American Piano Concertos

"Wang, a young and rather glamorous Chinese pianist, knows how to play American music... Her approach is careful and technically amazing, but with plenty of fire as well. The orchestra matches her sound perfectly, too, in a flawless partnership... The soundstage is spacious, but not as vast as I’ve heard from other Chandos recordings; the piano is right up front, and none of the orchestra gets lost. The low and middle ranges are rich, and the top is present but not too bright." --American Record Guide, March/April 2014

 

"...This disc makes a fascinating traversal of the 20th Century American piano concerto ...an interesting and potentially important memento of Oundjian’s first year with the RSNO. More than that, these are really excellent performances." --MusicWeb-International.com, January 2014

“…The soloist, Xiayin Wang, delivers the goods with a winning combination of taste and dazzling technique…  Peter Oundijan … seems to be an unappreciated conductor. He has an excellent ear for balance and color, but is not an especially flashy musician, which, in the world of high-octane orchestral performance, does not take one to the front of the public stage. This recording reminds me why I admire him; he and his soloist find natural, flowing tempos, excellent clarity of texture, and attractive highlighting of the soloists in this world-class ensemble. Add the usual fine engineering from  Chandos and you have yourselves a winner of a release.” --Fanfare, March/April 2014

Read More

Barber, Khachaturian: Violin Concertos

“Simonyan is a true virtuoso; his playing has a natural, unforced authority and, among other accomplishments, his clear, brilliant spiccato bowing is heard to great effect in the finales of both concertos...this is a performance [of the Barber] of notable power, Simonyan's confident presence - aided by strong support from Kristjan Järvi and the LSO - generating considerable intensity as the climactic moments approach...All in all, a most impressive debut.” --Gramophone Magazine, February 2012

“Simonyan's intention was to bring out the qualities that embody the cultural roots of each composer: thus, he commissioned a new cadenza for Khachaturian's concerto by Artur Avanesov, to emphasise the Armenian flavour, and treated the dashing final movement of Barber's concerto in a looser manner than usual, suggestive of rustic American fiddling.” --The Independent, 20th January 2012

Read More

Barber: Cello Concerto & Sonata

“There are three hits here on one CD...[Poltera] is outstanding and invariably well-supported by the Bergen players under Litton. His high positions are effortless, as are the nasty double thirds...Poltera's duet with the oboe in the slow movement is magical...A feature of Litton's Adagio is the way it creeps in fat the start from nothing. Then it's all beautifully paced, spacious and warm. Recorded quality throughout is top-drawer in a truly winning CD.” --Gramophone, February 2013

Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice - February 2013

“Poltera meets [the Concerto's] technical demands with almost complete ease, and projects the more lyrical moments with subtle inflections of line and beautifully centred tone...Poltera and pianist Kathryn Stott bring out [the Sonata's] Brahmsian ardour and its contrasts between tranquillity and restlessness.” --BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 ****

“Christian Poltéra is ideally suited to this music, not least because he obtains a gloriously rich and full tone from his 1675 Guarnerius cello. Kathryn Stott, faced with a very full piano part, matches the ardour of his playing...[in the Concerto] Poltéra is a highly persuasive soloist and the accompaniment from Litton and his orchestra is first rate.” --Music Web Internacional, May 2013

Read More