«Le chœur anglais est superbe de recueillement et la prise de son valorise parfaitement la mise en place de l'ensemble» (Répertoire, France)

‘Highly recommended’ (Ovation)

‘Mr Shelley's expansive, passionate playing and his command of the broad structure of the piece capture its atmosphere eloquently. It is valuable, too, to have on this disc a number of rarely-heard miniatures in addition to the early works composed before Rachmaninov left Russia’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘A fine and enterprising recital’ (Classical Collection)

‘This is an album of pleasant discoveries, 60 minutes of them, beautifully played and truthfully recorded. Enthusiastically recommended – indeed, it is one of the most satisfying and enterprising piano recordings of the year’ (American Record Guide)

‘This superb recording gathers together … an enchanting stream of miniatures and rarities’ (Music and Musicians)

‘Hough. Litton. Rachmaninov concertos. Hyperion. Already a mouth-watering prospect, is it not? So, like the old Fry's Five Boys chocolate advert, does Anticipation match Realisation in these five much recorded confections? The answer is 'yes' on almost every level’ (Gramophone)

‘The freshness and joy in rediscovering well-worn masterpieces are everywhere in evidence in Hough's playing … if you think you have heard these pieces once too often, this is the recording to help you rediscover their intimacies and their emotional sweep’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘These are exhilarating performances, freshly conceived and texturally pristine … with such committed advocacy and technical bravura, Hough's interpretations demand to be heard’ (The Sunday Times)

‘This is the best set of Rachmaninov Piano Concertos ever recorded. You have no idea how hard I worked not to come to this conclusion, knowing full well just how skeptically such a claim is likely to be received. I compared Stephen Hough to multiple Ashkenazy renditions, to Earl Wild, to Zoltan Kocsis, to Argerich, Rubinstein, Richter, Rodriguez, and Horowitz. I ploughed through several obscure Russian recordings, two cycles on Naxos, and a slew of EMIs. I re-auditioned Pletnev and sampled two separate remasterings of Rachmaninov's own performances. I listened with scores, then waited a few days, and then tried again without them. I played these discs to colleagues, to friends, and to people whose musical judgment I trust as much if not more than my own. But the conclusion was inescapable: there never has been a complete cycle at this level of consistent excellence. There's no doubt about it’ (Classics Today)

‘Stephen Hough is a pianist of immense finesse, who is incapable of playing a vulgar or exaggerated note. And he has a steely technique, secure enough to carry him through four live recordings—which these are—with barely a slip … this is a wonderful release … Hough and Litton are more than scholars: they make living, flaming music from the ebbing and flowing speeds, the soloist's improvisatory airs, or the strings' willingness to revive the old portamento slide. The waves of energy at the finale's end are very exciting: no wonder the Dallas audience break out in cheers’ (The Times)

‘These are outstanding performances. The recordings capture the excitement of the live concerts, including applause at the end of the concertos but there's very little audience noise and the sound is thrilling and immediate. This is a release that's bound to win all the awards’ (Classic FM Magazine)