Prokofiev: Sarcasms (5), Op. 17

“resplendently startling, cobwebs blown off...From the beginning you sense Osborne’s dynamism and fresh imagination: I can’t recall when I last heard the introductory Promenade sound so purposeful. But the best jewels reside in the picture segments themselves...the technical challenges of the cycle’s last movements (Catacombs, Great Gate of Kiev and all) bring plenty of virtuoso excitements, vividly captured in the recording.” The Times, 25th January 2013 ****

“He paces Mussorgsky's great suite faultlessly, never forcing anything, but ratcheting up the excitement notch by notch until it's all discharged in a sumptuous account of the final Great Gate of Kiev...Osborne is suitably laconic and severe in the Sarcasms, gentler and more suggestive in the Visions Fugitives; both are beautifully judged.” The Guardian, 31st January 2013 ****

“Osborne strides out with healthy determination in the opening Promenade, and then gives a superb performance that shows how atmospheric Musorgsky’s maverick piano writing can be...Osborne has the sensitivity and inspiration, not to mention the pianistic resources, to bring each of the pictures to life in a way that has palpable perspective and subtle characterisation.” The Telegraph, 1st February 2013 *****

“The great virtue of Osborne’s magisterial performance is that you never miss the orchestral upholstery — he conceives the work in quasi-orchestral terms, lavishing an astounding palette of colour and moods on the various pieces...The experimental Prokofiev pieces, Visions fugitives and Sarcasms, are dazzlingly done.” Sunday Times, 17th February 2013

“Throughout this enthralling and warmly recorded performance, Osborne maximises colour and atmosphere, yet manages to achieve a freshness of approach without recourse to idiosyncratic mannerisms. Every movement is brilliantly characterised as a result of Osborne's imaginative approach to keyboard texture.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2013

“Osborne's sensitive, dynamic recording is a joy...He gives us elegantly arched and flowing phrases, an effortless handle on the many virtuosic demands, and a nuanced, sympathetic touch that produces deft, light vivaciousness one moment and firm sobriety the next...In short, the beauty and variety of Mussorgsky's Pictures are presented in all their glory here” Charlotte Gardner, bbc.co.uk, 19th February 2013

“here, once more, is an ideal blend of fidelity to the score, with a subtle and distinctive rather than overbearing musical personality. In the Musorgsky everything is as musicianly as it is technically immaculate....in the more weighty numbers, there is power without brutality so that what so easily degenerates into a mere uproar is so finely graded that you forget the essentially percussive nature of the writing.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013

“Following the piano score while listening to Osborne’s recording, one will see that the pianist meticulously carries out Mussorgsky’s instructions as to tempo, pedalling, and dynamics. However, more than that, he characterizes each of the movements very well, too.” MusicWeb International, 20th May 2013

“What's immediately striking is the sheer variety contained within these pieces...El Bacha imbues the Sarcasmes with sharply etched characterisations - though there is arguably more of an edge of danger in 'Smanioso' ('Raving').” Gramophone Magazine, July 2012

“This rather stiff and deliberate playing works well for the clockwork grotesquery, but misses the joie de vivre and ferocity necessary to bring Prokofiev's music alive.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2012 ***