“… Ichmouratov often leans into his klezmer background with wailing clarinet solos and folk sequences that make you want to get up and dance…”

“Ambitious, attractive works blend post-modernism and touches of Prokofiev… The first of the Three Romances for viola, strings and harp creates a rustling accompaniment for the soloist to unfold its carefree song over, while the following ones are of a sterner hue in spite of deceivingly innocent beginnings. The last one features the harp more prominently, and all three include important material for different sections to accompany the solo viola. Elvira Misbakhova is an eloquent soloist throughout, her singing tone just right for these melancholy musings. Ichmouratov’s Octet is heard in the composer’s own arrangement for string orchestra… it is the most musically ambitious piece and receives an intense reading that rounds off this attractive programme.”

“… I would encourage anyone tempted by the delights of musical cross-pollination to sample this issue. Ichmouratov arranges his material most imaginatively for the unusual combinations of instruments in the first two works, while his unerring ear for melody ensures many of his ideas get into one’s head (and stay there). Moreover the colours which emerge from the Concerto Grosso in particular are quietly spectacular and always tasteful. There’s plenty here to make the disc worth a punt for those drawn to unfamiliar names.”

“…With outstanding engineering and production (Vadim Kiranov), crisply detailed in a luscious acoustic, these premiere recordings are unmissable. Evgeny Bushkov, an inspired, dynamic conductor with a sense of time and paragraphing, gets his Belarusian musicians to play for their lives, not a slur, staccato or colour missed. Misbakhova, mahogany-toned, is outstanding in the Romances. And you get a dazzling dash of the composer himself in the clarinet solos of the Concerto Grosso, scorching. Such a splendid gallery of personalities and voices: I wouldn't want to be without any of them. “   *****

“Filmic, feisty, flamboyant and, admittedly, occasionally a little froth, Ichmouratov’s orchestral music is rarely dull. It benefits here from characterful performances.” ****

“…His [Ichmouratov] music is of considerable sophistication with lots of solo “voices” speaking out from the orchestral textures. Ideas ebb, flood and flow. This is a CD of three Ichmouratov’s orchestral works superbly recorded over sessions that spanned three days… “