Anna Picard
The Independent on Sunday
August 2009

In an age of vacuous wunderkinder, John Lill's playing stands out for its integrity and individuality. Like his Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann, his Haydn is deeply idiosyncratic yet thoroughly rational and inimitably beautiful. Some of the tempi in this programme of four sonatas are usual. The Allegro of the E flat Sonata (Hob 6:52) is particularly bracing, yet the narrative is never less than thoroughly clear. Delicate yet disciplined performances of the C sharp minor (Hob 6:36), G minor (Hob 6:49) and E flat major (6:49) confirm Lill's reputation as a master interpreter. Unmissable.