Phil Muse reviews the Hermitage Piano Trio’s Spanish Impressions recording in the Spring issue of Atlanta Audio: “Two years ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing the CD by the Hermitage Piano Trio of Rachmaninoff’s two Trios élégiaque and a transcription of his Vocalise. As their debut CD, it made a fine calling card for these Russian ex-patriots now living and performing in the United States, by name: Mischa Keylin, violin; Sergey Antonov, cello; and…
Fanfare’s January/February 2024 issue features a rave review for Sergei Kvitko’s Schubert by Candlelight recording: “For every dozen pianists who record Schubert’s evergreen Moments musicaux and Impromptus, there is rarely one who plays with the presence and artistic maturity of Sergei Kvitko. There are stretches of this live recital from Madrid in 2022 when Kvitko’s depth of expression evoked echoes of classic Schubert pianists on the order of Edwin Fischer and Artur Schnabel. It isn’t surprising that…
“This is a most interesting program, comprising four late Romantic Spanish piano trios, none well-known, with a good deal in common stylistically but with sufficient differences to avoid any sense of repetition.… I had not encountered the music of Mariano Perelló before… He was a renowned violinist and a member of the prominent ensemble Trio Barcelona. While his Tres Impresiones do not specifically reference Spanish dances, they are there throughout. Each movement begins impressively.… These are good…
Classical Candor‘s Karl Nehring recommends Garrick Ohlsson, Sir Donald Runnicles, and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra‘s recordings of The Complete Beethoven Concertos! “warm and comfortable both in sound and performance. This is not the lean and swift sort of Beethoven playing that we have come to hear more often owing to the many “historically informed performance” and/or “original instruments” Beethoven recordings in the marketplace. Ohlsson’s playing on his Steinway sounds rich and expressive, and…
The December issue of the Atlanta Audio Club features a new review for Sergei Kvitko’s Schubert by Candlelight release from Phil Muse: “It presents the essence of the piano genre of Franz Schubert, whose music, underneath its deceptive charm, skilfully concealed a restless spirit that was contiually pushing the envelope in the interest of ever-greater lyrical beauty, expressiveness and harmonic daring. Schubert did this so well, it might have escaped us in a less-insightful account…
The Absolute Sound‘s Paul Seydor gives Five Stars across the board to Garrick Ohlsson, Sir Donald Runnicles, and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra‘s recordings of The Complete Beethoven Concertos! “This fabulous set of the five Beethoven piano concertos was a highpoint of the Grand Teton Music Festival, where they were performed and recorded over a single weekend in July 2022. The soloist is the great Garrick Ohlsson, whose playing has wonderful character and personality,…
Spanish Impressions is an AllMusic November Highlight with a 4.5 Star rating for the Hermitage Piano Trio! “The Hermitage Trio’s performances are impressive. All its members are of Russian background, but the deeply lyrical mode works well in this repertory, which would seem to have gems aplenty to offer.… Another major draw is the sound from the reliably strong engineering team of Reference Recordings, here working at Skywalker Sound in California; the famed Keith Johnson had a hand in…
Graham Rickson of The Arts Desk reviews Garrick Ohlsson, Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, and Sir Donald Runnicles’ Complete Beethoven Piano Concertos recording: “the results are impressive even by this label’s high standards. There’s a palpable bloom and warmth to the sound, Ohlsson’s deft rhythmic sense ensuring that things never feel complacent. Take the effervescent finale to the first concerto, the interplay between orchestral winds and soloist perfectly judged. Concerto No. 2 is another treat,…
“This is the second Reference Recordings release of the Hermitage Piano Trio. And it’s just as good as the first.… The Hermitage Piano Trio doesn’t fail to impress. Their performances are clean, clear, and precise. And more importantly, they’re musical. They internalize the essence of Spanish music. And they deliver it with the energy and attitude it requires.… Great performances impeccably recorded. What else would you expect from Reference?” —Ralph Graves, WTJU See the full…
“New releases from this particular conductor/orchestra combo still feel like an event. You won’t find box sets of Beethoven or Mahler in Manfred Honeck’s Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra discography, Honeck preferring to record single discs of pieces he’s fond of, often with striking couplings. So it is with this new Tchaikovsky 5… Honeck’s urgency is thrilling, the first movement’s “Allegro con anima” swift and exciting. This orchestra’s dark, voluptuous timbre feels entirely right for the piece, the Pittsburgh…
Colin Clarke is already adding The Hermitage Piano Trio’s Spanish Impressions release to his 2024 Fanfare Want List! “There are revelations galore from this trio of musicians who, although none of them are actually from Spain, are all fascinated by the region and its music. That enthusiasm permeates this fascinating disc.… The Trois Pièces orginales dans le genre espagnol (1886) is a masterpiece. This is Arbós’ op. 1, and what a way to get going. The three…
The September issue of BBC Music Magazine features a fantastic look at Janáček’s Sinfonietta from Terry Williams and includes a list of his Best Recording of the work for the “Building A Library” series, in it is Reference Recordings’ very own recording from José Serebrier and the Czech State Philharmonic, Brno. This is actually the second work from this recording to land on BBC Music Magazine’s “Build A Library” series as the album was also…
Jason Victor Serious gives a Five Star Sonic Rating to Hermitage Piano Trio’s Spanish Impressions in the November issue of Stereophile: “Here’s a real treat: piano trios by four outstanding Spanish composers—Enrique Fernández Arbós, Joaquín Turina, Gaspar Cassadó, and Mariano Perelló. … Expertly recorded at Skywalker Sound by the family team of Sean Martin and Keith O. Johnson, the hi-rez recording stands out for its excellent dynamics, natural colors, and big, realistically spaced images that…
The Hermitage Piano Trio’s Spanish Impressions gets a marvelous review in the Gramophone Magazine Awards Issue: How savvy to begin a programme of Spanish piano trio works with Enrique Arbós’s Three Pieces, Op 1, particularly with its boisterous opening Bolero. The Hermitage Piano Trio give their all, serving up liberal doses of idiomatic rubato and heel-kicking accents. …Note, too, cellist Sergey Antonov’s almost viola-like sonority above the staff and the utter evenness of his tone…
MusicWeb International has named Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 and Schulhoff: Five Pieces their September Recording of the Month! “The first thing to strike the listener is the width of the dynamic range; no compression here. Honeck in his notes makes much of Tchaikovsky’s markings from ppp to fff; particularly helpful is the combination of bar numbers (for those with scores) and timings (for the casual listener) marking where Honeck wishes to…