Korngold: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

“Benedetti decorates this repertoire with gleaming high-register pirouettes, plus vibrato throbs and hesitations that never descend into schmaltz...Such good taste is a pleasure, though her discretion can make the music paler than necessary.” The Times, 24th August 2012 ***

“The lush, romantic sound of Hollywood – 1930s to the present – suits her well” The Observer, 26th August 2012

“Benedetti's decision to place [the Concerto] in this particular context actually serves to enhance its musical stature. Certainly her performance is beautifully honed with a particularly atmospheric account of the central Andante...she has an instinctive grasp of the ebb and flow of Korngold's melodic lines and avoids the obvious temptation of becoming overtly mannered in order to intensify the musical expression.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2012 ****

“Benedetti’s latest album has lots to commend it...Karabits and the Bournemouth Symphony provide full-blooded backing. Extracts from two Shostakovich film scores are indecently enjoyable” The Arts Desk, 27th October 2012

“her broadly romantic approach and genuine affection for this Hollywood-inspired concerto shine out...Benedetti is joined by star accordionist Ksenija Sidorova in a show-stopping performance which will have you on your feet! The warm acoustic of the Decca recording comes in appropriate widescreen sound.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2012

“Korcia stamps his individuality on every phrase and wrings every ounce of expression out of the glorious Korngold.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2012 ****

“Korcia shapes [Korngold's] phrases with warmth and affection - but never at the expense of the concerto rolling onward - through subtleties of tone colour and emotional inflection, always observant of the score's dynamic markings and myriad changes of tempo...this performance balances Tchaikovsky's renowned theatricality with his own sensibility regarding development...A winning pairing of two irresistable concertos.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2012

“Korcia’s delivery of the solo line [in the Korngold] is stunning, but you’ll be knocked sideways by the glorious passage in the last movement where massed horns suddenly thrust upwards. It’s never sounded fruitier...Korcia’s coupling is a boldly drawn, affectionate performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto...This is the most entertaining violin concerto disc I’ve heard in months.” The Arts Desk, 4th February 2012

“Korcia and Kantorow are most exciting, with great rhythmic drive, plenty of dazzling virtuosity and extremely alert accompaniment...Korcia plays the soaring, lyrical opening with a sense of freedom that is captivating and the whole performance is most involving” International Record Review, February 2012

“Renaud Capuçon approaches the Beethoven Concerto very much like the great virtuosos of the past through emphasising the work's lyrical and expressive qualities. …Capuçon is at pains to generate a real sense of forward momentum in the first movement of the Korngold. The opening melody is phrased with great warmth and tenderness... Capuçon and Znaider sounding magical in the Romance and exuberant in the finale.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2010 ****

“His sweetly mellifluous reading of the [Beethoven] concerto captures its tranquil, smooth polish, the double-stopped cadenzas are silky smooth...Capucon’s reading [of the Korngold] embraces its filmic lushness, but the sweetly refined elegance stays, as does the unshowy treatment of the technical googlies. Altogether, an elegantly feel-good disc.” Charlotte Gardner, bbc.co.uk, 15th October 2009

“From the first few bars of the Beethoven concerto, the mood of Renaud Capuçon's performance is set. Yannick Nézet-Séguin nudges the music into life, without any fierce attacks or exaggerated dynamics...Capuçon's perfect intonation and exquisite phrasing are exactly what [the Korngold] requires” The Guardian, 16th October 2009 ***

“This performance by Philippe Quint and the Mexican orchestra relishes its full-blooded lyricism and the finale’s energy.” The Telegraph, 10th June 2009 ****

“Quint's performance rivals even Heifetz. His range of tone is subtle in its extreme contrasts, his phrasing is warmly expressive without ever tipping over into sentimentality or self-indulgence, and his sparkling performance of the finale matches his achievement in the lyrical movements. ...equally compelling is the playing of the Mexican orchestra under Carlos Miguel Prieto, another rising young star.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2009

“Philippe Quint… has produced one of the most persuasive and empathetic recordings of the Korngold Violin Concerto in the catalogue. His seductive tone captivates from the first note, his quicksilver virtuosity suits the piece to perfection, and he gives the work precisely the shaded, bittersweet magic it deserves.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2009 ****

“EMI’s Great Recordings of the Century is exactly what it says: these classic interpretations warrant a place in everybody’s collection.” The Times

“an outstanding release in every way” Edward Greenfield in Gramophone

“It's an inspired coupling, as well as a generous one, to have these three high-romantic concertos together. James Ehnes gives superb performances, bringing out their full emotional thrust without vulgarity or exaggeration. His playing has always been impressive on disc, but here he excels himself in expressive range as well as tonal beauty, with expressive rubato perfectly controlled.
The concertos date from the late 1930s and '40s, and though at the time their romanticism might have seemed outdated, the strength and memorability of the musical ideas in each amply justifies the composers' stance. In the Barber, Ehnes more than usually brings out the contrast between the first movement – improbably marked Allegro when the impression is of a slowish piece – and the Andante slow movement, strengthening the work's impact. The Korngold, drawing its striking main themes from some of the composer's film scores, is just as richly lyrical, prompting from Ehnes some ecstatic playing of the many stratospheric melodies above the stave, using a wide dynamic range with wonderfully delicate half-tones.
The Walton is just as memorable, for unlike most latter-day interpreters Ehnes has taken note of the example of the work's commissioner and dedicatee, Jascha Heifetz. Where the work is generally spread to well over half an hour, Ehnes takes exactly 30 minutes and the result is all the stronger. This is one of Walton's most richly inspired works, and Ehnes brings that out strongly, helped by the powerful playing of the Vancouver orchestra under Bramwell Tovey.
Textures are not always as transparent as they might be but the power of the orchestral playing in all three works adds greatly to the impact of the performances. An outstanding disc in every way.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Ehnes proves an ardent and committed advocate, mirrored by Bramwell Tovey's glowing partnership, particularly in the lyrical, beautiful slow movement, which has exquisite delicacy of feeling. It is an inspiring coupling, as well as a generous one...Ehnes gives superb performances of all three, bringing out their emotional thrust without vulgarity or exaggeration. An altogether indispensable CD.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition