“Whatever conclusions one draws from a direct comparison between the two works, there is little doubt that Alban Gerhardt is equally committed to both. …he performs with consummate authority, pinpointing the vein of anxiety and uncertainty that lies beneath the surface of the Concerto... Andrew Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic offer incisive support... In the opening Andante of the Symphony-Concerto, Gerhardt and Litton establish an urgent and intense musical dialogue... Likewise, in the ensuring Allegro giusto both artists resists the temptation to slow down unduly from the glorious warm-hearted melody and deliver the macabre scherzo material with razor-sharp precision and biting wit.” --BBC Music Magazine, October 2009 *****
“As with the Fourth Symphony, Prokofiev conceived a major work under one set of cultural assumptions and revised it under another. …experiencing both versions side by side is a revelation - even more disturbing, in many ways, yet also endlessly thought-provoking - as it shows one of the most brilliantly gifted composers in history beset by irreconcilable conflicts between instinct and culture. ...Alban Gerhardt's playing, appropriately spotlit, is top-drawer stuff.” --Gramophone Magazine, September 2009
“Matching menace with intense lyricism, these performances of two closely related works are compelling. Alban Gerhardt...can convey the lyrical lines mellifluously and also whet his cutting edge when the composer is at his most acerbic.” --The Telegraph, 2nd December 2009 ****
“Matching menace with intense lyricism, these performances of two closely related works are compelling. Alban Gerhardt...can convey the lyrical lines mellifluously and also whet his cutting edge when the composer is at his most acerbic.” --The Telegraph, 2nd December 2009 ****
