Concertos, Piano Concertos
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The Romantic Piano Concerto 27 - Saint-Saëns
RecommendedStephen Hough (piano)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo
If Saint-Saëns's idiom once answered – and maybe still does – to qualities fundamental to the French musical character, it must be said straight away that Hough sounds the complete insider.... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Awards, 2002, Recording of the Year
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Gramophone Awards, 2002, Winner - Concerto
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2001, Editor's Choice
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Presto Favourites, Recommended Recording
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Penguin Guide, Rosette
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Gramophone Awards, 2008, Gold Disc
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Ravel: Piano Concertos & Falla: Nights in the gardens of Spain
RecommendedSteven Osborne (piano)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ludovic Morlot
Full of colour, both Osborne’s poetry and his exceptional touch are to the fore, the sparkling cascades in the final movement being especially breathtaking…strong performances of a programme... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 2nd June 2017
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2017
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Record Review, 22nd July 2017, Recording of the Week
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Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Alexandre Kantorow (piano), Tapiola Sinfonietta, Jean-Jacques Kantorow
The virtuosity is breathtaking, yet nothing is hard-pressed, for the younger Kantorow has that hallmark of the greatest performers of always appearing to have plenty of time...In short, this... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, July 2022, Concerto Choice
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Schallplattenkritik Quarterly Critics Choice, Autumn 2022, Orchestral Music & Concertos
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International Classical Music Awards, 2023, Nominated - Concerto
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Gramophone Awards, 2023 Finalists, Shortlisted - Concerto
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I expected this to be good; but just how good it was was still a surprise…Ólafsson creates a ravishing musical sequence. Every track has its own allure, and many reflect a virtuosity which is... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2018
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2018
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BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2018
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2019, Winner - Instrumental
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2019, Recording of the Year
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Opus Klassik Awards, 2019, Winner - Solo Recital (piano)
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Limelight Magazine Recordings of the Year, 2019, Nominated - Instrumental
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Rachmaninov Variations
RecommendedDaniil Trifonov (piano)
Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
the Philadelphians under Yannick Nézet-Séguin provide sterling support for Trifonov's stunning pyrotechnics. There are also moments of magical repose, Trifonov achieving astonishing beauty of... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, Instrumental Choice
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Gramophone Magazine, September 2015, Disc of the Month
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2015
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Gramophone Awards, 2016, Finalist - Concerto
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The Romantic Piano Concerto 70 - Beach, Chaminade & Howell
RecommendedBeach, Chaminade & Howell: Piano Concertos
Danny Driver (piano)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Rebecca Miller
Pick of the bunch is the Concerto by Amy Beach…Danny Driver is a highly accomplished soloist, if occasionally lacking in Romantic flexibility; the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Rebecca... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, March 2017, Editor's Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2017, Finalist - Concerto
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2017
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The New York Times, Recordings of the Year 2017
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Building A Library, January 2022, Featured Recording
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Beethoven: The Piano Concertos
RecommendedStephen Hough (piano), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu
Hough’s individualities of phrasing and subtleties of pedalling are all contained within a relatively Classical sense of order. He brings splendour to the greater grandiosity of the Emperor... —
Awards:
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Record Review, 2nd May 2020, Record of the Week
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2020
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The Times Records of the Year, 2020
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Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5
Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano), Freiburger Barockorchester, Pablo Heras-Casado
These are invigorating performances of Beethoven’s first and last concertos, conveying an admirable sense of spontaneity…The entire performance [of No. 2] radiates energy and enjoyment… Bezuidenhout... —
Awards:
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Record Review, 15th February 2020, Record of the Week
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BBC Music Magazine, April 2020, Concerto Choice
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Opus Klassik Awards, 2020, Nominee - Conductor of the Year
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Opus Klassik Awards, 2020, Nominee - Instrumentalist of the Year
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Gramophone Magazine, Critics' Choice 2020
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Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos
RecommendedKrystian Zimerman (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
It is appropriate that the peak of Beethoven’s orchestral artistry should be scaled by two musicians also at the height of their powers: these performances are as near-definitive as I ever expect... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 16th July 2021
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BBC Music Magazine, September 2021, Recording of the Month
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2021
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International Classical Music Awards, 2022, Nominated - Concerto
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2022, Shortlisted - Concerto
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Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts Mendelssohn & Schumann
RecommendedMaria João Pires (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
[Pires] has the enviable ability to make everything sound fresh but natural, and her tone is enchanting...The definition on [the Blu-ray] is superb and the camera work actually helps the viewer... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 20th October 2014
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Gramophone Magazine, January 2015, Editor's Choice
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2014
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Presto Favourites, Recommended Recording
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