Reviews

The intellect that has gone into this realization is huge; similarly, the emotional range. It is the freshness of the play of voices that impresses so much. The sheer variety of touch on display is remarkable. Schliessmann’s touch is impeccable. By bringing a sense of play to this performance (and with it, light), Schliessmann almost invites us to reframe Bach’s intricacies as expressions of joy. Schliessmann’s recorded Bach is human, alive; its exuberance is never-ending. (5 stars)

A particular feature of these period-informed performances, and of the recording, is the changing balance between instruments… there are lively conversations between the players. Bright tone and vivid phrasing… irresistible joie de vivre and fine dovetailing of dynamics between instruments.

This is a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. Östlund’s music is highly beautiful, and he is lucky to have such a skilled group of performers. This is music of filigree beauty [which] traces a journey through the seasons.

Cowie continues to be a leading contemporary composer of music that is related to the natural world. Cowie has created a stunning sonic tapestry where the flute part specifically represents the bird, while the piano sets the natural backdrop creating a picture of the birds’ habitat [with] the brilliant playing of pianist Roderick Chadwick. His ingenious method takes a visual image and creates an acoustical environmental sound to match. Minelli convincingly coaxes the listener to go birding by expertly executing every extended technique that exists for flute.

Intended as a tribute to pianist and pedagogue Seymour Lipkin with whom Jenny Q Chai studied, this album invokes his guiding spirit. Chai’s performance (of the Ives) resonates with mighty, sweeping chords and richly tender arpeggios that fade into a literary utopia. Kreisleriana appears to be Chai’s calling card, and she lavishes forceful, Florestan-inspired articulation in concert with her poetical musings.

One of the top Goldberg Variations. Schliessmann’s playing [is] comparable to the intellect and control of Gould without his eccentricities or vocal embellishments. I am consistently impressed with the phrasing and delineation of the voices under Schliessmann’s fingers. There are significant and great pianists like Schliessmann overcome these without drawing attention to those difficulties.

One has to hope that these pieces are going to become better-known; they certainly deserve it. Peter Sheppard Skærved delivers excellent and stylish performances, with the help of the magnificent Amati violin. He has thoroughly analysed these suites and describes their features in detail in the booklet. That also contains extensive information about the violin.

Sheppard Skærved’s performances are an excellent way to get to know this collection. He delivers outstanding performances, and I am also very satisfied with the rather intimate recording. No lover of the violin music of the baroque period should miss this production.

The styles here range from severe to sweet… natural melodic pliancy.

“The close resonance of the keyboard recommends this high flown, intellectual performance as a distinct musical entity in the Bach performance canon. The cleanliness of articulation manages to add a decisive, rhythmic spice. Schliessmann joins those blessed with the mission to deliver Bach’s vision that endows the realization with poetic mystery. An hour-and-one-half spent on hallowed musical ground.

Gripping musicianship. Violetta Fialko plays the music with great freshness and genuine charm. She approaches music with a feminine sensibility. Violetta Fialko’s playing is varied and sensitive, controlling the architecture as well as the musical flow. The tonal quality of her playing, the dynamics, the art of lighting and shading allow her a wide range of expression. (4 stars)

There are strong performances throughout here, and Hughes’ music is always stimulating and full of contrast. He never gets stuck in creating a single pastoral atmosphere – there is a constant sense of life, movement and vibrant change here.

Sheppard Skærved is an experienced advocate for the works, balanced nicely by Pienaar’s lightness of touch.

This sound world can certainly be addictive. Not a recording for the faint-hearted… Marina Tarasova’s performance is gritty, windswept and growlingly confident. These are performances that demand your attention.

Technically, both musicians are beyond reproach. [Habershon] plays all the Bagatelles marvellously, both Habershon and pianist John Lenehan using articulation to keep the textures light. Habershon’s phrasing accentuates the wistfulness of all four [Brahms] pieces.

The notably-gifted Australian-born pianist Antony Gray continues his valuable traversal of the complete solo piano music of Camille Saint-Saëns. This second set of CDs maintains the high standard of insight, technical command and recording quality. A landmark in solo piano repertoire recording history. A remarkable and valuable achievement, comprehensively recommended.

Convincing performances. This collection of chamber music provides snapshots of Polish music at thirty-year intervals from the turn of the last century to after World War II.

Everything on this disc has a feeling of being warm and sensitively interpreted, displaying Fialko’s considerable talents to very good effect in music that produces very considerable feelings of pleasurable enjoyment.

This is clearly music about which Schliessmann has thought carefully, and which he wants to present in a way that today’s audiences will find congenial, meaningful, and salutary. The very fine re-release on the Divine Art label only confirms the difficulty of knowing just how to react to it. Certainly this recording shines some new and different light on a very-well-known piece, a cornerstone of the keyboard repertoire.

“Hughes’ pieces come to seem like musical distillations of the sites’ sights, sounds, and smells. That the material is so vivid is easy to explain when his output includes operas and original live scores to classic silent films in addition to chamber, orchestral, and piano works. For anyone coming to the composer’s music for the first time, Music for the South Downs serves as a great place to start, given the evocativeness of its writing and its picturesque qualities.