Bach, J S: Chorale Prelude BWV639 'Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ'

“one must acknowledge Dinnerstein's energetic execution, plus the unusual clarity and point of her left-hand work...As a Bach pianist, Dinnerstein is obviously serious, and has fingers to burn” Gramophone Magazine, February 2011

“Kempff's fastidious arrangement of "Nun Freut Euch, Lieben Christen Gmein" offers the most dazzling display of her virtuosity...the stately calm of the 5th Keyboard Concerto's "Largo" has an almost weightless poise, while the English Suite No 3 offers an engrossing journey between styles” The Independent, 14th January 2011 ****

“there is nothing exaggerated or self-seeking about her technical display. Where she excels is in the slow movements...the involvement and emotional commitment is total...Dinnerstein's is a fascinating and soulful approach of which I hope to hear more, especially in the transcriptions to which her romantic temperament and depth of sonorities are ideally suited.” International Record Review, January 2011

“Few current pianists surge forward in Bach with such light-fingered energy and joy; listening to her finale in the fifth keyboard concerto or the start of the third English Suite you almost get giddy. She’s equally individual in ruminating mode...Dinnerstein embraces [Jesu, Joy] calmly and lovingly — the perfect close to this uneven, engaging, idiosyncratic album.” The Times, 21st January 2011 ****

“[the disc] gives a good sense of her generally romantic approach to playing the composer's music on a modern concert grand, in which expressive warmth and beauty of tone seem to be prized above other qualities. It's a style that's perfectly suited to the three chorale-prelude arrangements by great 20th-century pianists” The Guardian, 27th January 2011 ***

“Dinnerstein has Argerich's touch: her Bach swings. The Suite's gigue has jazz momentum and the F minor concerto finale sounds unstoppable...The whole, beautifully conceived programme is shot with emotion, none more than the unfashionable transcriptions...This irresistable pianist knows her mind and expresses it.” Classic FM Magazine, March 2011 *****

“a truly musical release of rare distinction.” Pianist Magazine, June/July 2009 Recommended

“a finely judged recital” International Record Review, June 2009

“If you prefer Bach on the piano served up in heaping Romantic portions, accompanied by dollops of creamy tone, tapered phrases and languishing tenutos, Edna Stern's ravishing pianism will turn your ears to jelly. Few modern pianists can pull off this approach, but Stern's sincerity, conviction and masterful control of the instrument prove utterly disarming. Her wide array of legato pedallings in the Busoni and Brahms choral prelude arrangements spill over into a selection of Preludes and Fugues from TheWell-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, without ever obscuring the profile and direction of Bach's contrapuntal lines. Her unpressured fluidity in the F minor Fugue is a case in point. Likewise, the A major Fugue's cross-rhythmic phrases take on a curvaceous, playful character, while the B flat major Prelude's arpeggiated patterns unsystematically alternate between blurry and dry. Stern's rubato in the E minor Fugue dismantles the work's toccata-like drive, as if Pablo Casals's cello bow was guiding her fingers. And in contrast to more overtly virtuoso, incisive renditions of the G major Prelude and Fugue, Stern relaxes within her chosen fast tempi. Perhaps her ordering the programme according to key relationships explains how easily each work slips into the next. In short, a disc that will cause unrepentant pianophiles to jump for joy while historically informed performance mavens duck for cover.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“If you prefer Bach on the piano served up in heaping Romantic portions, accompanied by dollops of creamy tone, tapered phrases and languishing tenutos, Edna Stern's ravishing pianism will turn your ears to jelly. …a disc that will cause unrepentant pianophiles to jump for joy while historically informed performance mavens duck for cover.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2009

“… the recording brings out to the full, as never before, the subtlety of Stokowski's orchestrations with their brilliant terracing of texture, with colourings that designedly echo the sound of the organ. Its impact is magnificent, here more than ever. ...a most satisfying disc that continues the rehabilitation of arrangements which for far too long were dismissed in this age of determined authenticity.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009