Bartók: 3 Hungarian Folksongs from Csik, BB 45b, Sz. 35a

“Piotr Anderszewski employs a small but incisive tone in the Bach Sinfonia, as though he is taking us into his confidence; the Allemande is sweet and unassuming, the Courante has warmth, the Sarabande has rapt expressiveness. As the Partita progresses, the playing becomes more exuberant: the Caprice is pure tumbling energy.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2009 ****

“So acute is the positioning of the microphones that the force of his playing here and in the mighty fugal statements of the finale makes an emphatic, physical impact. But Anderszewski’s command of perspective is paramount. The soft playing is mesmerising, the scope of his interpretation geared to probing deep into the music’s inner expressive tissues.” The Telegraph, 28th May 2009 *****

“This is playing of exceptional insight and finesse, which few other pianists today could match.” The Guardian, 29th May 2009 *****

“. In Bach's Partita No 2 in C minor, he plays with warm expression, using all the possibilities of a concert grand, yet miraculously avoiding anachronism. His late Beethoven, Sonata No 31 in A flat, Op 110, has earthy tenderness, opening at a steady tempo which prepares beautifully for the serenity and majesty to come. Schumann's "Faschingsschwank", Janacek and Bartok complete this captivating recital.” The Observer, 24th May 2009

“This is an outstanding release that ought to give anyone an appetite for next month’s recital.” The Telegraph, 21st May 2009 *****

“Janácek's In the Mists is a given a peach of a performance, a sense of improvisation sitting securely at its heart. Anderszewski's mastery of simultaneously varied dynamics comes into play here… this is an exceptional recital, and as ever the Carnegie Hall acoustic allows for a luminous piano tone.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2009

“Some recital, this. Piotr Anderszewski establishes a commanding tone for the opening section of the Second Partita's Ouverture, hopping elegantly through the little march that leads on to a fast, immaculately voiced fugue. He uses the Courante's ornaments to 'lift' the melody line, and the play between a seamless legato and a gentle staccato accompaniment in the following Sarabande works wonderfully well. The Rondeau is again trippingly elegant, the closing Capriccio assertive in a way that balances it with the opening fugue.
Faschingsschwank aus Wien launches with a flourish: Anderszewski fractionally delays the opening's second chord in authentic Viennese style, while the Scherzo is full of telling though effective emphases, mostly along the lines of 'question and answer'. And yet in the ravishing Intermezzo he seems too aware of the notes (so many to negotiate). The finale works best, a fantastical sojourn dazzlingly negotiated.
Janácek's In the Mists is a given a peach of a performance, a sense of improvisation sitting securely at its heart. Each movement tells its own very personal story, or seems to, the third alternating idyll with searing drama. Anderszewski's mastery of simultaneously varied dynamics comes into play here but in Beethoven's Op 110 he can be just a little over-emphatic on detail – in particular the accompaniment that underpins the first movement's principal theme.
Throughout the recital the understandably enthusiastic Carnegie Hall audience is rather too keen to bound in at the end of each piece, a mild distraction on a recording that you hope to play again and again. This is an exceptional recital, and as ever the Carnegie Hall acoustic allows for a luminous piano tone.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Jeno Jando starts an important new series devoted to Bartok's piano music with splendid performances of three important works: the Sonata, the Suite op.14, and Fifteen Hungarian Folksongs. He seems to have a special affinity for the playful pulsations of these pieces, as well as finding underlying connections in the sonata that make it quite dramatic.” Turok's Choice, December 2001

“Szokolay's playing is by turns robost, plaintive and precise.” CD Review

“it remains the classic set for the foreseeable future. Bartok playing doesn't come any better than this - nor does piano recording. Kocsis penetrates to the very centre and soul of this music more deeply than almost any rival. Scrupulous to the composer's wishes, Kocsis can produce power and drama when required, but it also commands a wide-ranging palette and a marvellously controlled vitality.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition