Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale'

“one of the most thoughtful and self-effacing pianists of the day…Perahia’s singing tone and shapely phrasing are a joy – even works recorded as frequently as these sound new-minted in his hands” Sunday Times, 16/11/08 ****

“… a masterly recital, and one whose undemonstrative performances enable the music to speak for itself most eloquently.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2009 *****

“The opening of the variation set in Op 26… is simplicity itself… and Perahia's swiftly flowing second movement is beautifully judged. His Pastoral… is a joyous balance of warmth of sound (how he makes the piano sing) in the outer movements…” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“exquisite playing wedded to a deep understanding of this music. Ohlsson's concentration and dynamic control are mesmerizing...and it is beautifully recorded.” Fanfare

“Almost violent dynamic contrasts are frequent, but Ohlsson takes them as far as is idiomatic but no further. Even more important, there are no 'bridge passages' in these performances, everything is melodic or dramatic.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 *****

“Jaefliger's innate affinity for Beethoven's largely lyrical Op 28 Sonata manifests itself via the pianist's relaxed tempi and ample tone. ” Gramophone Magazine, June 2008

“The idea of recording for CD piano-recital programmes designed for the concert hall is a good one, provided that the programmes make musical sense and that the spontaneity of live performance can be preserved. On both counts, Haefliger succeeds” Sunday Times

“The stand-out performance here is Op. 109, where Biss is never less than compelling and at times profound. The way he dissolves the sonority of the Andante's final variation before coalescing for the theme's final return is a magical moment of great emotional force.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2007 ****

“Many people are high on Jonathan Biss, the young American pianist, and they are not wrong…..Jonathan Biss is a musical fellow” New York Sun

“Stimulating and provocative…a magnificent release” BBC Music Magazine *****

“…whether the performances illuminate or irritate, Schiff consistently conveys a sense of timbral differentiation between registers akin to the instruments of Beethoven's time, together with their unique pedal effects. For example, listen to the pungent resonance of the bass notes in the Op 26 first-movement minore variation, or how the vaporous haze of the Moonlight's celebrated Adagio sostenuto never turns muddy.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2007

“András Schiff's Beethoven Sonata cycle… continues to be stimulating and provocative, always forcing one to hear such familiar music in a new light. As he approaches the final sonatas of the composer's early period, Schiff makes us fully aware of the enormous stylistic and emotional journey that Beethoven had traversed from his first essays in the medium. A magnificent release.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2007 *****

“Angela Hewitt is on characteristic top form in three of Beethoven’s iconic sonatas … Hewitt’s intelligent planning gives it [Pathétique] a hardcore makeover. The extremes of dynamic range are deftly realised, and she’s fearless at articulating with a brittle touch where necessary” Classic FM Magazine *****

“The Pastoral sonata leads off Angela Hewitt’s second Beethoven sonata cycle instalment, and she taps into the music’s overall geniality while also paying heed to its darker corners … I love Hewitt’s conversational give and take between the droning left-hand ostinato and the main theme at the Rondo finale’s outset … in addition to Hyperion’s superb sound, Hewitt, as usual, provides her own penetrating, vividly articulate annotations” Gramophone Magazine