‘This is a Dutchman worth sailing the seven seas for, launched by a thrilling account of the Overture, storm-tossed and romantically intimate, superbly played and impactfully recorded, a vivid impression of the drama to come … a top recommendation for this stage-work’ (colinscolumn.com)» More

‘With immaculate French diction, Spence marvellously conveys the scarcely contained ecstasy of each song, his vocal lines beautifully cushioned by the strings of the Piatti Quartet and double-bass player. But the cycle occupies less than half the running time of the disc; the remainder is filled with a selection of other, mostly early Fauré songs … all are delivered with equal finesse by Spence and pianist Julius Drake’ (The Guardian)

‘This concerto proves not only an ideal vehicle for Hough’s protean pianism (not to mention exemplary support from Mark Elder and the Hallé), but a challenging yet entertaining proposition for other pianists … I would wager that Hough plays all of this music to the composer’s satisfaction’ (International Piano)

‘It isn’t always the case that a composer is the ideal proponent in performance of their own music, but like Rachmaninoff and Godowsky, Hough has such limitless command of the piano and the vast canvas it offers, that he meets and even surpasses the challenges he has set. The strength of his partnership with Sir Mark Elder and The Hallé is strongly in evidence throughout … this album serves as a cherishable portrait of a much-loved and often enigmatic figure, whilst also being so much more than that. It is a gift of genuinely fresh and engaging music, played with both sensitivity and aplomb by both pianist and orchestra, and afforded superb recorded sound’ (Presto Classical)» More

‘Stephen Hough is already well known to us as a virtuoso pianist, and this album gives us a broad picture of his compositional style: in a late Romantic vein, but with enough harmonic twists and turns to make it his own. The highlight is his Piano Concerto, which can stand toe to toe with any number of modern piano concertos, including those of Prokofiev’ (WFMT, USA)

‘I love the way Li can fine back his tone to a whisper in that cadenza; his control of dynamics is especially impressive. The sweetness and steadiness of his piano high notes are a joy and the double stopping in the coda is flawless. The slow movement is rapt and unhurried, with a lovely line, sensitively and discreetly accompanied by an energised RLPO; under its Conductor Laureate Petrenko, the melody really sings. The finale begins in a deceptively restrained manner but the aim is to keep the powder dry before the explosive, pyrotechnic climax, executed with breath-taking virtuosity … this is an impressive album’ (MusicWeb International)

‘Sir Stephen Hough is a genuine polymath. Not just the finest British classical pianist since Clifford Curzon, who I heard live often, but also a published and award-winning writer and composer … finely accompanied by The Hallé under Sir Mark Elder, this is a piece I would love to hear in the concert hall, not just on my CD system. And it’s approachable enough both in terms of the quality of its melodic content and the skill of its orchestration to justify that … a major achievement’ (The Mail on Sunday)

„Der fabelhafte italienische Pianist Robert Prosseda hat das Stück [War Silence] entdeckt und spielt es zusammen mit dem London Philharmonic Orchestra unter Leitung von Nir Kabaretti. Ein sehr besonderes Album mit vier bei uns praktisch unbekannten Klavierkonzerten aus Italien“ (Radio Bremen, Germany)

‘[Hough] writes tonally (and polytonally, on occasion), with a sweetness that’s balanced by welcome bursts of sharp acidity. And while his music often displays a strong French accent, there’s something about the cinematic quality of this score that’s deliciously over the top. I’ve often lamented the fact that Korngold never wrote a piano concerto; in his own individual way, Hough has come close to filling that void for me. And of course he plays it with sharply focused clarity, rhythmic verve and seemingly unflappable elegance, while Mark Elder has the Hallé provide warm, vividly coloured support … in all three works, the richness of Hough’s ideas and their working out handsomely repays repeated listening. Now, will some enterprising director please have Hough write a film score? If this Concerto is any indication, he’s a natural’ (Gramophone)

‘C’est dire qu’on passe un moment agréable, tantôt distancié, tantôt jubilatoire, dans ces trois mouvements enchaînés, en compagnie de l’Orchestre Hallé, capté en concert’ (ConcertoNet, Canada)

‘It's perhaps inevitable that any discussion of Khachaturian's Piano Concerto should be obliged to mention the fact that the slow movement includes a prominent part for musical saw, and while that is certainly an entertaining feature of the music, there's much more to the concerto than that, especially in the hands of Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who negotiates the work's many fiendish passages with extremely impressive virtuosity. Alongside this is a selection of works for solo piano, including excerpts from the suite Pictures from Childhood, a transcription by the composer's nephew of the Adagio from Spartacus, and an energetic account of the 'Sabre Dance' from Gayaneh in an arrangement by Oscar Levant’ (Presto Classical)

‘Thibaudet is nothing if not a flamboyant showman (that’s a compliment) but equally his graceful reading of Khachaturian’s whimsical salon pieces Pictures of Childhood is full of charm and even a little mystique in ‘A Glimpse of the Ballet’ (the Adagio from Gayaneh) whose spare tone is strangely beautiful. But on to the Piano Concerto, which brings on Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic to lend lushness and muscle to the proceedings … notes are piled on for optimum virtuosity and Thibaudet’s mastery of the work’s hectoring grandiosity is happily countered by the exotic Armenian inflections to which he brings an almost French impressionistic finesse … Thibaudet, of course, takes the sub-Rachmaninovian pyrotechnics in his stride and his swagger in the jazzy finale is infectious’ (Gramophone)