Reviews

Seivewright performs these works with consummate skill. He has a knack for good phrasing, and in the slower movements he is careful to allow both technique and lyricism to emerge. Every bit as fine as the previous three [volumes]. Recommended.

The playing throughout is honest to a fault, technically assured, even dazzling at times. The engineering of Justin Kurtz is flawless, and the accompanying booklet thoroughly informative, delivering another excellent Metier release.

The performances of these typically unsmiling works are exceptional. They reveal commitment and understanding from both soloists which transcends the bleakness of the music. Amongst this dark music there are the occasional flashes of light and even beauty. The sound quality is excellent.

Combines a certain starkness with some more delicate moments – never harsh or strident. Interesting.

Terrific performances … A nicely judged programme that is superbly played and recorded with clarity.

Playing of astonishing brilliance from Anthony Goldstone and Caroline Clemmow … Britain’s premiere piano duo. It is because of the sensitivity and brilliance of Goldstone & Clemmow’s playing that these transcriptions work so well in their new guise. This is a beautifully produced disc with excellent notes by Anthony Goldstone which I thoroughly recommend.

These two pianists shape and mold the piano transcriptions so well as to deliver interpretations that are just as effective [as the orchestral originals]. Not even a smidgen of the essence of these pieces is lost in the transcriptions, mostly due to the emotive edge these two musicians bring to the table.

In Spe…is very rhythmic, very rich in contrast and brightly coloured. [In] Latin Hymns, the composer uses the solo voice in a very original way, setting it against the commenting choir. With colouristic accents, a fascinating play of shadows and light and sometimes ethereal sounds, it is a work of great emotional spirituality.

A brilliantly executed centenary tribute. A style one can fancy as at once an expression of suffering under Stalin and defiance of his rule.

One of the finest recordings of Froberger’s harpsichord music I have heard, with a wonderful-sounding instrument and magnificent playing from Rowland.

Something for everyone though people who like the technical side of the piano will probably like it most. The programme treads an uneasy line between a starker modern sound and something gentler.

Natalia Andreeva is a Russian pianist of consummate skill who can express the music’s power and beauty of this music. She is joined here by the exceptionally talented Russian-born violinist Evgeny Sorkin to mark the centenary of Ustvolskaya’s birth on June 17 with these assured recordings.

An ambitious exploration of chamber works featuring this versatile and underrepresented member of the woodwind family. The discs offer a window into the world of the bass clari¬net, creating a welcome space for the instrument to show its many varied colours. The collection of tracks presented as two ‘sets’ is deliberately far reaching and includes composers whose styles vary enor¬mously. Performances (throughout the disc) are immaculate.

An enjoyable album with a varied and interesting sound, thanks to the balance between the more dominant horn and the piano. The variety of styles, from polite chamber music to some more out-there modern music, works well.

An intensely serious absorption in music and the sources of its inspiration. The performances give every appearance of being devoted and skilled.

Fine accounts of music – well played and recorded – that has little time for conventional sheen or veneer. Ustvolskaya confides in you, but with an unwaveringly intimidating gaze and towering concentration. Performances demand and here receive such qualities.

Redgate’s omnivorous predilections and superlative musicianship are eclipsed only by his excellent taste in collaborators.

A remarkable collection of several finely thought pieces of pure artwork…seven truly pioneering and atmospheric piano solos. McCabe’s considerable virtuosic piano skills certainly meet the challenge presented by this impressive collection, which plunders some dramatic compositions.

These superbly committed performances can hardly be better presented then they are here. The attentive listener will be sufficiently impressed as to want to explore the symphony fuller through repeated listening – in which case, the recording here offers the perfect solution. Collectors of this most important series need not hesitate.

This real hodgepodge of a disc is all the more entertaining for it. The Chamber Cantata.. is an absolute gem. Practical Cats… is an absolute delight, beautifully rendered. Great sound throughout.