Stravinsky: Chanson Russe (Russian Maiden's Song from Mavra 'Parasha's Aria', Sunshine Dearest)

“Well supported by pianist Roglit Ishay, she seeks to make some kind of statement about a city in which she herself studied, its rich interconnected legacy of composing talent and those magical summer nights when the latitude of 60 degrees north ensures that it never gets really dark. Students of her instrument will be fascinated to explore the mix of viola originals and arrangements...eloquent music-making, vividly captured” Gramophone Magazine, June 2011

“[the Preludes] work well on viola and piano and Ms. Masurenko and Ms. Ishay display wonderful artistry while admirably characterising their extremely diverse moods...this is a highly enjoyable disc, a varied selection of Russian pieces beautifully performed. Ms. Masurenko has what might be described as an attractively light, clear, slightly feathery tone, not at all nasal or booming.” MusicWeb International, January 2012

“Pulcinella, The Nightingale, The Firebird and Petrushka take on fresher, lighter, more subtle colours and timbres, all exquisitely revealed in this masterly recording.” The Observer, 17th January 2010

“Athletic, sparky, rhythmically alert: nothing could be more invigorating than Stravinsky’s music for violin and piano...Anthony Marwood’s violin finds infinite subtleties in the music’s dance, while at the piano Thomas Adès is forceful without being domineering.” The Times, 30th January 2010 ****

“Marwood and Adès do the music every justice, bringing to their playing a sharp sense of rhythm and attack.” Sunday Times, 31st January 2010 ***

“This fabulous two-CD set offers so many pleasures it’s hard to know where to begin…the performances have a wonderful lived-in quality...[Ades] has exactly the right incisive, luminous and chaste sound. Marwood, too, has that springy balletic quality always needed in Stravinsky...In all, it’s a marvel.” The Telegraph, 5th February 2010 *****

“There are old friends. Three numbers from The Firebird, with a mesmeric Berceuse; the exhilarating Danse Russe from Petrushka stunningly delivered; and a reworked aria from the chamber opera Mavra. The only original work here is the Duo concertant, vintage neo-classical Stravinsky with styles ranging from coolly lyrical to busy. All these demands are superbly met by Marwood and Adès with immaculate rhythmic precision.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2010

“Adès's touch with the piano parts is at once live-wire and beautifully stylish, with Marwood matching this flair for deftly characterised light and shade. The Pulcinella suite and Divertimento from The Fairy's Kiss both scintillate from start to finish. The recorded sound, too, has marvellous presence.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2010 ****

“Marwood and Adès are a great fit: the intensely musical fiddle player at home in new concertos or classical chamber music, and Adès the uncompromising composer-pianist...The Duo concertant is a highlight; Marwood immaculately in tune whatever double stops, twists and turns Stravinsky throws at him, while Adès’s care with the separate strands of the piano part pay dividends” Andrew McGregor, bbc.co.uk, 25th March 2010

“Here is a fascinating programme of out-of-the-way Russian repertoire. …Lydia Mordkovitch's… is a passionate advocate for everything she plays, her accompanists are excellent, and no collector of Russian/Soviet music would want to miss the chance to encounter Volkonsky's Viola Sonata, or to thank her and Chandos for the opportunity.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2009

“Bashmet is one of the last great figures in the long line of Russian instrumentalists stretching back to the Rubinstein brothers… in the mid-19th century. The sense of a musician living through each and every phrase is palpable throughout this recital.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2008 *****

“Mikhail Muntian is a dedicated accompanist and Bashmet's artistry is as compelling as ever. First-rate sound, too.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2008

“Described as "a selection of Yuri Bashmet recital favourites and encores", this collection looks on the surface to be a bit of a mish-mash...But it actually works well at a single sitting, with the sequence thoughtfully arranged and with Bashmet's own artistry bringing out the salient features of each.” Matthew Rye, The Telegraph, 6th September 2008

“It seems there is nothing Capuçon cannot do. He maintains the same level of tonal purity and lustrousness at all dynamic levels across all four strings… His phrasing and timing is immaculate, his intonation ear-ringingly true and - especially important in this repertoire - his exquisitely subtle use of portamento is such as to rival even Kreisler and Heifetz.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2008 *****

“Not since the emergence of Vengerov and Repin has such an exciting young violinist come our way.” International Record Review

“Capuçon’s violin transcriptions rarely disappoint. If it’s not his fervour that amazes, it’s his delicacy. Elgar’s La Capricieuse is a melting wonder, Prokofiev’s Masks a bracing stomp. The programming sprinkles the firecrackers with pensive surprises (Roxana’s Song from Szymanowski), waltzing Strauss, and the finale is unusually reflective – two Schumann songs. A delight.” The Times, 18th April 2008 ****

"Milstein's fine (1973) version with Abbado remains among the more satisfying recordings." Penguin Guide*** (2003) [Tchaikovsky]

“The fruits of Stravinsky's rewarding partnership with violinist Samuel Dushkin are celebrated here. Van Keulen and Mustonen negotiate the music's awkward technical hurdles with cool precision.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 ****

“Van Keulen and Mustonen are right on top of the Duo concertant’s frequently extravagant technical demands, and as in all the music here recorded they convey an infectious sense of enjoyment.” Gramophone Magazine

“It's not just Ray Chen's superb technique, but his sense of pacing in the music that's so striking: there's always time for the music to unfold, even at speed...Both he and Timothy Young are right inside the music...in [the Wieniawski pieces] his musical and technical assurance find full expression. These are hugely exciting debut albums.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2011 *****

“Throughout this highly stimulating programme, Ray Chen (with just the right characterful timbre) and Timothy Young, whose glittering pianistic upper range catches the ear again and again, make a superb partnership, suggesting to the listener what Stravinsky and Dushkin must have sounded like nearly seven decades ago...An excellent, truthful recording balance, good notes and handsome packaging make this disc irresistable.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2011

“Chen and Young are capable instrumentalists and, in parts of [the Duo concertante], each displays an astute feeling for the angularity and rhythmic disjunction of Stravinsky's thematic material; it would be heard to imagine the Gigue (track 15) sounding more fleet of foot than here.” International Record Review, May 2011