«Le génie de Schumann est à son comble dès l’Opus 105 dont l’élan sombre n’aura peut-être jamais trouvé une traduction mieux sentie que celle osée par Alina Ibragimova et Cédric Tiberghien. Cet archet qui parle, ce piano de tempête qui pourtant chante, l’alliage est magique» (Clic Musique, France)

‘So much charm and lyricism in these performances, genuine musical conversations between Schumann’s characters and this intuitively sensitive pair of performers. And if I say they make light of the difficulties of Schumann’s third sonata I don’t mean there’s anything glib about the performance—far from it—just that you’d never know that the piece has had a chequered history, his last surviving major piece associated with Schumann’s mental breakdown. Strange, certainly, but played as it is here fascinating, challenging and rewarding. It’s a beautifully balanced recording as well … it’s my Record of the Week’ (BBC Record Review)

‘A passionate, multicoloured and contrast-rich reading [of No 3], and Ibragimova’s colouring is a dream, treading an emotionally sophisticated line between dark and light … a gloriously nuanced, emotionally kaleidoscopic and at times sparklingly theatrical album … amid limited but tough competition … it will more likely than not be Ibragimova and Tiberghien’s set for which I will reach first from henceforth’ (Gramophone)

‘This [the Fantaisie & Variations on a theme by Weber] is a great discovery, and the piece should make its way into the rather slim repertory for two pianos and orchestra. Exciting, virtuosic, and always interesting, Lev and Kariv are very well supported by the Rundfunk Orchestra … this is the second exceptional disc by this ensemble to come my way [after Hyperion CDA68367]. Lev wrote the very informative booklet essay. These booklet notes are detailed and contain a wealth of great information. As with all Hyperion recordings, the production values are first-class. The recorded sound is clear and well balanced’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Debussy’s String Quartet is a rather less volatile composition, though the Nash’s account here leans into the first movement’s pungent anticipations of Bartók-like dissonance and offers a nice foreshadowing of La mer’s billowing seascapes during the finale. In between come moments of whimsy—the second movement’s transformation of its opening theme charms the ear—and, in the Andantino, devotion. Filling out the album is David Walter’s arrangement of the Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. His is a lovely adaptation, though climaxes sometimes make it sound like Debussy’s faun has gone on a diet. Regardless, the Nash, here expanded to 12 players, does the transcription full, lush justice’ (The Arts Fuse, USA)

‘Hamelin’s Hammerklavier is far from neutral: you’ve never heard it the way you do here—nor have you heard as much of it as you do in this performance. Simply put, Hamelin uses rhythmic resilience (listen to the snap of the dotted figures in the Scherzo), subtly varied articulation and artfully judged voicing to bring everything sharply into focus. But he does so without Schnabel’s strain (note Hamelin’s facility in the treacherous innervoice trills) and without Pollini’s severity, offering instead a freshness that few can summon in such familiar music. Combine that focus with his unfailing sense of rhetoric, and what emerges is a remarkable synthesis of eventfulness and coherence … a major release’ (International Piano)

‘Delectable … flourishes and fireworks, an imposing cadenza, Viennese waltzes, calorie-rich twists and turns, contortions suggesting Korngold or Richard Strauss: they all find a place in this 20-minute creation, performed with shiny panache by its creator and the Hallé orchestra conducted by Mark Elder. Other musical worlds visited include Copland-style Americana and a little cool jazz, whipped into the mix by a composer-pianist with a magpie mind and a mischievous grin’ (The Times)

‘In complete contrast with his pellucid Ravel and the Parisian chic of his Poulenc, Thibaudet thunders up and down the keyboard with fine authority, embroidering the melodies with fantastic arabesques to showcase the facility of finger work and the cadenzas as sonorous climaxes with impressive energy. The LA Philharmonic, also somewhat out of its normal comfort zone, one imagines, responds brilliantly’ (Limelight, Australia)

‘It’s a heady mix, triumphantly executed. We’re presented with a rich set of evocations, which seem to flash by (the whole piece is just over twenty minutes in length). The cleverness and invention in the writing is evident but unshowy and crucially Hough somehow manages his Proustian tugs on our real or imagined memories without serving up layers of pastiche … ee has fine collaborators in Mark Elder and the Hallé, the dialogue between orchestra and piano in the middle section variations in particular being a real delight. With a fair wind, I think this could become the popular work it deserves to be. There are performances coming up in the UK, the USA and Australia in the next few months, so it seems well set … I’ve listened to little else all week’ (MusicWeb International)

‘This recording demonstrates that age truly is just a number, and no barrier to probing, revelatory perspectives … the sound production throughout is impeccable: you can almost visualise the positioning of the players and the notes sailing upwards and hovering in languid circles above them. Musical lines pass in a single, continuous breath from one instrument to the next, and the sensual, dreamlike soundscapes are tinged with immaculately drawn moments of both despair and joy. An alluring and, in time, vintage recording’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

«Après plusieurs collaborations chez Hyperion qui ont fait date (Brahms, Ravel, Szymanowski … ), le pianiste Cédric Tiberghien retrouve sa complice en duo, la violoniste Alina Ibragimova, pour un CD qui s’inscrit dans les sommets de la discographie de ces diamants noirs de la musique de chambre. Admirable alchimie des timbres, poésie d’un crépuscule souverain, beauté des mouvements lents. Un plaidoyer réussi pour ces sonates assez rares» (24 heures, Switzerland)

‘There is not a beat missed between the players, but even more laudable is the matching energy: all forces give their all to the music, and while it can be cacophonous and a bit crazy, the performance is ultimately very convincing … I found this to be a very nice curation of Khachaturian’s works, both big and small, with performances that match the thoughtfulness of the programming. A most enjoyable listen’ (The Classic Review)