‘In Download News 15 Geoffrey Molyneux wrote that he could not 'imagine the Novelletten better played', and is highly complimentary about Danny Driver’s performances of the other pieces. I am happy to agree with all of his comments, and add that the exceptionally rich and fine piano sound in this recording makes it a real all-round treat in every regard’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Driver’s a real find, and his musicianship has the indefinable 'finish' that marks a mature artist’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Clara Schumann, such a pianistic prodigy, was the insipration for many of her husband's works … but the Piano Concerto is the greatest of all, full of intimacy and proud bravura, and Angela Hewitt comes very close … to pulling off a definitive account of what this music is all about. Her pianism has clarity, weighting and deft articulation, complemented by Hannu Lintu's Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin's response’ (Birmingham Post)

‘The concerto is given a graceful, expressive and supple performance in which tales are told and it's blessed with a lively accompaniment from Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, sympathetically conducted by Hannu Lintu. The sound is excellent too—immediate, well balanced and vividly detailed … this is a handsome package of delicious romanticism’ (Time Out)

‘Hewitt's perfect handling of the breathtakingly lovely opening of the Introduction & Allegro appassionato would melt the hardest of hearts’ (The Observer)

‘Hewitt [is] on sparkling form. She is matched at every turn by Lintu, who draws the finest playing from the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin … Hewitt's playing is so lively and joyful’ (International Record Review)

‘The sense of joy that infallibly emanates from Angela Hewitt's piano playing is fully evident here … Hewitt is Clara Schumann's natural heir’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘There's so much beauty, subtlety and originality in Hewitt's first movement [Concerto] … the two rarer works for piano and orchestra are a treat—especially the Introduction and Concert-Allegro, Op 134 … Hewitt and Lintu give its recurrent falling sixth a wonderful, sensual scrunchiness … this recording should be applauded for its passion, detail, courage and commitment’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘[Hamelin’s] reading is glorious in its blend of virtuosity and emotional commitment … The recording quality is first-rate. I doubt very much if the current year will produce a finer piano CD’ (Musical Opinion)

‘While there’s no shortage of either visceral excitement or poetic exploration, this remains supremely balanced playing … If you’re already a Hamelin aficionado, of course, you won’t need my urging to buy this disc; but if you’ve been wary because of his usually offbeat repertoire, here’s a chance to see what he can contribute to the mainstream. Top recommendation’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Genuinely outstanding disc’ (The Guardian)

‘Hamelin brings a transcendental technique and passionate romantic temperament to music that, more often than not, is the preserve of pianistic intellectuals and poets. But his performances of the great C major Fantasy and the Symphonic Studies are not merely exercises in virtuosity. His astounding feats of dexterity and dazzling spectrum of colour are constantly put to the service of the music. This is freshly conceived Schumann, light and brilliant in bravura passages—the concluding Allegro brillante of the Etudes rarely sounds so joyous—yet never lightweight in reflective music: the slow third movement of the Fantasy is a poignantly poetic meditation, while the lovely Andantino of the Sonata glows with an entirely appropriate inward emotional intensity. Hamelin's Schumann ideally combines the extrovert and introspective characteristics of this glorious music. Highly recommended’ (The Sunday Times)