Liszt: Polish Songs S480 No. 1 "Maiden's Wish" (after Chopin) (Le souhait de la jeune fille)

“Have you ever heard a more aqueous evocation of Ravel’s water nymph? Grosvenor’s Steinway instrument seems permanently underwater, swimming through the softest of rippling textures...Grosvenor, you can tell, is a Romantic pianist, almost from another age. He doesn’t deconstruct, or stand at a distance. He jumps inside the music’s soul.” The Times, 8th July 2011 ****

“It's an immensely confident set, comparable to Evgeny Kissin's early performances – the most impressive aspect being not his obvious command of technique, but an intellectual and emotional understanding of the music way beyond his tender years.” The Independent, 8th July 2011 ****

“This recital disc shows his ability to twin youthful exuberance with impeccable technique and magisterial musical intelligence...Grosvenor's balance of oratory and ornament, gesture and poetry – evident, too, in Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit – are moving as well as impressive. He's a phenomenon: modest, poised and natural, as well as brimming with talent.” The Observer, 17th July 2011

“The first thing you notice is the limpid surface of Grosvenor’s playing, the warm tonal gleam that he conjures up from the keys. It is a beautiful sound, and beneath it there are seams of passion, discretion and emotional affinity with the music...there is little to quibble with in this recital, which shows intelligence coupled with a command of keyboard colour and musical characterisation that are remarkable.” The Telegraph, 14th July 2011 ****

“In Gaspard he magically combines the micro-refinement of a Pogorelich with the poetic wisdom and golden touch of a Perlemuter, and in Chopin's Scherzos integrates the music's hurtling mood-swings with mesmerising intensity.” Classic FM Magazine, September 2011 *****

“Both the main works here...demonstrate the brilliance of Grosvenor's technique as he takes the challenges of Chopin's pieces in his stride, and vividly conjures up the colours of Ravel's piano writing, if rather underplaying the pieces' nightmarish qualities” The Guardian, 18th August 2011 ***

“one of the most individual things about this stunning debut by Benjamin Grosvenor is his pervasive sense of balance and his unerring blend of Classical restraint and Romantic ardour...He is a virtuoso who declines the mantle of virtuoso, every gestures being put exclusively and exhilaratingly at the service of the music. Grosvenor's playing exudes joy and spontaneity, seeming to release rather than interpret the music.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2011 *****

“evidence of an awesome talent, a pianist with fantastic natural reflexes in the Cziffra class and, more excitingly, a musician with purpose and imagination, whose playing transcends the sterile confines of the studio...Crowning all is a masterly Gaspard in which an astonishing array of touch and tonal colouring are brought to bear in Grosvenor's vivid, distinctly defined characterisation of all three movements.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2011

“This release is quite superlative in every way...Grosvenor's fleet-fingered virtuosity is a match for the finest...Despite this, there's a modesty and humility to these readings which is wonderful to behold...Grosvenor is seemingly incapable of producing an ugly tone and the richness of colour and nuance has been perfectly captured by the Decca engineers. This is essential listening.” International Record Review, September 2011

“Exceptional transfers of justly famous performances Rachmaninov brings this music vividly to life with a unique blend of rubato, unsentimentality, solidity of line and virtuosity.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2009 *****

“Here is a reminder and a remembrance of a matchless idiosyncrasy and mastery… Try this great pianist in Chopin's E flat Nocturne, Op 9 No 2, played in the style of the greatest Russian singers, with a melting cantabile and with a freedom and rubato that can make even the ever-elfin Cherkassky sound sober by comparison.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2009

“His 1929 recording of Carnaval is wonderfully incisive. By subtle, barely perceptible touches of rubato, he makes each figure in Schumann’s gallery of characters so vivid, you can see them.” Sunday Times, 26th April 2009 ***

“Despite slightly dated sound and occasional live-performance scrambles, Katin offers outstanding delicacy, flair and poetry - plus two mazurkas (Opp. 24 No. 2 and 7 No. 1) not on the track listing.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2012 *****

“These are deeply impressive performances, notable for the combination of architectural control and expressive poetry that Katin brings to his Chopin, which is most impressive in the B minor Sonata and the sometimes elusive Fourth Scherzo, played here with irresistible relish.” International Record Review, June 2012

“Katin’s playing is heard on the wing with great immediacy.” MusicWeb International, May 2012

“The recessed, wrong-end-of-a-telescope acoustic recordings are still truthful enough to display Hofmann's mesmerisingly fabulous virtuosity in Liszt's Waldesrauchen and Tarantella, and his full, rounded tone.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2008 *****

“Josef Hofmann is among music’s most jealously guarded legends. For his admirers (and they included Anton Rubinstein and Rachmaninov) he could do no wrong, and those fortunate enough to have heard him live during his heyday in America can reminisce by the hour, recalling unforgettable performances of a vast repertoire ranging from Beethoven’s Op. 111 Sonata to the major works of the great romantics.” Gramophone Magazine

“Whether you choose this disc for interesting programming or go with the Russian anthology for musical substance, don’t miss out on this musicianly, highly individual and simply wonderful pianist. He's the real thing.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2008