Rachmaninov: Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3

“Alexeev delivers impressively muscular playing in the faster Rachmaninov Preludes.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2011 ***

"Sheer talent does not come more transparently and, to top it all, harmonia mundi's sound is of demonstration refinement and quality." (The Gramophone)

“His Petrushka is novel and exploratory, leaving you with a sharp sense of the original ballet, its alternating exultance and despair, rather than mere virtuoso glory. Nothing is played for obvious effect and the same could be said of his Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky...Piano Classics's sound is admirable and this is clearly a pianist in the grandest of grand traditions.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2013

“At its best, the enthusiasm of Ghindin's playing is hard to resist, and Tchaikovsky's huge Sonata doesn't appear on disc so often that a performance with such sweep and grandeur can be easily ignored. Not everything comes off, but it's worth hearing when it does.” The Guardian, 25th October 2012 ***

“it is impossible not to be won over by her charm in the video interview, in which her sincerity about finding the music's soul and sharing it with an audience is palpable. The trouble is that, in practice, her interpretative ideas sometimes come across as though she were trying too hard to heighten the music's emotional impact.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2012

‘A marvellous disc’ (BBC Music Magazine)

“This excellently chosen selection of Rachmaninov's finest solo piano works is played with superb panache by Demidenko, even if he lacks Richter's sovereign penetration and virtuosity. With a warm acoustic, a most appealing disc.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2007 ****

“This is a recording which allows you to concentrate purely on the music and the artist’s interpretation, and not be distracted by any worrying deficiencies in recorded sound, piano tone or pianistic technique: it’s all there. Glemser’s golden, burnished sound is a treat for the ears in the Corelli Variations and, indeed, throughout. Glemser’s impassioned reading (of the Second Sonata) is, as tempestuous as it is heartfelt; among the most magnificent I have heard. All in all, then, a disc to relish.” Jeremy Nicholas, The Gramophone (August)

“Bernd Glemser is described in the booklet as having 'a particular affinity for the works of Sergei Rachmaninov'. And judging by this CD, that's not something to quibble with. This is a recording which allows you to concentrate purely on the music and the artist's interpretation, and not be distracted by any worrying deficiencies in recorded sound, piano tone or pianistic technique: it's all there. Glemser's golden, burnished sound is a treat for the ears in the Corelli Variations and, indeed, throughout.
The Piano Sonata No 2 is heard in its original version with a few references to and additions from the revised version. Glemser's impassioned reading is as tempestuous as it is heartfelt, among the most magnificent on disc. It is also a pleasure to hear the complete Morceaux – the famous C sharp minor Prelude is the second of the set (and a fine, fiery account it is, too) – the highlight of which is the Mélodie, No 3. A fleeting magical moment at 1'39" makes you catch your breath. The revised version of this and the Sérénade, No 5, concludes the disc, the former amounting to Rachmaninov's transcription of his own work. All in all, then, a disc to relish.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010