‘Wonderful performances of two of Britten's finest song cycles, consistently beautiful in vocal quality, and almost miraculous in their integration of clear expressive diction. Deserves a place in every collection’ (BBC Music Magazine)

'It’s Oke who makes the case for Peter Grimes and steals the show. There used to be two great Grimes on record: Peter Pears and Jon Vickers. Now there are three.' (Sinfini Music)» More

'Performed in a convincing and sensitive manner. It's hard to recommend this highly enough' (iTunes Review, USA)» More

'This is a terrific presentation of one of the greatest British operas. The recording has captured the spirit of the drama brilliantly. I saw the performance sat on the shingle at the beach and loved every minute of it. One thing I miss on the recording is the ever present sound of the sea that we had on the beach—it added something and whilst you can't having it running through the whole thing—some a touch of it might have been nice. In case it's not clear, this recording was not done on the beach but at Snape Maltings. There will be a DVD at some point in which you should get a better sense of the outdoor setting … Alan Oke as Grimes was the perfect singer for the role and a credible successor to Pears. He exuded the grim greyness of the North Sea in the way that an Italian tenor could never muster (imagine a Pavarotti trying this out!). And Giselle Allen as Ellen Orford was performed in a convincing and sensitive manner. It's hard to recommend this highly enough' (iTunes Review, USA)» More

‘Satisfaction is guaranteed’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘The Nash Ensemble performances are brilliant and brilliantly recorded. There is a clarity and urgency to the performances that reveals much of the inner workings of Britten's music’ (American Record Guide)

‘From one recording to the next, Osborne, the Scottish pianist, is a marvel. Here he gleams and geysers through a performance of Benjamin Britten's concerto, with expert help from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ilan Volkov. Pure excellence’ (San Jose Mercury News, USA)

«L'interprète rend parfaite justice à cetter page étrange dans son alliage de martial entrain et d'extatique ferveur … ce dernier était, on le sait, autrichien et les profondes affinités de Britten avec Mahler, Berg et leurs émules trouvent ici le terrain idéal pour s'exprimer. Comme Ravel, Britten soumet la main gauche de l'interprète à d'effrayantes épreuves brillamment déjouées par Steven Osborne» (Classica, France)

‘It is hard to imagine more persuasive advocates for the music. Osborne is dazzling in the showier passages (of which there are many) in all three works, and all challenges are met head-on in exemplary performances’ (Scotland on Sunday)

‘Britten's three works for solo piano are relatively neglected and Steven Osborne's brilliant performances, backed by the conductor Ilan Volkov, make one wonder why’ (The Sunday Telegraph)

‘The incomparable Steven Osborne, with the BBC SSO and Ilan Volkov in electrifying form … the music has a bubbling effervescence … and is delivered by Osborne with his characteristic sense of discipline (pristine playing) and buccaneering spirit. There is real depth, too, in the piece, not least in the dark nobility of the finale theme’ (The Herald)

‘Osborne's technique puts him ahead of the game: this is no average British pianist’ (Fanfare, USA)