‘Hamelin and conductor Andrew Litton achieve a kind of mind-meld in their reading of the Brahms Second Concerto … this is music-making of the highest order, intensely communicative and attuned to the composer's mastery of narrative form and structure’ (The Absolute Sound, USA)
‘Hamelin makes for a brilliant soloist and fine Brahms interpreter here … the result is one of the more successful and satisfying Brahms Seconds to come down the pike in quite a while … the four Op 119 pieces that fill out the disc are a nice bonus, and played by Hamelin with the caressing tenderness of one who understands the ache of Brahms' winter regret. Strongly recommended’ (Fanfare, USA)
‘Hamelin consistently beguiles the ear … in the scherzo of the concerto, he uses clean rhythm to bring excitement to No 3 without overwhelming the music. His light touch in the first piece emphasizes both its dreaminess as well as its sparse modernity: Schoenberg's famous appellation 'Brahms the progressive' is singularly applicable here. The engineering is up to Hyperion's usual high standard, with ideal balances between piano and orchestra in the concerto … this is an excellent release and an important landmark in Hamelin's evolving discography’ (Classics Today)
‘Hamelin strides forth with a technical magnificence that is glittering and propulsive, but also with a light and shade that directs to the music's inner sanctum’ (International Piano)
‘The grand romantic manner comes easily to Hamelin. Modern discipline, too, and his combination of finger power, firm engineering, caressing gentleness and playful wit makes him a natural for Brahms's second piano concerto’ (The Times)
‘The Canadian's magisterial technique means that he dispatches with feline ease passages such as the notorious whispering double octaves in the scherzo’ (The Daily Telegraph)
‘Consummate musicianship and formidable technical control. The warmth and beauty of tone are never sacrificed even in the most thickly textured writing of the first movement. The Finale in particular is quite dazzling, Hamelin's quicksilver dexterity bringing an effervescent humour and brilliant rhythmic incisiveness to the music’ (BBC Music Magazine)
‘It's a pleasure to say that these new recordings are just as fine, if not better, than any I've heard … pianist Marc-André Hamelin (so distinguished in his numerous concerto and solo recordings for Hyperion) knows just when to stretch a phrase or lighten a chord … while always sensitively rendering his part in relation to the strings … the Leopold String Trio's intelligent use of vibrato and portamento gives a perfect finish to its already attractive tone. Together with Hamelin, the results are magic … if you think you know these works, think again: these are performances to challenge you afresh’ (Limelight, Australia)
„Das Klavier ist die Stütze des Fort-gangs, das tragende Element; und mit Hamelin am Klavier gelangt diese Einspielung zu einer Intensität, die Brahms als Neuerer mit Blick auf sinfonische Größe in der Kammermusik und als großartigen Klangkünstler darstellt—so sollte Brahms klingen, nicht anders“ (Ensemble, Germany)
„This is bracing, high-voltage stuff, with phrasing and razor-sharp articulation that positively command attention … these are richly integrated, profoundly organic performances of epic scope … this is a magnificent release by any standards“ (Piano, Germany)
‘The Scherzo of the C minor Piano Quartet (No 3) is dispatched with dazzling brilliance yet never sacrifices the music's underlying sense of stress and anxiety. Even more stunning is Hamelin's fingerwork in the Ronda alla Zingarese of No 1 in G minor, the playing outstripping all rivals in terms of its blistering pace and unbridled aggression’ (BBC Music Magazine)
