0 Schubert: Piano Sonatas No 16 & 21

“her performances are characteristically thoughtful – too much so for my liking. Pires’s approach is more high Romantic than late Classical, constantly oscillating between loud and soft, fast and slow, with the sort of artful phrasing that, instead of suggesting the music’s architectural scale and emotional anguish, ends up limiting them. She is at her most persuasive in the central movements of D845 and the Scherzo of D960” --Financial Times, 9th February 2013 ***

“Pires has recorded Schubert's B flat major Sonata D960 before, as part of a series of Schubert discs for Erato in the mid-1990s, and in terms of timings the two performances are often strikingly similar...What remains unchanged is the patience with which Pires allows Schubert's music to unfold so naturally that nothing seems forced or contrived.” --The Guardian, 21st February 2013 ****

Detail: Schubert: Piano Sonatas No 16 & 21

0 Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Alice Sara Ott's interpretation of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" captures almost an entire orchestra's worth of musical colour and emotion in this live album . . . each movement, representing different moments on a journey round a gallery, is full of personality -- and Mussorgsky's well-known tunes are second to none . . . [the exuberant Schubert sonata]: a wide range of musical moments . . . the music shows off the best of Schubert's compositional talents, captured by a brilliant young pianist. Alice Sara Ott's effortless characterisation ensures this musical roller coaster of an album is thrilling at every turn. --Classic FM, January 2013

Rising star Alice Sara Ott’s new recording documents her summer 2012 rite of passage debut at the prestigious White Nights Festival.

Alice Sara Ott’s challenging programme centers upon Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Her virtuosic technique and youthful brilliance deliver the majesty, colours and spontaneity that this music requires. The power, passion and beauty which Alice Sara brings to Schubert’s thrilling Sonata No. 17 is insightful and memorable.

Her stellar career coincides with the enthusiastic international acclaim her Deutsche Grammophon recordings and performances garner. As the Guardian writes: “... it was good to hear live the qualities that shine through on Ott’s recordings – the crystallin

Detail: Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

0 Schubert: The Piano Trios

The Schubert year is producing some high-class recordings of the piano trios. Coming to this shortly after La Gaia Scienza's period performance of the E flat Trio (see above), and the Schiff/Shiokawa/Perenyi recordings, I was struck first of all by the big scale of the playing, confidently virtuosic when the music demands it (Ashkenazy's command in the outer movements of the E flat Trio is outstanding), and with a warmth and wide range of expression that envelops you as you listen. The recording captures the variations of colour most faithfully — this has a more intimate feel, yet with a well-blended fullness.

The three high-powered musicians are at their best where the music is grand and large-scale — the opening Allegro of D929 has a wonderful sweep and energy, as do the outer movements of D898... [T]hese are extremely enjoyable, supremely accomplished performances... -- Gramophone [12/1997]

Detail: Schubert: The Piano Trios