‘It would be rash, and indeed irresponsible, to claim this recording as the best that Stephen Hough has ever made, or the best version of Brahms’ late piano pieces ever released. Yet Hough’s complete technical mastery, fresh musical insights, and deep stylistic sympathy constantly yield revelatory results … if you want all of Brahms’ late piano pieces together, Stephen Hough crowns the list. Hyperion’s engineering captures the sonorous impact of Hough’s Yamaha grand from bottom to top, thereby clinching this release’s reference status’ (Classics Today)» More

‘Hyperion’s magnificent romantic piano concerto series continues with the 80th disc in the series, comprising two works for piano and orchestra by two Belgian composers who are all but forgotten these days … this is a superb addition to the series, showcasing two composers who really should be better known. The soloist and orchestra are on top form and, as usual, Hyperion’s recording is clear and bright. I can’t see how these works could be better served on CD. The cover notes are interesting, detailed and full of insights about these two very neglected Belgian composers … I also look forward to Hyperion’s next instalment in this wonderful ongoing series!’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Since Thierry Fischer took over the reins as its music director in 2009, the Utah Symphony has not only thrived but blossomed, as its recent Mahler First Symphony and Saint-Saëns recordings bear out. The musicians certainly give their conductor everything he asks for in this generously filled all-Berlioz disc … Berlioz’s deft deployment of three choral groups in Sara la baigneuse provides an ideal showcase for Fischer’s supple and vividly characterized vocal forces … full texts and translations are included, along with superb annotations by Berlioz scholar David Cairns’ (Classics Today)» More

‘A recording made forty years ago that redefined the sound of the piece [Allegri's Miserere] when it was released’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Latvian composer Jēkabs Jančevskis may well prove to be the next big thing in the fickle world of choral singing. His music has all the ingredients mixed choirs love so much; wonderfully warm and opulent choral textures, oodles of atmosphere, luminous clusters, powerful musical imagery, and a whole host of vocal and non-vocal effects to keep even the most world-weary choral singer engrossed … this is certainly a truly brilliant exhibition of outstanding choral singing, enhanced by a luscious recorded sound … by far and away the most powerful message I take away from this disc is of an imaginative composer with something worthwhile to say beyond the mere meaning of the texts he sets, and the means of saying it in a hugely arresting manner’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Here is a singer at the height of her career who has all the prerequisites to be a first class song interpreter … Julia Kleiter has a long and varied discography, including a couple of song recitals and this Liszt recital adds worthily to that list. Collectors of this Liszt series can safely add this latest issue to their collections, which more and more stands out as one of the most valuable surveys of the song repertoire. Susan Youens’s liner notes are as before utterly valuable’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘All the performances are well up to the standard that we have come to expect from De Profundis, ably directed by Eamonn Dougan … let’s have more of Esquivel’s music and more from De Profundis and Eamonn Dougan, together or separately’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘The neglect of the second trio is unfathomable; Litolff has fashioned a perfectly proportioned, imaginatively melodic vehicle for a virtuosic, dynamic group and the Leonore Piano Trio do not disappoint. Both these big-hearted works benefit from their brilliant individual and collective contributions, while the heart-on-sleeve joyfulness in their playing bursts out of the speakers. The Hyperion recording is warmly realistic’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Brabbins certainly scores in the second movement [of No 3] with his distant placement of the offstage natural trumpet—the bugle call which inspired the composer here assumes an almost dream-like heavenly quality, and the sudden eruption of the orchestra at the end comes as quite a dramatic shock … the third movement, with its almost scherzo-like suggestion of a country dance, is given a precision of rhythm which helps to highlight the sometimes wayward nature of the shadowy music; and the finale, launched with an atmospherically remote soprano solo, has a sense of expansive rapture which provides a superbly judged conclusion. In the final bars Elizabeth Watts fades into distance with a sense of magic which recalls Heather Harper (in Previn’s version), a moment of enchantment which demands that the listener take a pause for reflection and meditation … I liked these performances very much … in many ways they form a modern counterpoint to the old Boult readings, and this is all the more welcome in that we know those recordings had the approval of the composer himself’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Howard Shelley’s recent entry proves a formidable contender [in the Schumann concerto] … it’s hard not to be seduced by the flashy and scintillating piano writing [in Le rêve], as well as by Shelley’s effortlessly rippling virtuosity. Jeremy Nicholas’ excellent and well-researched booklet notes also deserve mention. All told, another worthy entry in Hyperion’s valuable Romantic Piano Concerto series’ (Classics Today)» More

„Diese sechs Sonaten sind ein Monument in der Klaviermusik des 20. Jahrhunderts. Und Marc-André Hamelin tut wirklich alles, um sie attraktiv werden zu lassen. Er lässt sie aufblühen und schmückt sie mit einer wirklich stupenden Virtuosität aus. Einfach atemberaubend ist, welche Fülle an Noten da zu Gehör kommt, welche dynamischen Kontraste Hamelin produzieren kann. Die verblüffende Rhetorik bleibt aber immer unter der Kontrolle von intellektueller Klarheit. Mehr noch: Hamelin kann auch die Energie mit Sensibilität verbinden, nuancenreich und raffiniert im Farbenspiel, dramatisch und lebendig“ (Pizzicato, Luxembourg)» More

‘These delightful scores could have no more persuasive advocates. The Goldner String Quartet and Piers Lane play with unrestrained emotion, bounding enthusiasm and great gusto and panache. I’m particularly impressed by their effortless negotiating of the rhythmic twists and turns that both composers employ, in an imaginative and resourceful way. You won’t detect any gear changes in the sometimes quirky rhythmic writing. How well they head up the youthful passion of the Bartók, and capture the old-world Viennese decadence of the Korngold. The Hyperion engineers have done a sterling job in achieving top notch recording quality. The superb setting of Potton Hall provides a sound-stage which wonderfully showcases these two captivating scores to full advantage’ (MusicWeb International)» More