‘An electrifying double-disc set’ (The Scotsman)

‘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)

‘Hough shares with Rachmaninov a precision, a rhythmic energy, a quite beautiful singing tone and—perhaps most important in these dense textures—an unerring clarity … a superb achievement, and that's all that needs to be said’ (International Record Review)

‘An outstanding disc’ (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

‘An outstanding recording artist. His new record of rare and brilliant Rachmaninov has a magnetism which from first to last is inescapable’ (The Guardian)

‘Stunning performances’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Fully deserves its reputation as one of the finest available interpretations of this music’ (Amazon.co.uk)

‘Even in what has become a crowded field, this is an outstanding version … the finest of all’ (International Record Review)

‘Best and his choir get right to the heart of the unique Rachmaninov Vespers … an unearthly sublimity which many will find extremely moving’ (Organists' Review)

‘Outstanding. A performance that is at once perceptive, sympathetic and finely sung’ (Gramophone)

‘A most beautiful performance, very well sung and recorded in an atmospheric, reverberent setting’ (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)