Performing on early 19th-century pianos from the Frederick Historic Piano Collection, competition prizewinners Dmitry Rachmanov, a Juilliard graduate, and Cullan Bryant, a graduate of Manhattan School of Music, explore the interrelationships between…
“These are superlative performances of these extremely familiar works...The give and take between Fellner and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra is uncanny, in that they seem to be questioning or replying to one another as if only two individuals were …
“he plays a rich-sounding modern instrument, and Chandos supplies its usual feather-bed acoustic. Yet whenever there's a chance to be abrasive, Bavouzet seizes it, and he relishes the opportunities Beethoven gives him to sound wispy and 'Fre…
“the Swedish orchestra’s strength, subtlety and sonority establish a good foundation and foil for Pires’s performances here. That wonderfully rounded, opalescent tone that her touch invariably produces is coupled with the insight, poetic sensibility…
The essence of a concerto is the contrast and combination of a solo instrument with a larger instrumental ensemble. Having developed out of the Baroque concept of concerto grosso, the concerto genre was fully established in the eighteenth century, a…
This is without question the best recording that Hélène Grimaud has made for DG. The opening "Emperor" gushes forth like a sparkling fountain, at a freshly invigorating basic tempo. Give credit to Vladimir Jurowski for his excellent collab…
Maxim Vengerov is recognised as one of the world's most exciting and brilliant violinists. His exceptional talent emerged when he was very young. He gave his first recital at the age of five and went on to win First Prize in the Junior Wieniawsk…
“Müller-Schott and Hewitt deliver strong and committed performances characterised by great attention to detail and wonderful musical interaction...both players maximising the degree of tonal variety without any recourse to exaggerated mannerism.” --…
“…Daniel Müller-Schott and Angela Hewitt's… respond with imagination and flexibility to Beethoven's mercurial changes of mood, one moment tender and reflective, then bold and dynamic…” --BBC Music Magazine, December 2008 **** “Müller-Schott’…
“If you listened blind you'd say this was a souped-up Erard, but it's actually a Steinway from 1882. Braley's musicianship is superb, and he extracts unexpected revelations from these well-known works.” --BBC Music Magazine, November 201…
The performances of L’Orfeo Barockorchester, playing on period instruments and directed by Michi Gaigg, are exemplary. The sense of scale is perfectly judged, distinctions of tempo and rhythm are clear but unexaggerated; the sound of the winds is pa…
"The box set Great Piano Concertos has been produced to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Naxos and draws on their extensive catalogue of concerto recordings. The recording quality varies from the older 1980’s recordings but there are some good…
“The warm, expansive music-making confirms even more clearly than before that the old view of this as one of Beethoven's weaker works is quite wrong. The three Soviet soloists revel in the multiplicity of ideas, with Richter in the spare piano p…
36 Piano Masterpieces... For centuries the piano has touched the music lovers' hearts around the world. Masters of the Piano features a cross section of the most popular repertoire performed by the brilliant pianists of our time.
“…(what magically hushed pianissimos) and masterly pedalling… each element adjusted to each composer yet all unmistakably Stephen Hough - vintage Hough at that, for here is a pianist at the height of his powers. The "second half" is devote…
"This is a very distinguished performance indeed [Beethoven]. It is one where one's senses tell one from start that nothing will mar the enjoyment; how this should be I do not know, but immediate distinction is already apparent and it is ne…