Reviews

Very imaginative and enjoyable

The more I listened the more I was impressed by his sound technique, linear clarity and solid musical structures

Goldstone’s two-disc recital will give pleasure to those who like their Schubert presented with no-nonsense directness

an appropriately intense and stimulating performance…extraordinarily brilliant…well recorded and well presented…fully recommended

a compelling presentation of Schubert’s almost impossibly lovely piano music… thoughtful and often touchingly beautiful music-making

a fine sense of overall structure, technical brilliance and absolute clarity – the piano sound is very good

Excellent sound and beautiful, well-shaped performances of admirable elegance and supreme style. If you like Schubert you can but love these discs. Superbly played…Goldstone has the ideal interpretation. ….what is so tellingly obvious is his love for this music. You won’t find a better champion. Mr Goldstone is really superb

Goldstone is a native speaker of Schubert in the highest degree……. all of the performances on these two discs reach a high standard both of imagination and of technical mastery. Goldstone tends to like his tempos on the fast side, but he is never insensitive, and his impulsive willingness to take risks – for example, toward the end of the first of the Three Pieces, D. 946 – makes even a player of Brendel’s perceptivity sound unadventurous, almost bland. When we come to the late A major Sonata D. 959 “high standard” would again be a woefully inadequate term to apply to Goldstone’s performance. This is perhaps the greatest version of the work I have ever encountered, either live or on disc. The first movement is magisterially paced……. In the superb Andantino – a kind of dreamlike barcarolle that veers from mourning to consolation, then to volcanic fury and back – Goldstone’s command is total, the effect he creates devastating.. With Goldstone, we find ourselves in a trice transported to another world. The attentiveness to accents throughout, and the character with which he imbues even the simplest left-hand chords as in the scherzo, are merely two examples among many that bespeak mastery on the highest plane. I urge Anthony Goldstone on your attention with all the emphasis I can muster.

one of the finest recordings ever made of this work [A major sonata]…. Throughout Goldstone displays a gripping sense of musical drama and structure, a natural feeling for the rhythmic ebb and flow of a phrase, and a singer’s feeling for the dynamic arch of a melody….. I have not heard a more impressive Schubert piano recording in recent years

Anthony Goldstone is in my opinion an ideal interpreter of Schubert who always seems to be as one with the music, without false emphasis or exaggeration. The recording and presentation is first rate, with excellent notes written by the pianist. It is recommended without reservation

Having recently finished recording Schubert’s complete four-hand works with his wife Caroline Clemmow, Anthony Goldstone has turned to the works for a single pianist – and whether you appreciate the results will depend on whether you believe that the rough-and-tumble style demanded by the duets illuminates the more intricate and sophisticated solo output as well. […]

A technical triumph. The immediacy of the recording generates a magical sense of actually being in the same room as the instrument. Add to that Goldstone’s crisp and alert playing and you have a delightful series spread over two fun-filled CDs.

Volume 2 of Anthony Goldstone’s survey of Schubert’s piano music brings us good, strong, workmanlike performances of two of his Piano Sonatas: D959 and D958. The discs are arranged to provide a complete Schubert concert programme. Enjoyable.

Anthony Goldstone is at his best here in the turbulent outer movements of the C minor sonata, both of which have a commanding sweep. And unlike many pianists, he integrates the opening movement’s lyrical second theme within the movement’s basic pulse. The slow movement, though, exposes Goldstone’s limitations. Compared with pianists like Brendel, Richter and […]

HADDON HALL is easily the best of the Prince Consort recordings. All of the roles are at least acceptably cast, the orchestral playing is generally to a high standard, and the chorus shine. This is a set that will give pleasure for years to come. There is much to discover in this score, and I heartily recommend it to those who have yet to discover Sullivan outside of the G&S canon. An unfamiliar opera needs a great recording, and I think this is one…David Lyle coaxes a great sense of drama out of the Consort Orchestra…The chorus sing beautifully. The two-CD set comes with a generous booklet that includes the complete libretto. Overall, it’s a most welcome addition to the Sullivan discography.

There are six chapters…and all deal with important technical issues. Of more use to aspiring self-taught students who need specific guidance.

I can highly recommend this not only as an invaluable resource in the day-to-day teaching situation but also for those teachers involved in pedagogy studies.

An excellent book for both teachers and students, not only covering very important written guidelines in studying piano techniques but accompanying these with musical examples from well-known compositions… very easy to read and understand

Good advice abounds, much of it grounded in pure common sense and all of it presented with a simplicity that never hints at condescension