‘Handel the organist and improviser features just as strongly in these suites as Handel the exquisite miniaturist and inspired master of counterpoint. Driver brings to it all a winning sense of style, crisply ornamented, sensitively drawing on the piano’s tonal potential for shadings of colour and alert to the rhythmic energy that Handel can generate.To hear in succession the tiny contemplative adagio of the Second Suite followed by its bright fugal allegro and then the quasi-improvisatory organ-like prelude of the Third Suite is to appreciate just how compellingly Driver intuits the music’s rich diversity’ (The Daily Telegraph)» More

„Was schon damals bei der Matinee live zu konstatieren war, bestätigt der Höreindruck nochmals eindrucksvoll und aufs Schönste: gleich im groß konzipierten, tragisch grundgetönten d-Moll-Erstlings op. 15, dessen Solopart Hough im Kopfsatz gleichermaßen so leidenschaftlich vollgriffig auf dem Steinway gestaltete, wie er sich auch in die dazu kontrastierenden Passagen entsprechend nachdenklich versenkte. Überaus subtile Töne findet Stephen Hough für den Einstieg ins Adagio … die Aufnahme ist eine Bereicherung der Diskographie, nicht nur, was Salzburgs Orchester betrifft. Und die Geldbörse wird obendrein geschont, denn beide CDs werden wohlfeil zum Preis einer einzigen angeboten“ (DrehPunktKultur, Austria)» More

‘You understand exactly why Pizzetti was deemed so important when you hear his Sonata in A (1919): one of the great works in the form and an austere meditation on the first world war, that uses plainchant-inflected themes in a demand for spiritual continuity in the aftermath of political trauma. Castelnuovo-Tedesco's 'Sonata quasi una fantasia' (1929) is an eclectic, sexy mix of impressionism and jazz. The Pizzetti demands something other than beauty in performance, and Shaham and Erez are uncompromising and abrasive with it. The Castelnuovo-Tedesco sounds gorgeous from start to finish’ (The Guardian)» More

«Unis à la ville comme à la scène, Ethel Bartlett et Rae Robertson complètent la série consacrée par APR aux élèves de Tobias Matthay avec une escale rafraîchissante du côté du répertoire pour deux pianos … pour nous concentrer sur le meilleur du coffret, à savoir les variations de Schumann et Saint-Saëns, modèles d'équilibre dans lesquelles on admire la capacité des deux musiciens à se fondre l'un dans l'autre ou à individualiser leur propos. Leur palette magnifie la grisaille déprimante mais subtile d'En blanc et noir (Debussy) autant que la clarté printanière qui émane d’une Suite élisabéthaine concoctée par Bartlett d'après Byrd, Farnaby ou Bull. Quelques petites douceurs pour finir, avec des arrangements savoureux de pages de Bach, Granados ou Liszt (amusez-vous à deviner qui fait quoi dans cette Campanella ou ce Liebestraum en duo!) enrichies, registrées, octaviées» (Diapason, France)» More

‘The playing is especially potent in the dramatic sweep of the C major, in which Rubinstein’s romantic creative urge is all the more confident, complementing Lisztian passion and bravura with colour and harmonic dexterity that lend it individuality’ (The Daily Telegraph)» More

„Klar im Anschlag, konsequent in der Durchführung bis zum entschwindenden Ostinato des Leiermanns, nuancenreich im Ausdruck, stellt dieses die ideale ‘Tragfläche’ für den Sänger her … fazit: Diese ‘Winterreise’ hat Erlebnischarakter“ (Pizzicato, Luxembourg)» More

'In the theatre, Bartók's one-act opera is a dramatic portrait of the irreconcilability of the sexes. In the concert hall, where this recording was made in 2011 by the Philharmonia Orchestra, its appeal to the imagination seems no less powerful. Salonen conducts a taut, luxuriant reading that captures the score's majesty and mystery. John Tomlinson' Bluebeard makes up in histrionic heft what he has lost in vocal poise, but is overshadowed by Michelle DeYoung's wonderfully alive Judith. The inclusion of the enigmatic introduction spoken in English by Juliet Stevenson, is an unexpected bonus' (Financial Times)

