De la nuit

"If I haven't yet made Barto's eccentric rhythmic sense clear, just listen to him pick, poke, and jab his way through Alborada del gracioso. By the time you reach the final selection, Jeux d'eau, you'll be less irritated than bored by the pianist's revised phrasings, voicings, and dynamics. The bottom line is that although Barto basically uses (and often abuses) Ravel's music to draw attention to himself, his pianism and musicianship are just not all that attention worthy".

"Tre pianister har nyindspillet 'Gaspard de la nuit' på tre højst forskellige måder, og vil man have maksimal mystik, skal man vælge ungareren Dénes Várjons version, hvor hver eneste tone er badet i gru ... Hver eneste tone klinger som noget fra en novelle af Edgar Allan Poe. Betændt og besættende. Man skal vælge Várjon for den atmosfæriske intensitet, han leverer i overvældende mål".

Læs anmeldelse

"Aimard's outstanding virtue is his clarity of touch ... The downside is an imtermittent want of poetry ... He is good, too, in the three shorter pieces from Carter's on-going Indian summer of creativity ... Altogether a distinguished presentation of an enterprising programme".

"Recording of the month: Várjon moves swiftly between numbers, joining the puzzle-pieces without ever giving us the complete picture ... But there's no doubt that [his] connecting intelligence makes each set as a whole indispensable ... This is an unremittingly bewitching programme and perfectly engineered".

"Seine Ravel-Interpretationen überzeugen vor allem durch Strenge, Grösse und Ernsthaftigkeit".

"The tougher the challenge, the more impressively immaculate Neuburger's playing. A pity that it's a little short on atmosphere and feeling where Ravel requires delicate lyricism".