„Marc-André Hamelin zählt zur aussterbenden Spezies des intellektuellen Virtuosen und seit 30 Jahren zu den weltweit führenden Tastenmagiern. Jetzt also gibt es ein komplettes Album mit eigenen Arbeiten aus den Jahren 2011 bis 2020, und es gelingt ihm hier wieder mit fulminanter Souveränität, das geistige Erbe der von ihm so geschätzten „Composer-Pianists“ weiterzuführen und ins 21. Jahrhundert zu übersetzen … den größten intellektuellen Spaß bereiten Hamelins eigene, exzessiv virtuose Variationen über Paganinis 24. Caprice, die zuvor schon von einigen bedeutenden Köpfen bearbeitet wurde, und in denen er wie ein mit Zauberkräften ausgestatteter Akrobat alle Facetten des clownesken Themas munter durcheinanderwirbelt: So klingt Paganini heute und Hamelin reiht sich ein in eine bedeutende Liste komponierender Pianisten“ (Rondo, Germany)

‘And still it goes on. Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series reaches its 86th instalment with this coupling of composers who came into contact in the Paris of the early 1840s … all three works are tailor-made for the pianism of Howard Shelley, his all-round alertness abetted by responsive playing from the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra. If not an essential acquisition, this is a most pleasurable listen: Jeremy Nicholas, who pens informative notes, clearly enjoyed it hugely and listeners with a taste for the byways of musical Romanticism should do likewise’ (International Piano)

‘It’s so vibrant and so clear; you hear every line coming in, weaving with each other, soaring above, being part of the support: obviously that’s also Korngold’s writing, but I like how The Nash Ensemble just keeps everything spinning and fizzing all the way through. This is such an exciting movement—it’s really thrilling—and you can hear discovery, curiosity, just as if he’s looking round every corner, and everything is a delight so he’s putting it back in and trying it out, and that’s what carries us through from the beginning of the first movement all the way to the end … it’s so well balanced, isn’t it—Stephanie Gonley, her violin lines soar so beautifully over the top; it’s not dominated by her, they all weave in and out … this is chamber music, this is conversation … it’s so satisfying’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Oh. My. Word. This is, I think, an important recording, not merely because it captures some of the most astonishing piano-playing you will ever hear but because it places Marc-André Hamelin front and centre as one of the foremost pianist-composers of the day, taking up the long-neglected baton once held by the likes of Rachmaninov, Earl Wild, Busoni and Godowsky … how fortunate we are that Hamelin signed with a record label that not only allows him to record whatever he wants but positively encourages him to do so. (Think what we missed of Rachmaninov because of RCA.) Here is piano-playing of such an exalted standard I seriously wonder if anything comparable exists on record. I wait impatiently for a Hamelin piano concerto’ (Gramophone)

„Bereits in den ersten Takten [der Paganini-Variationen] geht Hamelin in die Vollen: technisch höchst anspruchsvoll, führt er, modifizierend und modernisierend, die Tradition eines Hofmann, eines Paderewski, eines Godowsky fort. Dennoch wirkt Hamelin nicht epigonal, sondern originell, etwa wenn er in Variation 7 indirekt auf eine der Variationen in Beethovens Sonate op. 109 anspielt. Nicht minder spielfreudig, harmonisch wohl noch etwas kühner erscheint die „Suite à l'ancienne“, auf die eine vierteilige Barcarolle folgt. Die „Pavane variée“ scheint den Geist Faurés mit Elementen des Jazz koppeln zu wollen. Man meint erkennen zu können, was als nächstes kommt, doch lässt man sich von Hamelin gern überraschen, wenn die Fortführung anders ausfällt als gedacht“ (Fono Forum, Germany)

‘Appealingly transgressive … an ensnaring collection of Hamelin’s piano pieces’ (The Sunday Times)» More

‘We might be back in St Mark’s Basilica in the late 16th century, so haunting and crystalline are these recordings by the London Oratory choir of works from the golden age of the Renaissance. Immersion in sacred pieces by Gabrieli uncle and nephew, Monteverdi, Merulo and others proves a spine-tingling experience’ (The Sunday Times)

‘Witty, imaginative, not averse to challenging the technical facility of anyone brave enough to take [Hamelin’s] place on the piano stool. Superb piano playing, as you’d have every right to expect, and those Paganini variations are the highlight for me from this new album of Hamelin’s own music, with all kinds of witty allusions built into them, from Beethoven to Rachmaninov and beyond. There’s originality and fresh thinking at every turn, from Hamelin’s ‘feelings about chocolate’ to the gently wistful version of David Raksin’s song Laura to an extra-devilish Diabelli variation for Beethoven’s set. Fabulous playing and recording’ (BBC Record Review)

‘More and more, I consider Marc-André Hamelin to be the Franz Liszt of the 21st century. A combination of a pianist endowed with superhuman virtuosity and a brilliantly innovative composer all rolled into one. Where does he find the time?’ (Classical Music Sentinel)» More

‘The Three Kings brought gifts, and the vocal ensemble arrive laden in turn with armfuls of curious and unexpected offerings, all performed with meticulous care and musicality. Musical gold is in particularly generous supply. It glows from Pierre de Manchicourt’s Illuminare, Jerusalem, text flickering in brilliant strands of imitative polyphony, intricately woven together here: vertical clarity never sacrificed to horizontal direction. It radiates from the swelling ebb and flow of Lassus’s Tribus miraculis and Josh Cooter’s solo Omnes de Saba (the quality of the plainchant singing throughout is exemplary), as well as from Park’s own O send out thy light, close-set chords engulfing the ear in thick warmth—a contrast to the more diffuse softness of Joanna Marsh’s In winter’s house … while some ensembles blend through mutual imitation and similarity, The Gesualdo Six manage to preserve the colours of the individual voices while finding common ground. It’s this breadth—of colour, tone, gesture—that gives these performances their appeal’ (Gramophone)

‘Many ensembles record discs of Christmas music but Owain Park and his colleagues have done something slightly different: they have put together a musical sequence which focuses on the season of the Epiphany … throughout the programme, the singing of The Gesualdo Six (augmented in five items by guest countertenor Will Prior) is immaculate. I enjoyed the purity and intelligence of their performances very much indeed. They have been recorded expertly by engineer David Hinitt and producer Adrian Peacock. The recording balances the group in an ideal fashion and places them beautifully in the acoustic of Trinity College Chapel, which is an ideal venue. Owain Park’s notes are succinct and informative. This is a notable musical celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany’ (MusicWeb International)

‘I would like to have known Francisco Guerrero. He wrote lovingly about his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1589. He was kidnapped by pirates, had to pay a large ransom, and later landed in a debtor’s prison. Even so, he seems to have been warm-hearted and caring. This especially emerges in the sheer humanity of his music, and in the deep emotions he can often communicate. The Brabant Ensemble communicates much of that wonderfully … all texts are provided, and Stephen Rice’s detailed notes are an absolute model of their kind, so do follow them through as you listen. The acoustic at All Saint’s East Finchley is highly suitable, and suits the music perfectly’ (MusicWeb International)» More