«On ne pouvait s’attendre à plus agréable surprise que ce programme présentant les dernières œvres pour piano du compositeur polonaise Karol Szymanowski» (Répertoire, France)

‘Marc-André Hamelin plays them with fantasy and rhythmic snap’ (The Irish Times)

‘Perfect territory for Marc-André Hamelin’s stylish and evocative playing’ (The Independent)

‘Marc-André Hamelin defines the character of each piece vividly, readily tuning into their dark soulfulness’ (The Evening Standard)

‘Hamlin does, I think, set a new benchmark … a very notable disc. If you don’t already know this great music, I strongly urge you to buy it’ (International Record Review)

‘Their highly original, sensual harmonies and sophisticated writing demand a refined pianist of imagination to make a persuasive case. Hamelin gets inside each miniature to do just that, and in beautifully recorded sound’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘Such elusive music requires a pianist of rare sensitivity and dexterity and in Marc-André Hamelin Szymanowski has been granted a true champion. A marvel of stylistic inwardness and pianistic refinement, his performances capture the Mazurkas’ alternating whimsy and rigour to perfection’ (Gramophone)

‘Marc-André Hamelin is a near-ideal advocate of this repertoire; alive to every nuance in these scores’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Hamelin is an astonishing virtuoso, yet this music demonstrates that the French-Canadian pianist is much more than a purveyor of keyboard fireworks. His immediate advocacy of the mazurkas, the Valse Romantique and Four Polish Dances should win more friends for this unjustly neglected byway of 20th-century piano repertoire’ (The Sunday Times)

'The former Divine Comedian's latest project is an engrossing concept album about water, evoked in its various elemental states across a five-part suite bookended with a brief orchestral torrent supplanted by the resonant ringing of Tibetan temple bowls. In the opening Dew Point, these are augmented by harp, glockenspiel, vibes, piano and celeste, with strings seeping through eventually. Hadal Zone plumbs deeper, darker depths, with vibes and glockenspiel drifting down the scale over a steady bass monotone drone; and Algal Bloom pitches eerie strings against minimalist piano repetitions, before Confluence draws the various tributaries together' (The Independent)

'Joby Talbot's music is increasingly popular and its surface attractions help to explain why. His 2008 'water symphony', the 72-minute Tide Harmonic began existence as a dance score called Eau for a French production choreographed by the American, Carolyn Carlson. It was first performed in Lille in April 2008. This in turn generated the desire to record the work, which was duly carried out the following year' (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Not only are the performances unimpeachable in intonation and general ensemble discipline, but they unfold with an impressive coherence of phrasing that does not rely on the imposition of artificial dynamic shadings. They are performances that are engaging but not either excessively subjective or coldly dispassionate. Listeners who have been collecting the series will not be disappointed’ (American Record Guide)