Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57

“As if to avoid shining too much limelight on the individual – hard in a concerto, by its show-off nature, but no doubt advisable in Soviet years – Shostakovich gives piano and orchestra well-balanced dialogue in two works for the medium, captured with nimble energy by fine young soloist Martin Helmchen and the LPO in this live recording.” The Observer, 20th March 2011

“Helmchen proves a deft interpreter of both, aided by Jurowski at his most engaging; and the outstanding performance of the weightier Piano Quintet (1940), studio-recorded with members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, makes this a rare means of acquiring all three works on one CD.” Sunday Times, 10th April 2011 ****

“Helmchen gives a delightfully unaffected, affectionate and note-perfect account [of the Second Concerto], the orchestra bringing out militaristic and even nightmarish aspects. There is a real fizz to the outer movements ...Helmchen and the musicians from the LPO...give a full-on passionate relay of the first movement [of the Quintet], a blanched one of the second that seamlessly rises in intensity with real eloquence and conviction.” International Record Review, May 2011

“Helmchen shows himself adept in all aspects of No. 1's quirky humour and satirical modernism, No. 2's playful high spirits and - in the famous Andante - a nostalgic romanticism Rachmaninov might have been proud of...What makes this disc more special is a truly superb account of Shostakovich's Piano Quintet...this is one of the most impressive performances of the work that I've heard in recent years.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 ****

“Helmchen's mission seems to be to strip away layers of learnt understanding around these often performed works - looking afresh at the material itself - which works well for the Quintet and Second Concerto” Classic FM Magazine, August 2011 ****

“in its fairly light-hearted way [Prokofiev] mixes his tuneful humour with a degree of bitterness and sarcasm and a dash of the grotesque, to form this agreeable work, very well played and vividly recorded....A fascinating collector's piece in every way.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“Here's an excellent, multi-faceted programme which reflects both Shostakovich's madcap humour and his more "private", expressive side. A truly charismatic and exhilarating experience.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2008

“This excellent disc, consisting of live performances from the 'Progetto Martha Aregerich' at the 2006 Lugano Festival, has a spontaneity and sheer pleasure in music-making one doesn’t often hear in Shostakovich.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2007 *****

“Recorded at the 2006 Lugano Festival, Argerich's virtuosity is breathtaking. There's also a vivid, dramatic performance of the Piano Quintet.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2008

“Argerich's 1994 reading of the Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings is already a benchmark version among modern recordings… But now there is a more natural flow in the slow movement, some previously slightly forces rubato are smoother… So if anything Argerich's playing has the tiniest of edges even over her former self. More decisively, Sergei Nakariakov brings an extra dash of wit and soloistic presence to the trumpet part... the Piano Quintet also emerges as I have always dreamt of hearing it - vivid from moment to moment, yet with a long musical line and dramatic overall conception.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2007

“Martha Argerich's summers at the Lugano Festival are reaping a rich harvest of live recordings for admirers of this supreme pianist. … This is live music-making of the most exhilarating order, benefiting from the intimacy of the setting as much as the skills of these peerless musicians” The Guardian

“Argerich's 1994 DG reading of the Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings is already a benchmark version among modern recordings, complementing the composer's own technically fallible yet still indispensable 1958 account. But now there is a more natural flow in the slow movement, some previously slightly forced rubati are smoother, and although the textures are a fraction more richly pedalled, as often needs to be the case for projection to a big audience rather than the microphone, there is no more than an infinitesimal loss of clarity. So if anything Argerich's playing has the tiniest of edges even over her former self. More decisively, Sergei Nakariakov brings an extra dash of wit and soloistic presence to the trumpet part, not to mention an astonishing feat of (circular?) breathing in the slow movement. There is a fraction more flair from orchestra and conductor too, while the recording brings everything further forward, so that the electricity of the playing crackles around the room.
The two-piano Concertino is a little piece of high-quality Gebrauchsmusik for the then 16-year-old Maxim Shostakovich son to romp around with; Argerich and Zilberstein give it a wonderfully characterful rendition.
Much of the Piano Quintet also emerges as one has only always dreamt of hearing it – vivid from moment to moment, yet with a long musical line and dramatic overall conception. Occasionally the nervous energy of the playing is too much of a good thing, as in the tricky bridge from Intermezzo to finale – from darkest profundity to deceptive easy-going cheeriness – and as in the piano's first statement of the fugue theme in the second movement. So, recommend ed alongside the safer Ashkenazy/Fitzwilliam recording rather than above it. As for the disc as a whole: a sure-fire winner.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The imposing Largo [of the Weinberg] is finely handled - Kirshnereit a model of lucidity in the lengthy solo passage...Nor is the final Allegro underplayed - the performers as attentive in its toccata-like opening as in the quirky reel-like idea that brings the climactic return of the work's opening theme” International Record Review, April 2011

“In the slower Preludes Nos. 14 and 17, Kadouch shows an impressive command of colour and pedalling...[in the Quintet] there are some truly memorable moments. Kadouch seems to come into his own in the Scherzo, showing some real flair and energy...he seems at home in Shostakovich and clearly understands the idiom well.” International Record Review, December 2010