‘This is simply superb in every way. Ibragimova and Tiberghien’s nuanced performance of Franck’s evergreen Violin Sonata is among the finest, balanced in this impeccable programme by Vierne’s equally captivating Sonata, the disc exquisitely framed by Ysaÿe’s intense Poème elégiaque and Lili Boulanger’s entrancing Nocturne’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Listening to Hough, I was constantly delighted by the freshness of his phrasing, so different from many of his colleagues, yet never just for the sake of it. Few make the case for these elusive masterpieces as well as Hough’ (The Mail on Sunday)» More

‘Stephen Rice and The Brabant Ensemble do wonders with these little-known pieces, a major mass setting by Lupus Hellinck, based in Bruges—that's the main piece, and it benefits, as everything here does, from the accuracy and beauty of the singing and the transparency of the recording’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Being Stephen Hough, he is playing with immense sensitivity, weighting phrasings and dynamics just so, never pushing too hard or too soft, always maintaining the intimate tone that Brahms’s private, sad musings need … thanks to composer and interpreter, this is never just a recital of beautiful music; it also offers precious consolation’ (The Times)

‘I'm totally won over by her expressive playing, subtle shadings and nuance. Her immaculate finger work ensures that everything is cleanly delivered, with contrapuntal strands teased out with utmost definition. Ornamentation is tasteful and doesn’t disrupt the flow of the music. She observes repeats and uses the full dynamic range of the piano. There's so much fresh air and sunlight. Tempi are just how I like them … this is a recording which showcases the exquisite artistry of this pianist. Hewitt's intelligent approach, impeccable musicianship and authoritative technique serve the music well. Her own scholarly liner contribution is an added bonus’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Highly recommended’ (New Classics)

‘He’s really made me reassess this music I thought I knew so well; nothing is taken for granted … Hough takes Brahms at his word with his tempo indications … there are ravishingly beautiful lullabies interrupted by outbursts of volcanic emotion, soulful introspection twisting into agonizing torment, and Hough’s playing melts into the recorded acoustic … I think, end-to-end, this is some of the most refreshing, surprising and emotionally fulfilling late Brahms I’ve heard in a modern piano recording … a New Year treat that will still, I think, be in some of the ‘best of the year’ lists in December’ (BBC Record Review)

‘[Symphony No 3] Martyn Brabbins seems completely aware of the duality of the symphony—the sometimes understated beauty of the surface, the turbulence breaking through from below … [Symphony No 4] another superbly paced performance … these new accounts from Brabbins and the BBC Symphony Orchestra sound superb in such broad, atmospheric recordings’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Hough—pianist, composer, painter, and prolific writer of great charm and intelligence—comes to these late Brahms works equipped with considerable brain-power, sensitivity, and a profound understanding of the composer. His interpretations are often moving, haunting, poignant, and simply beautiful … a most impressive Brahms recording’ (The Arts Fuse, USA)» More

‘Hough calls these 20 pieces 'salon music to the nth degree' and says he does not imagine anybody else in the room with Brahms, just the composer alone at the piano. This makes his playing more intimate than most and he captures the strain of songful resignation very beautifully. The touching theme of the Intermezzo Op 116, No  5 (a repeated dying fall) is exquisitely voiced. The favourite, Intermezzo Op  118, No  2, is like a tender song without words. Most radiant of all are the Op  117 Intermezzos, glowing here with quietly rapturous colours’ (Financial Times)

‘One of the finest accounts of Brahms’s late piano works on record, one that stands head and shoulders above most contenders in an ever-growing catalogue … in his natural, unmannered freedom, Hough can be ranged alongside Radu Lupu … both join hands with the treasurable few Brahms recordings that have survived from Ilona Eibenschütz, friend of the composer who gave the private premieres of Op 118 and Op 119’ (Gramophone)

‘[A] richly rewarding recording of choral works sung by Yale Schola Cantorum under David Hill’ (Gramophone)