Malcolm Frager, piano
Staatskapelle Dresden
Rudolf Kempe, conductor


“The lower strings at the opening of Ein Heldenleben make one catch one's breath… The playing is deeply felt, flows with life and provides a vividly detailed scenario. …the opening of the lovely closing section, after a perfectly timed pause, creates a magical frisson of tension, raptly held until the wonderfully expanding brass of the coda, which is altogether thrilling. ...Prélude à L'après-midi d'un faune is also totally memorable, the exquisite opening flute solo echoed by the rest of the woodwind and an immediately sensuously rapturous response from the strings. Kempe has also found a natural partner in Malcom Frager in Schumann's Piano Concerto. ...performance full of freshness and vitality.”
Gramophone Magazine, December 2009