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'Danny Driver, whose debut recording on Hyperion was an acclaimed
recording of Bowen's Third and Fourth piano concertos, is the ideal
advocate for this glorious music, playing with razor-sharp articulation
and a rich, organ-like sonority (well captured by Simon Eadon and
Andrew Keener) while characterizing Bowen's ruminative slow movements
with tender introspection and an improvisatory air, a particular
pleasure of these two discs. Driver is an artist who is able to
transcend the sterile sounds of the studio and give "real" performances,
an early Award nominee for next year.'
[Gramophone, Editor's Choice, December 2009-
Click here for
full review]
'Danny Driver plays the canon of six [York Bowen] sonatas with a blend of
warmth, bravura, expressive sensibility and verve.... Driver's superb, astute performances are
convincing testimonies to Bowen assimilating stimuli with a potent imagination of his own.'
[Geoffrey Norris, Daily Telegraph, Classical CD of the Week]
‘Danny Driver's performances are masterly, stylish and full of dazzling
pianism’
[The Daily Telegraph -
Click here for full review]
'Absolutely stunning... what a way to be introduced to the music
of York Bowen!'
[American Record Guide]
'Soloist Danny Driver emerges as the virtuoso hero of the hour'
[Classic FM Magazine]
‘York Bowen's Fifth Sonata... has not always met with universal
acclaim, but there is no denying that Danny Driver's account could
not have been improved upon - not even by the composer himself.
....Gaspard de la Nuit proved a thrillingly virtuosic end
to an uncommonly absorbing recital.'
[The Classical Source -
Click here for full review]
'This is an invaluable addition to the Bowen discography: no Bowen
fan will be able to resist this disc and I doubt anyone will be
disappointed. Let's hope Driver's recording of the complete sonatas
is available soon: I for one can't wait.'
[International Record Review -
Click here for full review]
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‘Driver boasts an impressive technique and a clear musical
intelligence’
[The Observer]
‘Danny Driver is a thoughtful and musical player and the
possessor of a formidable technique....control of dynamic and phrasing were exceptional’
[Musical Opinion]
‘..a finely judged performance of Schumann’s Kreisleriana..’
[The Independent]
‘Pianist Danny Driver…. played Bach’s Italian Concerto and
French Suite no. 5 in G major with a touch that was at once
elegant and sprightly. He brought the same lightness to his
playing of a selection of Debussy’s Preludes, capturing
beautifully all the transparent, shimmering colours of these
miniature works.’
[Rowena Smith, The Herald *****] |
‘The playing, as throughout the recital, was as exciting as it was impeccable.
Whatever the challenges and character of the music, Driver displayed
sovereign technique and sympathetic insight. A wonderful experience.’
[Windsor & Eton Express]
Driver opened with a swirling, energetic reading of Bach's Chromatic
Fantasy & Fugue. Unashamedly using the resources of the modern
piano, Driver pedaled long sustained notes and cushioned chords
as he delivered a dramatic, intensely personal reading..... He conjured
a gripping musical narrative to link the disparate elements of Schumann's
Fantasy in C...in Driver's account, this arch-romantic work
seemed radical again, a revolt against the tidy oppression of the
sonata form. For 32 minutes he let listeners hear this concert-hall
staple as the soliloquy of a divided mind, one that shifted among
ecstasy, rage and yearning.... .’
[Chris Waddington, New Orleans Times Picayune]
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