‘A tremendous tribute to a fascinating figure in 20th-century music’ (The Daily Telegraph)

„Marc-André Hamelin und dem Pacifica Quartett scheint diese im Übermaß zur Verfügung zu stehen. Eine wichtige Veröffentlichung!“ (Concerti, Germany)» More

‘Programmed with Peter Holman's usual ingenuity and originality’ (Goldberg)

‘I'm sure that if it wasn't for the pioneering series of recordings named The English Orpheus we would find ourselves less the richer for the discoveries this series has brought to our notions of English musical heritage’ (The Organ)

‘With the programme arranged by play rather than chronology, creating an alluring stylistic variety within its 100-or-so-year span, and excellent sound, music for Shakespeare doesn't come much better than this’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘The Parley of Instruments, Rachel Brown, director Peter Holman and the Hyperion recording team all deserve applause’ (Gramophone)

'Yet even in his 'final recordings' you can glimpse something of an endearing humanity. The free and romantic beauty of Paderewski’s Haydn variations is unmistakable' (Gramophone)

«Jonathan Plowright semble avoir parfaitement saisi que l'esprit qui y souffle est celui de la musique et non du simple piano. Il leur donne une unité, une densité qui méritent l'admiration, soulignant l'envergure et l'humilité d'un compositeur à redécouvrir vraiment» (Diapason, France)

‘The music is by turns lyrical, tender, propulsive and bizarre … Plowright, who has made lesser-known composers a specialty … performs with conviction and panache. He gives Paderewski his due, revealing the seriousness of purpose, the lighthearted charm and a penchant for self-indulgence’ (San Francisco Chronicle)

‘A pianist who clearly believes in the music, who has studied it with appreciation and insight. Jonathan Plowright fits the bill admirably—and he has the technical wherewithal to do it justice. He unfolds the extended Fugue of Opus 23 imperiously; here the astringency of Paderewski’s conception perfectly caps what has gone before. This is fascinating music impressively performed, recorded and annotated—and cannot be recommended too highly’ (Classical Source)

‘It's all dense music, highly wrought, and Jonathan Plowright plays it quite superbly, with an enviable range of keyboard colour’ (The Guardian)

‘All three works provide the listener with an incredible musical journey; a kaleidoscope of pianistic ideas with fleeting echoes of Rachmaninov, Brahms, Debussy, and even elements of earlier music with its elegance and trills, yet in no way derivative. The playing is world-class; understated virtuosity at its best. Plowright easily integrates all the difficult elements—and Paderewski described the Op 23 Variations as his best and most difficult work—into the musical lines as if they don’t exist’ (Classic FM Magazine)