‘Here are two works that ought to be valued alongside Brahms’s Piano and Clarinet Quintets. The Second String Quintet, particularly, is one of his most admirable and lovable large-scale works. But it’s also as challenging interpretatively as any of the Symphonies. So when this Quintet is performed or recorded, it’s rarely with the depth of understanding it needs. Fortunately, the Takács Quartet and Lawrence Power show every indication of having given a lot of thought to both works … the fascinatingly fluid slow-movement-plus-scherzo that forms the centrepiece of the First Quintet is beautifully conceived. The impassioned, long opening paragraph of the Second is a magnificent balance of rich tonal weight and soaring momentum (perfectly caught by the recording); the Adagio is darkly eloquent and the finale’s rhythms are clean-cut and full of springing vitality’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

'Recording the War Requiem was a labour of love, and involved some of the hardest days of my life, but it was also one of the most fulfilling experience of my career: says conductor Paul McCreesh. 'The sense of collective endeavour in the room, when all these singers—professional, amateur, Polish, English, some very young from our Gabrieli Young Singers Scheme—came together with instrumentalists and soloists in Watford Town Hall was special. It was a privilege to stand before them.' McCreesh knew that the project was a challenge, though: 'I felt a few raised eyebrows when we announced we were going to do this piece, but I felt passionately that we did have something to say with it, a new perspective on it 50 years on: He also sensed Britten would have approved of his particular mix of forces: 'I always feel mixing young and old creates great joy and energy.’ McCreesh's attraction to the piece is not, however, focused on the massed forces but rather the intimate settings of Wilfred Owen which, he says, 'form the deepest heart of the work; they were my priority. It was wonderful to have soloists with such sensitivity to the power of the words. You never quite know how things are going to work out, so I'm glad that our efforts have been vindicated' (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Sophistication and refinement inform every note of lestyn Davies and Thomas Dunford’s recital, which moves from Jacobean blockbusters such as In darkness let me dwell and Flow, my tears to the complex poetry of Time stands still. Nothing is taken for granted. I saw my lady weep is delivered with chilly hauteur, in contrast with the hot emotionalism of All ye whom Love or Fortune hath betrayed and Burst forth, my tears, and a luxuriously slow Lachrimae. Most striking is the urgency of Can she excuse my wrongs? and rhythmic flexibility in Come again, sweet love doth now invite’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘The scalic flourishes of the First Suite’s Prelude instantly reveal Driver’s nimble fingerwork, meticulous control over dynamic accentuation on key harmonic features and judicious use of the sustain pedal. The rippling D minor arpeggios of the Prelude to Suite No 3 transfer to the piano thrillingly … most of Handel’s French-style intricate dance movements are played with dignified tenderness: the consecutive allemandes and courantes always have a delicate balance between cantabile warmth in the elegant upper melody, softly precise inner details and a lightly flowing bass-line. The quick Fugue that launches Suite No 4 in E minor has a sparkling clarity that any eminent Baroque specialist keyboardist would be pleased with … an engagingly post-historical approach’ (Gramophone)

‘Hyperion’s superb recording and Stephen Hough’s burnished sound make this a most appealing disc on the subject of music of the night … Hough gives a ‘Moonlight’ Sonata in a different league … finding cheeky accents in the central Allegretto and presenting an explosive finale. The two Chopin Nocturnes, both beautifully shaded and harmonically aware, precede Hough’s own Second Piano Sonata … Hough is his own finest interpreter, playing with a fierce belief in the score. Finally, Schumann’s Carnaval … the opening gestures are gloriously exuberant, introducing one of the finest readings available’ (International Piano)» More