“… Litton and the BBC are well recorded, as is the lovely sounding Fazioli piano… the bass is rich and never overpowering. The slow movement is gorgeous, and the finale is particularly clear and crisp, with a wonderfully strong frugal episode. In all this is a fine reading. The Waltzes are an unexpected but welcome bonus … the release is highly recommendable.”

“… Covering both the orchestral immensity of the Piano Concerto No.1 and the levity of the 16 Waltzes, this disc is highly recommended to anyone who appreciates Brahms’ music and the pluralities present therein: joyful solemnity and tragic sweetness.”

Performance ****      Recording ****

“… It is that length and breadth, every dramatic incursion and poetic parenthesis of it [Piano Concerto No. 1], that the immaculately dextrous young French virtuoso Emmanual Despax and the BBC Symphony Orchestra in top form under the mature sway of Andrew Litton seem intent on revealing…”

“…Litton conducts emphatically, broadly and powerfully, admittedly without ever making the music seem ponderous. He contrasts the forte passages, with their broad architecture, with charming fine passages in the slow sections. In the Frenchman Emmanuel Despax, the conductor has a solid partner who follows his intentions exactly. He shows a sensitivity that goes beyond mere commitment and impresses with a dexterity that makes his playing very clear…” ****