Writer Nelson Brill has two new reviews of our recordings from The Hermitage Piano Trio and the Concord Chamber Music Society recorded at Mechanics Hall:
“here we have the deep, soulful meditations of Rachmaninoff played with elemental and unflinching power by the Hermitage. For instance, the final movement to Rachmaninoff’s Trio Elegiaque no. 2 is a searing example of how violinist Misha Keylin, cellist Sergey Antonov and pianist Ilya Kazantsev combine into one intense vehicle to reveal all the drama, virtuosity and controlled combustion of this finale. Kazantsev’s piano is thunderous, his poignant held chords reveling in their sustained attack and airy decay. His touch on piano is both cataclysmic and enveloping. Antonov’s cello and Keylin’s violin surge in and around Kazantsev’s thunderclaps, all beautifully captured on this recording in their earthy tones; their spare runs and their entwining, soulful holds. The RR team is unrivaled when it comes to capturing the ambience of a given recording space…”
—Nelson Brill, Boston Concert Reviews
“Here is a journey filled with sparkling acoustic instruments delivering all the spunk, creativity and motion of this music that defies characterization, moving as it does from classical, jazz, bluegrass and beyond. The recording is superb in its presence and its tactile life. For instance, there is nothing more delectable than hearing the rotund, woody sound of Thomas Martin’s sinuous clarinet play in duet with Wendy Putnam’s off-stage lithe violin, and listen as Putnam moves gradually onstage to join her partners in Brubeck’s shimmering Danza Del Soul. This is the stuff of music-lovers’ dreams and audiophile pleasures.”
—Nelson Brill, Boston Concert Reviews