"Playing with passion and doing justice to the creator of this work, clarinetist Eli Eban follows well in the footsteps of Benny Goodman, who premiered the work in Carnegie Hall with Leonard Bernstein at the piano, shortly after the death of Poulenc"
— Anaclase.com, France
"Eli Eban in the title role of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet spun pure magic. This was class clarinet playing, a refined tone drawing out lines of heavenly length, with subtle phrasing and inflections."
— San Francisco Chronicle
"An incandescent, heartfelt reading of Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time", with Eban's clarinet particularly mesmeric in the long solo sections."
— Chicago Tribune
"Vivacious, smoothly shaped reading of the Francaix Clarinet Quintet, with all sorts of leaps and excursions into the clarinet's high register. Eban proved a worthy and mellifluous protagonist."
— Cleveland Plain Dealer
"A gloriously vivid account of Bartok's Contrasts, where the rhythmic inflection and strong vein of folk — related material was conveyed to perfection and the demanding virtuosity delivered with elan."
— "The Strad" magazine, London, England
"The Poulenc Sonata for Clarinet and Piano is magnificently served by Eli Eban and Emile Naoumoff. This may be considered chamber music playing of the highest level."
— "La Monde de la Musique", Paris, France
"This was one of the most serene and deeply felt performances of Brahms' Clarinet Quintet this critic has ever heard. Eli Eban produced a velvet-like sound of great depth which blended amazingly well with the strings. Some of his pianissimi, his slowly-swelling crescendi within a single phrase, and the flawless high and low registers, were sheer bliss. The whole performance was devout, rapt, and a deeply-absorbing musical experience."
— The Jerusalem Post, Israel
"An atmosphere of heartwarming delicacy created by the excellent clarinetist Eli Eban in Ben Haim's "Pastorale Variee". This was Israeli classicism at its best"
— "Ha'aretz", Tel Aviv, Israel
"Eban showed superb control and a lovely delivery of the lyrical lines, fitting the strings so elegantly that I found myself unexpectedly buying a ticket for the following night, specifically to hear him again."
— Anchorage Daily News, Sitka Festival
"Eli Eban was the guest soloist in Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, K.622. Playing with laudable style and well-projected, creamy tone, he spun out phrase after phrase with ample breath and nuanced articulation. This may have been a standard concerto, but there was nothing generic about how Eban or the orchestra approached their challenging assignments."
— Louisville Courier-Journal
"Eli Eban was the clarinet soloist in Weber's Concerto in F minor. I like his tone, it has a melancholy edge. It's not what you would call "silken"; it's too expressive for that. The Weber is not a great piece, but Eban is a great clarinetist."
— American Record Guide
"Eban almost stole the show with his prominent playing of the fiery gypsy solo cadenzas. The second half of the concert was worth the wait."
— Indianapolis Star
"The Mozart Society of California presented the Ying Quartet with clarinetist Eli Eban in a concert at Sunset Center Theatre in Carmel. The Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.581, introduced the evening's soloist. Right from the first notes, Mr. Eban made us aware that he has a very special sound. Although this sound is tender and somewhat restrained, this restraint conceals a powerful, controlled intensity that lurks just below the surface. In addition to his skill as an instrumentalist, he provided us with many glimpses of his musicianship, which is of the highest order. His beautifully shaped phrases, almost seamless in their astonishing continuity (does he ever take a breath?), were a delight for the ear. His warm and soulful playing in the Larghetto was certainly one of the highlights of the evening's concert, and its quiet, hushed ending was simply magical. The musicians rose to the occasion for the Allegretto con Variazione, and gave us a stunning finale. After intermission we heard the final work on the program, the Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115, by Brahms. Mr. Eban astonished us with the passion in his playing (once again, a very controlled passion that was never hysterical) and his ability to find new meanings in a very familiar work. His lovely sound, his fantastic control of dynamics, and his first class musical mind were very much in evidence. The beauty of the final movement was astonishing, and at its conclusion I observed a few members of the audience in our vicinity leaving the hall humming its melodies. This was symptomatic of the infectious charm of this performance. We could only wish that all concerts had this effect."
— Peninsula Reviews / Musical Events on the Monterey Peninsula
"I know Mr. Eban as a participant at the Marlboro Music Festival. He is an excellent musician, a very sensitive instrumentalist, in two words, an outstanding artist ."
— Rudolf Serkin
