Tchaikovsky: Souvenir d'un lieu cher, Op. 42

“Ehnes is not a violinist to use bravura as an end in itself...His dexterity is a marvel of lightness and precision in the finale, but it is consistently aimed towards a musical goal, the range of tone beautifully judged and, as in the first movement, the structure and direction kept in clear view. This is a consummate performance...All in all, the disc makes a fine start to 2012.” The Telegraph, 5th January 2012

“Ehnes’s virtuosity impresses on account of its virtue. He makes a ravishing sound and meets every technical challenge thrown at him with utterly reliable intonation, tonal consistency and beautifully controlled articulation. What distinguishes him, however, is an almost self-effacing intelligence.” Sunday Times, 8th January 2012

“The sound of Ehnes's violin is especially full and expressive; it's not the kind of tone Tchaikovsky would have recognised but it sound gorgeous and allows him to rise to the concerto's lyrical high spots with considerable intensity. Even his muted tone in the Canzonetta is exceptionally warm and resonant. He clearly enjoys demonstrating his ability as a virtuoso, making this one of the most exciting accounts of the finale I can remember.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2012

“Ehnes and Ashkenazy deliver a particularly beautiful account of the slow movement...Ehnes demonstrates his characteristically phenomenal technical assurance while bringing out all the fire in the music too...their disc can be recommended warmly not only for the excellent if occasionally strait-laced Concerto but - above all - for the other pieces, which have seldom been recorded with such poise and poetry.” International Record Review, February 2012

“I found this disc a marvellous experience, both technically and musically, and it has already qualified as one of my discs of the year...The key word that characterises his playing is grace. Right from the off, his playing glows with such beauty that the violin seems to have a singing quality that suits this music right to the core...This is the finest reading of the concerto that I have come across in a very long time, and I urge lovers of the work to hear it.” Musical Opinion, 12th June 2012

“To subdue the inevitable scepticism as to whether yet another version of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto is really necessary, Nelsons responds with an orchestral canvas that is full of drama, lively with nuance and injected with bravura and also with sensitivity. His fellow Latvian, Baiba Skride, similarly rejects any ideas about just digging over old ground, and her interpretation, at once maturely considered and spontaneous, has a freshness and vivacity.” The Telegraph, 17th May 2008 (on Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto)

“A natural musicaon to the ends of her fingertips.” Classic FM Magazine

“Baiba Skride is arguable the most exciting violin talent to have emerged since Elisabeth Batiashvilli a few years back… she weaves her way through the Tchaikovsky as though she is unfolding a poetic narrative.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2008 ****

“…the Tchaikovsky Concerto has rarely sounded more lyrical, more "feminine". The wintry colours of the slow movement are lovely, with Skride's many shades of pale elegantly dovetailed into flute and clarinet adornments.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2008

“Fischer always knows when to lighten the mood, or how best to judge the tension and release of a musical paragraph, and in this she is supported to the hilt by a personable but never too overbearing Russian National Orchestra under the baton of Yakov Kreizberg... In the Concerto's vivacious finale and the headlong Valse-Scherzo, Fischer makes light of the technical difficulties with spot-on pitching throughout; there isn't an aspect of any of these works in which this world-class virtuoso fails to excel.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2007 *****

“Julia Fischer brings fearsome concentration to a concerto that is so often an excuse for selfindulgence. She brings absolute control of colour and tone. Fischer realizes that you don’t have to wallow in romanticism for the piece to work its magic. Kreizberg and the fabulous Russian National Orchestra provide superb support.” Gramophone Magazine

“Sasha Rozhdestvensky and Josiane Marfurt give gentle and intelligent performances of both pieces (Rozhdestvensky very effectively drops the use of vibrato in favour of a grey, numbed tone at the most moving moment of the Andante funebre)” Gramophone Magazine, February 2012