‘These new performances prove to be everything that one would wish for in these taxing and often elusive works … a valuable release’ (International Record Review)» More

‘The finale of the D major sonata is a real treat, especially in Tanja Becker-Bender's superb account … the final C major is one of the jewels in Hindemith's sonata crown and draws superb playing from Becker-Bender and Nagy. Indeed, they are superb throughout’ (Gramophone)

‘Who else has ever captured the elusive, evanescent magic of early Debussy … to this extent; or relished Poulenc's delight in the quirky and urbane …? … his Brahms and Ravel may come in an unseemly and convoluted rush but his Mozart is a marvel of immaculate and nuanced virtuosity, and so, too is his Grieg’ (Gramophone)

‘Few pianists have the time and technique to devote to music that is so little-known. Marc-André Hamelin is the shining exception. He demonstrated his Busoni credentials more than a decade ago with an outstanding account of the Piano Concerto … Hamelin handles all with great intelligence. There's a swagger when the music demands it, a fabulously refined sense of sonority and transparency when required. The technical challenges are surmounted so effortlessly that you begin to take the confidence of his playing for granted, when in fact it's a remarkable achievement’ (The Guardian)» More

‘Worth hearing for Jansen’s driving speeds, nimble ornamentation, energy and elegant sense of Baroque style. The textures are spruce, and a particular success is the C minor Double Concerto with the delectable tone of oboist Ramón Ortega Quero’ (The Times)

‘There are some outstanding performances: Christopher Maltman's account of Miroirs brûlants and La fraîcheur et le feu (both based on Eluard), and the Calligrammes (on Apollinaire's texts) are worth the price on their own, while Sarah Fox is just as persuasive in Les chemins de l'amour as she is in Tel jour telle nuit. There are telling contributions, too, from Ailish Tynan, Susan Bickley and Ben Johnson, and a brief appearance in the Quatre chansons pour enfants by the English grande dame of French song Felicity Lott. Touchingly, one work also features the voice of baritone Pierre Bernac, Poulenc's recital partner, for whom many of the songs were composed; he's the narrator in a 1977 recording of L'histoire de Babar and the whole set is dedicated to his memory. It's a gorgeous collection, and for sometime Poulenc sceptics like me, a real revelation’ (The Guardian)» More

‘The highlight of this collection is the Schumann Symphonic Etudes … each of the variations is well-characterised. There is drama and energy on the one hand, and lyricism and richness of expression on the other, with superb attention to detail…This is an impressive tribute to a fine British pianist’ (MusicWeb International)

«Avec ce quatrième volume de son intégrale des Sonates de Beethoven pour le label Hyperion, elle est à son meilleur. On a là un piano à la technicité exemplaire. Tout y est perfection, ou presque: les courbes mélodiques admirablement bien construites et dessinées, les nuances qui brillent par leur finesse, leur profondeur et leur variété, la polyphonie admirable de clarté (la fugue de l'Allegro de l'Opus 101!). Angela Hewitt alterne les climax avec le plus grand art et virevolte sur le clavier avec un évident plaisir. Son Beethoven est vivant, limpide et semble couler de source. Il faut dire que la pianiste canadienne suit la partition de très près, jusque dans l’intensité d’un soupir pourrait-on dire. Elle restitue le tout avec la plus grande précision, dans un acte de foi manifeste» (Classica, France)» More

‘Marc-André Hamelin’s performance of the Busoni Piano Concerto for Hyperion is one of the finest ever recorded of that mammoth work, and now he has produced what is arguably the most important collection of the solo piano music since Geoffrey Douglas Madge’s epic six-disc survey for Philips in 1987 … All the most significant works are here … Hamelin includes some rarities Madge omitted, notably Busoni’s first foray into 'Red Indian’ music, the spellbinding Indianisches Erntelied (not published till 2001) … As to the performances, they are all you could hope from a player of such quality, laced with repertoire he might have been born to interpret. This is playing of a very high order, such as—despite the now numerous competing versions of the Elegies, Sonatinas and Toccata—one seldom hears. Hamelin is well-nigh ideal in sensitivity of phrasing, clarity of tone and delineation of voices, not to mention subtlety of pedalling … He reminds you that you are listening to one of history’s greatest piano composers, a philosopher of the piano to whose ear and mind the whole of European concert music seems to have been continually present. A fabulous set, almost beyond praise’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

«L’impeccable virtuosité de Marc-André Hamelin se joue des pièges recélés par ces redoutables partitions; sa quête faustienne, à la fois analytique et méditée, assume la dimension philosophique quasi médiévale de cette alchimie sonore et nous en livre une référence absolue» (Classica, France)» More

‘This new Hyperion recording of Franck's Symphony in Simon Johnson's transcription and played by him on the great organ of St Paul's Cathedral is an impresssive and enlightening experience. Johnson clearly has the measure of the work … I was enthralled throughout. The Cantabile and the great Pièce héroïque are very finely performed … the detail in the recording is surprisingly good considering the venue, and the engineers have to be applauded for capturing this magnificent instrument in its more refined and gentle registration … Johnson's performance is beautifully paced throughout’ (International Record Review)» More

‘Transcribing Franck's D minor Symphony for organ works extremely well. Simon Johnson's performance on the instrument at St Paul's Cathedral is deftly paced, and the shorter pieces are also enjoyable’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More