Vladimir Ashkenazy

“Suddenly, music that is often experienced as though being viewed through a surgical observation window comes surging off the page with a passion to have one reassessing its emotional raison d’étre.” (International Piano, November/December 2009)

“Ashkenazy stresses the lyricism as well as the anguish of Suk’s score; this is a performance of great dignity and nobility, with fine attention to detail.” (BBC Music Magazine, July 2009)

“The music crackles with cinematic fervour, as the story spills out in a headlong rush accompanied by brilliantly coloured orchestral textures. This is Ashkenazy's strong suit as a conductor - he's never more persuasive than when wrangling an oversized orchestral score through its paces - and he brought fervour and splash to the performance.” (San Francisco Chronicle, March 2009)