'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)

‘A distinctive and distinguished melodic voice shines through … everywhere there is always a strong sense of forward momentum … in Jonathan Plowright these works have a near-ideal interpreter. Not only does he negotiate Paderewski's dizzying virtuoso demands with evident ease, but also his ability to bring an almost string-like tone to the more lyrical passages constantly fascinates in this excellent recording’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Jonathan Plowright shines a powerful light on Paderewski … you have a pianist clearly in love with every bar of Paderewski's romantic rhetoric and it would be hard to imagine playing of greater sympathy or a more intimidating visceral strength and cogency. A pianist who excels in music's darker undercurrents and declamations, he clears every daunting hurdle with awe-inspiring ease, making a formidable case for one of music's neglected byways. Finely presented and recorded, this is a valuable and surprising issue’ (Gramophone)

‘If anyone is ever likely to convince you that there is more to Paganini's music than Rossini-in-technical-overdrive melodramatics, it is Tanja Becker-Bender … Becker-Bender gives the Italian's coruscating roulades more room to breathe, characterising each caprice as though it was microcosmic masterpiece of musical expression’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘This superb new recording … these are marvellous performances, full of freshness and vitality, technically accomplished yet spontaneous sounding and highly expressive … Becker-Bender's imagination really shines through in those of a more picturesque nature … another exceptional release from Hyperion’ (International Record Review)

‘A sparkling, cleaned-up version of Paganini, sounding the more amazing for its polish and clarity, and bringing into focus the poetic, romantic sensibility that enthralled the composer's contemporaries. I can't remember hearing the flute and horn imitations in the Ninth Caprice more persuasively performed, and in No 21, marked amoroso, Becker-Bender manages to retain a tender, intimate tone where many of her rivals equate amorousness with crude intensity. The more brilliant passages are just as successful … I'm sure Paganini himself would have been impressed and delighted’ (Gramophone)

‘A new Palestrina recording by the Westminster Cathedral Choir is always cause for rejoicing’ (CD Hotlist, USA)