Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music, Vol. 1

“Here, once more, is that immaculate, lightly pedalled brilliance, unfaltering stylistic assurance, warmth and flexibility. Few pianists could do more for music that too often suggests a composer going through predictable paces...Hyperion's sound and presentation complement Shelley's admirable performances.” --Gramophone Magazine, May 2013

“the piano sonata in E, written by a boy in his mid teens, is a work of striking beauty and no little depth, a tribute to Beethoven that the latter would surely not have hesitated to perform. Howard Shelley gives an account that would have impressed both men, light-fingered and showing a dignified restraint in his pedalling.” --MusicWeb International, 9th July 2013

 

“it's good to see Howard Shelley embarking on a six-volume reappraisal of these works, so often seen as lacking the depth of Chopin and the fire of Liszt. Fans of fireworks won't be disappointed though...With playing of this quality this is going to be a series to treasure.” --The Observer, 24th February 2013

“Technically, this is a tremendous disc. All the evidence tells us that Mendelssohn was something of a speed merchant and when...he asks for Presto, Shelley takes him at his word, with a fleetness and control that command admiration, not to mention envy...I particularly like the sparsity of his pedalling, leaving the composer's lines to do their own work” --BBC Music Magazine, April 2013 ***