A variety of colour

The recording of the opera Don Quichotte featuring Ferruccio Furlanetto in the title role was awarded four stars by France’s Classica magazine, which noted that “Gergiev’s talent lies in his ability to give a real pulse to this sweet-sounding music, an internal need that will sustain your interest.” Britain’s Gramophone magazine wrote that Furlanetto was “a true bass, and his dark and velvety baritone voice is ideally suited to the role... Gergiev, his chorus and orchestra are in fine form, and the recorded sound in the experienced hands of James Mallison is excellent.” America’s Opera News underlined the fact that “with Ferruccio Furlanetto, under the baton of Valery Gergiev the performance attained inarguable vocal form and impressive mastery,” while The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that “For a long time the world of opera has been in need of a good recording of Cervantes’ famous tale, and now the opera has been well and truly revived.”

The disc of Dmitry Shostakovich’s First and Second Piano Concerti demonstrated that Denis Matsuev “remains as dazzling a soloist as ever,” reported the news portal ClassicsToday.com. The information music resource ResMusica named the disc “Clef du mois” and expressed particular delight at the combination of power and the variety of colour,” including how “the pianist transformed the notes into a whirlwind of musical fireworks.” “There can be no doubts that this recording can only serve to increase the growing reputation of this outstanding Russian virtuoso,” reported the portal SA-CD.net.