| The
Daily Telegraph (July
7th, 2007) |
"A
former child prodigy, Richard Harwood, now 28, has almost inevitably been labelled
"the greatest young cello talent since Jacqueline du Pré". Living
down the comparison, he has built his career steadily and unflashily. On this
showing, he is a player of discernment and finesse, phrasing eloquently and conjuring
a beautiful range of colours from his mahogany-toned 1682 Rugeri cello. There
is temperament in his playing, too, as you can immediately hear in the Beethoven
sonata. Without short-changing the music's lyricism, Harwood and his excellent
pianist Christoph Berner give an unusually fiery, sinewy performance. In
the Chopin sonata, the first movement balances elegance and romantic ardour, while
the tarantella finale dances with thistledown delicacy. In
between the serious business we get four bonnes bouches, including a coruscating
performance of Popper's Elfentanz. A black mark to EMI, though, for airbrushing
Berner's name from the front cover."
| | Richard
Wigmore |
| The
Strad (February 2007) |
| "Noticeable
from the solo opening of Beethoven's op.69 is the voluptuous shaping of Harwood's
phrasing - no half measures here. His playing is hard to beat for sheer beauty
of tone."
| | Read
full Strad review by Janet Banks? |
| Classic
FM Magazine (February
2007) |
| "Richard
Harwood's cello recital does indeed offer plenty to enjoy......Harwood
and Berner display fine duo partnership and strong, intelligent musical instincts."
| | Jessica
Duchen |
| The
Irish Times (January
26th, 2007) |
| The
young English cellist Richard Harwood has chosen wisely for his calling-card debut
CD for EMI. He clearly has a hand-in-glove musical relationship with his pianist,
Christoph Berner. And he shines in all the repertoire he's chosen, major sonatas
by Beethoven and Chopin, given with ardent grandeur and generous lyricism, and
a clutch of encore pieces delivered with a quality of finish that appears to come
from superb technique allied to deep affection. Expect to hear a lot more from
both of these performers."
| | Michael
Dervan
|
| The
Observer (January
14th, 2007) |
| "With
all the finesse, poise and virtuosity of a star in the making......He displays
a fresh insight, effortless musicianship and a confidence belying his years."
| | Read
full Observer review by Anthony Holden?
|
| allmusic.com
(January 2007) |
| "With
his rich but clean tone and strong but fluent technique, it's clear that English
cellist Richard Harwood spent time in Vienna studying with the great Heinrich
Schiff. Restrained but deeply expressive, intelligent but profoundly soulful,
virtuosic but less concerned with showing off his talent than with delving into
the music, Harwood is imbued with the spirit of the central European tradition
of selfless music-making."
| | James
Leonard |
| Gramophone
(January 2007) |
"Splendid
playing from this young cellist in a debut of distinction."
"...from
the start we can hear how Richard Harwood's magnificent sustained tone is malleable
enough to bring out the force of each melodic inflection, and Berner succeeds
in giving a meditative, poetic character to every gesture."
"The
four short pieces are played with true feeling and, in the Popper, exceptional,
precise brilliance. The Potton Hall recording has a warm sound and natural clarity.
For this fine young cellist, it's an auspicious start to what I'm sure will be
a distinguished career in the studio."
| | Duncan
Druce |
Customer
Reviews (source: emiclassics.co.uk)"This
is one heckuva Debut!! Berner & Harwood make for a winning duo throughout this
different and delightful program. Kudos to Arne Akselberg for superior sonics
that invite a good wallow in Harwood's incredibly opulent, fulgent tone. All in
all, the most enjoyable cello disc of the past year."
George
Clifford - 13/09/2007 "The
warmest richest sound I have ever heard from a cello, coupled with Richard's outstanding
musicianship and wonderful interpretation make this a real "must have" CD."
Jean
- 02/02/2007 |
|
