‘A typically meticulous recording by Layton and The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, sensitive to every nuance of phrasing and articulation—a glossy account of a sequence of well-crafted anthems, with a bonus in the form of Alexander Hamilton’s account of McDowall’s O Antiphons for solo organ’ (Gramophone)

‘Howard Shelley has been on a winning streak with his Mendelssohn odyssey and the penultimate volume lives up to previous ones in every respect. There are a directness, selflessness and unaffected authority to the playing that place the bar high for all future Mendelssohn intégrales … Hyperion’s recording quality is warm yet clear, and it would be hard to imagine more informative or authoritative notes than those supplied by R Larry Todd. The final volume is eagerly anticipated’ (Gramophone)

‘Vivid interpretations from Lev and an assortment of different pianists. In contrast to the gladiatorial contest between famous soloists often encountered on other recordings, the performers in this long-established group place the greatest emphasis on achieving a well-nigh perfect unanimity of articulation in the brilliant passagework. But they also produce some lovely fluid cantabile playing in the slow movements. A small-sized ECO delivers crisp orchestral tuttis’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘In an interesting appendage to the main booklet note (an excellent essay on the Caprices by Jeremy Nicholas that has taught me a great deal), recording producer Andrew Keener reminisces about ‘Paganini in lockdown’, the sessions having taken place in London’s Henry Wood Hall during May and June last year. Keener reports how Alina Ibragimova pledged to take the opportunity to do ‘some serious work’ on these widely variegated Caprices. And believe me, neither he nor she were joking … Ibragimova’s principal strength, aside from an all-facilitating technique, is her amazing imagination, an ability to turn each individual piece into a vivid narrative. Her mastery of tone and texture, fantasy and at times wit will enthral, but because she packs each piece with so much incident, following her for more than, say, half a dozen pieces at a time is (pleasantly) exhausting’ (Gramophone)

‘Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978) was a Bulgarian Rachmaninov—or Szymanowski, as Francis Pott’s first-class booklet essay suggests—in full command of a Lisztian performing and composing technique which wasn’t quite yet anachronistic in these two opulently registered cycles of tone-pictures from the 1920s. Pott nails the ‘picturesque escapism’ of Vladigerov’s three-stave writing while pressing the case for its weightless and surprisingly cosmopolitan intricacies as persuasively as Nadejda Vlaeva’s native advocacy. The ‘exotic’ nature of the Preludes extends to little more than hand-me-down Spanishry and hints of modal middle-Eastern harmonies; the slightly sparer, more allusive style of the Impressions should beguile anyone wondering ‘What next?’ after late Debussy and Scriabin. Rich fare in one sitting; utterly charming in small helpings, thanks largely, I fancy, to Vlaeva’s dexterity and less-is-more sensitivity in music already soaked in rum and tears.’ (Pianist)

‘In these works, balance between strings and piano has clearly been meticulously and carefully prepared and refined. There are some great recordings from the past out there … however, these don’t match this current version from Hyperion which is so beautifully recorded. It is hard to imagine that these works will ever be played and recorded better than this’ (MusicWeb International)

„Geisterhaft wirkt [Ibragimovas] Spiel oft, gespenstisch, virtuos. Das liegt zum einen an ihrer technischen Sicherheit, mehr aber noch daran, dass ihre Erfahrungen auf dem Gebiet historischen Musizierens auch hier Früchte tragen. Ob düster-ahnungsvolle Triller, angespitzte Läufe, harmonische Reibungen bei Akkordfolgen, glitzernde Ober-Töne, geschleuderte Staccato-Salven—Ibragimova lotet die Tiefen dieser Musik aus. Vordergründiges, Effektbezogenes interessiert sie nicht“ (Concerti, Germany)

‘In these works, balance between strings and piano has clearly been meticulously and carefully prepared and refined. There are some great recordings from the past out there … however, these don’t match this current version from Hyperion which is so beautifully recorded. It is hard to imagine that these works will ever be played and recorded better than this’ (MusicWeb International)

‘Part of the startling immediacy and modernity of Mahan Esfahani's performances comes from the range of sounds his modern harpsichord can produce, with its rich bass register … but also the breadth of Esfahani's imagination, his sense of theatre, his willingness to explore and experiment. It might be too much for some, but it'll be a revelation to others’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Cinquecento’s best recording since Palestrina’s second book of Lamentations (Hyperion CDA68284) and one cannot praise it more highly than that … admirers of Cinquecento will find themselves rewarded as never before by this recording. Admirers of Isaac who do not know this music, especially the mass, will find their admiration confirmed and perhaps even expanded. Explorers unacquainted with Isaac will discover a new musical territory replete with riches’ (Early Music Review)» More

‘Driver clears the hurdles of Book 1 with ease, from the fast-flowing first étude to the tumbling, kaleidoscopic sixth. He’s just as adroit when it comes to the mesmeric, rather witty perpetuum mobile that helps to animate the fourth. He also shines in the light, rather wistful fifth. Driver’s aided and abetted in this admirable enterprise by David Hinitt’s top-flight engineering, the sound full and finely detailed, startling in its presence and power … the comparatively short Book 3—études 15 to 18—is technically flawless, Driver’s remarkable dexterity and command of the piano a wonder to behold … superbly played and recorded’ (MusicWeb International)

«La saisissante plongée d’Alina Ibragimova dans ce répertoire soulève une question : pourra-t-on parler un jour d’« interprétations pandémiques » ? On a l’impression que la violoniste scrute le silence, écoute le temps s’écouler … sans moindrement sacrifier à la virtuosité, il y a remise en cause de tous les fondements de l’œuvre, comme la COVID-19 a remis en cause le cours si huilé de nos vies. C’est artistiquement et humainement pétrifiant» (Le Devoir)