9 February 2019
BBC Record Review, Andrew McGregor
Liszt: Années de pèlerinage, troisième année & other late piano works‘I confess I hadn’t previously thought of the French pianist Cédric Tiberghien as a Lisztian, but I do now … Tiberghien evokes the play of the waters within Liszt’s virtuosic writing with impressive economy. Throughout this recital you’re never aware of the technical difficulties or display for its own sake; the music and the colours come first, especially impressive in the strangely unsettling world of the ‘Bagatelle without tonality’ that opens the recital, and in Tiberghien’s desolate depiction of a Venetian funeral gondola. Seriously classy Liszt, encompassed by a recording that allows every detail of Tiberghien’s playing to resonate’ (BBC Record Review)
8 February 2019
Limelight, Australia, Angus McPherson
Clarke (R): Viola Sonata; Bridge: Cello Sonata‘Clein wields her cello with subtlety—hear the transcendent delicacy that finishes the first movement [of the Clarke], or the exquisitely impassioned intensity of the finale … this is a charming disc with a folky, salon feel at times. If Bridge’s music pales somewhat against that of the more complex textures of the Clarke or the refined elegant lines of the Vaughan Williams, Clein’s heartfelt advocacy makes it a satisfying listen all round’ (Limelight, Australia)
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2 February 2019
The Telegraph, Ivan Hewett
Shostakovich & Kabalevsky: Cello Sonatas‘Few cellists can mould a line with such attention to both light and shade … for a performance that distils the sweetness at the music’s heart, this is the one’ (The Telegraph)
» More2 February 2019
BBC Record Review, Andrew McGregor
Shostakovich & Kabalevsky: Cello Sonatas‘In the Shostakovich Cello Sonata, Isserlis provides the lyrical narrative. He’s the storyteller—whispering, coaxing, singing and soaring—with Mustonen providing the turbulent counterpoint … playing with great gentleness and delicacy one moment, before an eruption of glittering notes propelled with a febrile intensity that reminds me of Shostakovich himself at the piano. It’s a fascinating partnership and, I think, a hugely rewarding performance … such a tremendous account … an intimately truthful recording as well … it’s my Recording of the Week’ (BBC Record Review)