‘At the heart of the sequence lie Tomkins's deeply expressive When David heard and Then David mourned, pieces in which the tension of the dissonances is relished by James O'Donnell's Westminster Abbey singers more fully than is often the case with English Choirs’ (The Irish Times)

‘This is good singing, and many choirs would envy the tight ensemble, impeccable intonation and crystal-clear diction, not to mention the unfailingly excellent solo voices drawn from the ranks of the choir’ (International Record Review)

«Remarquable élaboré, ce récital convainc surtout par la subtilité dynamique de 'interprétation, par la précision de certains jeux rhythmiques et la virtuosité chaleureuse de chacun des membres du consort. Un très beau programme» (Répertoire, France)

‘In Pictures at an Exhibition there's a question-mark about Llyr Williams's willingness to depart from Mussorgsky's autograph with rather more than the occasional bass octave doubling or re-spaced chord … Debussy's Estampes (Etchings), likewise, explore a Mussorgsky related world of sharp outline and atmospheric colour. Williams allows the music's brand of sophisticated spontaneity to speak memorably for itself' (BBC Music Magazine)» More

'A new recording of Pictures at an Exhibition is cleverly programmed here alongside works from Debussy and Liszt which enrich one’s appreciation of it. In the opening bars of Sposalizio, one of three Liszt depictions of Italian scenes included here, can be discerned forward echoes of Mussorgsky’s Promenade motif, while Debussy’s Estampes offer a trio of complementary visual treats on Oriental, Spanish and bucolic themes. Williams’s touch throughout is subtle but assuredly dramatic, shifting between the various Pictures confidently: the crucial aspect-shift in which the viewer is lured into the skull-strewn catacombs in Cum mortuis in lingua mortua allows the sombre mood to linger' (The Independent)

‘[Visions fugitives] Osborne gives the finest recorded performance I know’ (Limelight, Australia)

‘I have no reservations whatsoever about Osborne's performances of Prokofiev's Sarcasms and Visions fugitives. This is playing of total clarity, with real percussive force whilst avoiding any ugliness of tone, rhythmically terse and stylistically very much in keeping with Gilels' or indeed Prokofiev's own surviving accounts. For a modern version of these rarely heard works, Osborne provides powerful and persuasive interpretations, with contrasts clearly brought out between Prokofiev's silken melodies and moments of absolute repose as contrasted with some of the most violent and virtuosic piano writing of the first half of the last century. The recording is fabulous and David Fanning's programme notes are of the high quality which we have come to accept as standard from Hyperion’ (International Record Review)

‘This glorious new recording … is a colossus of a disc and a superlative production from the Hyperion Records team. The depth, breadth and sonic splendour of the disc make it a defining recording of a piano classic. There are many recordings of Pictures, but this one is special … a vintage Osborne performance’ (Sunday Herald, Scotland)

‘Osborne's magisterial performance of 'Pictures' … the experimental Prokofiev pieces are dazzlingly done’ (The Sunday Times)

‘Osborne strides out with healthy determination in the opening Promenade, and then gives a superb performance that shows how atmospheric Musorgsky’s maverick piano writing can be. Rarely have the Catacombs sounded so eerily haunting as they do here; rarely have the technical oddities of the Great Gate of Kiev been harnessed to such imposing effect, architecturally grand but with a range of tone that makes the tumult of bells and the Russian Orthodox incantation fix a vivid, poignant, multifaceted image. In between, Osborne has the sensitivity and inspiration, not to mention the pianistic resources, to bring each of the pictures to life in a way that has palpable perspective and subtle characterisation’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘This all-Russian album is a fine example of Osborne's versatility. He paces Musorgsky's great suite faultlessly, never forcing anything but ratcheting up the excitement notch by notch until it's all discharged in a sumptuous account of the final Great Gate of Kiev … Osborne is suitably laconic and severe in Prokofiev's Sarcasms, gentler and more suggestive in the Visions fugitives; both are beautifully judged’ (The Guardian)

‘Musorgsky’s cycle turns up here, resplendently startling, cobwebs blown off, on his latest release for Hyperion, the classy independent label that Osborne has been recording and winning prizes for since 1998. From the beginning you sense Osborne’s dynamism and fresh imagination: I can’t recall when I last heard the introductory Promenade sound so purposeful. But the best jewels reside in the picture segments themselves … the technical challenges of the cycle’s last movements (Catacombs, Great Gate of Kiev and all) bring plenty of virtuoso excitements, vividly captured in the recording. And the accompanying Russian items are well chosen: first, Prokofiev’s Sarcasms, early exercises in the grotesque, then his generally gentler Visions fugitives—brilliant descriptive titbits, dextrously and poetically displayed … visit this exhibition with Steven Osborne; you’ll enjoy it much more’ (The Times)