Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice

“Chabrier's name lives on primarily through España and Marche joyeuse. His tiny output for piano is far too rarely encountered in the concert hall or on recordings, yet he is a delightful, self-contained original. From his total of a mere 26 titles, Angela Hewitt plays 18 on this little gem of a disc. It sounds as though the piano was recorded in some deserted fin de siècle spa hotel – and so it proves, for Hewitt's richly coloured Fazioli was captured in 'Das Kulturzentrum Grand Hotel, Dobbiaco, Italy'.
In fact, whenever there is an exposed soft passage in the upper treble in this programme, the same atmospheric effect engages the ear momentarily; in the more robust items, it is hardly noticeable. As to Hewitt's performances, they are as affectionate, warm, lyrical and charming as one could wish, underlining but not exaggerating Chabrier's deliciously predictable unpredictability.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The over-modestly titled Pièces pittoresques are really his Preludes, ten varied sound poems which search the soul and come up with not angst nor rage, but a unique combination of joy, vulnerability, and an excitable nature that verges on impatience. Hewitt... is at her best here, teasing out the yearning harmonies and shy cadences with a persuasive rubato.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2006 ****

“…Hewitt's performances… are as affectionate, warm, lyrical and charming as one could wish, underlining but not exaggerating Chabrier's deliciously predictable unpredictability.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2006

“The young Mexican tenor is an impressive artist, and much about his new recital hits the spot.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2006 ***

“A rarely fine voice in its prime, a live responsive temperament, admirable vocal schooling, all fuelled by innate musical and dramatic feeling: these are some main ingredients… The solo from Les Pêcheurs de perles was chosen for last month's cover disc... and this alone must have encouraged many to wait no longer. A finely poised, long-phrased performance with sufficient of the dream about it and yet a sensitive awareness of modulations, light and shade... But the choice is wide. In the Italian repertoire it ranges from the gracefully lyrical serenade from Don Pasquale to the intensely felt aria of renunciation in Un ballo in maschera. In German, Villazón offers the gently voiced prayer of Alessandro Stradella and the famous aria from Martha... A sorrowful but not over-indulgent account of Lensky's aria in Eugene Onegin is a notable extension of the repertoire...” Gramophone Magazine, April 2006

This limited edition deluxe version includes a special DVD featuring a 40-minute film on Rolando Villazon containing footage from the recording sessions, candid interview and concert footage with 5 complete arias from Carmen, Les Pecheurs de perles, Eugene Onegin, Der Rosenkavalier and Fedora.

“The English music publisher Schott commissioned these arrangements in the 1830s. Fumiko Shiraga's rippling and sustained piano is certainly the ringmaster of ceremonies, although her dramatic playing never unduly enforces its dominance over her skilled accomplices. ...civilised and intricately balanced performances.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2006

“Veracini was part of a European constellation of virtuoso violinist composers which included Vivaldi, Leclair, Locatelli and Pisendel during the first half of the 18th century. John Holloway plays with all his customary understanding of Baroque style and is sympathetically underpinned by his excellent continuo partners.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2005 *****

“John Holloway's… playing is as intelligent and free-flowingly musical as ever, with each movement thoughtfully characterised, and he is backed by a first-rate continuo team who really come into their own in the almost orchestrally rich diversity of textures in the Op 2 sonata (the muted fiddle, pizzicato cello and lute-stopped harpsichord of the Andante moderato are a delight). A Baroque-violin must.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2006

“[His] smooth, even tone is deliciously seductive, and he can darken or lighten the sound at will, from velvet warmth with a sensitively applied vibrato, to a soaring clarity that never goes louder than lovely … I could write more, but if you'll excuse me, I'd rather like to be seduced all over again.” (Andrew McGregor, BBC Radio 3: CD Review).

“The Trio tends to be the neglected one among the great clarinet works from Brahms's mellow last period, usually coupled with the Clarinet Quintet as though a poor relation.
That is grossly unfair to a work which, while maybe not on such a grand scale as the Quintet, has over its four compact movements both profundity and charm. BIS, however, has put it with the sonatas, works on a scale closer to the Trio, and an excellent and successful coupling it is.
Young Swedish clarinettist Martin Fröst has established himself as a leading soloist, appearing with many of the most important European orchestras and inspiring works from composers including Penderecki. He tends to favour speeds on the fast side in the Trio, which means that the second movement Andante may lack the meditative depth one finds elsewhere but which has an easy flow. The dramatic bite and thrust of the outer movements is enhanced by relatively urgent speeds, with the coda of the first fading away on a ghostly scalic passage.
Cellist Torleif Thedéen matches Fröst in imaginative playing but pianist Roland Pöntinen, placed backward in the recording balance, is less individual. None the less this is a generously filled CDs and the couplings are apt.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…the young Swede Martin Fröst plays with elegant phrasing and beautiful, even produced tone… In the two sonatas, he's perfectly matched by his compatriot Roland Pöntinen in performances which capture Brahms's serious, autumnal mood without undue heaviness... cellist Torleif Thedéen proves as adept as his colleagues in producing singing tone and velvet pianissimos, and equally sympathetic to the ageing Brahms's elusive blend of resigned melancholy and abiding generosity of invention.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2006 *****

“Young Swedish clarinettist Martin Fröst has established himself as a leading soloist, appearing with many of the most important European orchestras and inspiring works from composers including Penderecki. He tends to favour speeds on the fast side in the Trio, which means that the second movement Andante may lack the meditative depth one finds with Thea King on Hyperion but which has an easy flow. The dramatic bite and thrust of the outer movements is enhanced by relatively urgent speeds, with the coda of the first fading away on a ghostly scalic passage.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2006

“…would Mendelssohn have approved of Jennifer Bate's performances? If he wasn't impressed by the easy fluency of her technique or her highly articulate and intelligent interpretations… then he was not the astute and sensitive musician history claims him to have been.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2006

"almost operatic in its inherent drama and memorable tunes" The Independent