final, dazzling final variation with its quicksilver 32nd-note runs. Quite deservedly, this dynamo earned two curtain calls with a standing ovation for her enthralling performance.” (Winnipeg Free Press, 26 October 2013)