‘If all three works pay tribute to Wagner in terms of musical landscape, they still have a voice of their own—and a pleasingly sonorous voice at that’ (Scotland on Sunday)

‘This is a fine orchestra, capable of silky smooth string playing where necessary, and excellent in all departments. Brabbins steers a clear path avoiding the mundane on the one hand, and the over-egged romantic hysteria on the other, and his orchestra, from the end result, seem to me to have enjoyed the music making hugely. These are no idle run-throughs—ensemble is tight, dynamics are carefully graded and the result is some intense music-making … this release is the first of a series, further issues in which I look forward to immensely’ (Audiophile Audition, USA)

‘Lush, melodic and romantic … the excellent Martyn Brabbins and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic have resurrrected the Wagnerian-Straussian tone poems … as for the grand, rhapsodic 'Homeric' Symphony, it's epic’ (The Observer)

‘Mortlemans' scoring is full of colour and drama … the music is vividly compelling … throughout the progamme, the richness of the orchestration readily holds the listener's attention, especially in such responsive performances from the Royal Flemish Philharmonic under the highly sympathetic Martyn Brabbins, well projected by a splendidly spacious Hyperion recording’ (Gramophone)

«Je ne peux … priver ce CD merveilleux du 10/10 qui lui sied si bien, car cette musique qui n'ambitionne pas d'égaler les Sonates de Beethoven et de Brahms, est une pure merveille» (Classics Today France)

«La sonorité très chaude du violoncelle et l'articulation parfaite du piano conviennent parfaitement au caractère de ces œuvres … il sera difficile de faire mieux dans ce répertoire» (Classica, France)

‘The works, intimate in tone and refined in sentiment, make extremely congenial discmates’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘With such strong, sympathetic playing and clear, carefully-balanced recordings this Hyperion disc is a must for adventurous cellists and listeners alike’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Bárta and Milne strike just the right note: these aren't bravura pieces, and they play them as would two friends convivially making music in the drawing-room and deriving unemphatic pleasure from the experience … a delightfully demure, teasingly tuneful release, which has brought me much pleasure’ (International Record Review)

‘The lion's share of the material falls to Hamish Milne, whose liquid-clear articulation allows the music to flow unimpeded by any mannerisms whatsoever. For his part cellist Jiří Bárta provides an equally virtuosic and eloquent rendition—taste and idiomatic faithfulness being the key criteria’ (The Strad)

‘Following its delightful versions of his piano concerti, led from the keyboard by Howard Shelley, Hyperion continues its championship of Moscheles's work with the elegant cello sonata dedicated to Schumann. He is often bracketed with his contemporary Hummel, whose own cello sonata is a classic of spacious romanticism. Both are lovingly played by the Czech cellist Jiří Bárta’ (The Observer)

‘Freshly performed and directed by Howard Shelley … no need for Hyperion to do anything other than hold their heads high over this one’ (MusicWeb International)