Press Room
The success of our award winners is developing a valuable creative legacy for the Trust itself. Media recognition further emphasises the excellence and unique talent of our winners and the projects they choose to fund with their awards.
Here are some comments from selected critics on our BBT artists about the projects they chose to fund with their awards and fellowship monies:
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Hannes Minnaar pianoRachmaninov/Ravel CD on Etcetera
“For his debut CD he
displays further attributes as a convincing tonal colourist and ardent
Romantic. I was much taken with the sound world Minnaar creates… He’s a natural talent with a bold streak. I wish him well.” “The sensational young Dutch pianist Hannes Minnaar, international prize-winner and recipient of a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship…displays his extravagant gifts in this debut disc… Minaar’s virtuosity needs no comment: we expect that. His musical intelligence, sense of line and structure, delicacy, subtlety of texture and discipline set him apart. His Ravel is muscular and sparkling, his Rachmaninov glowing, meticulous and fervent… Watch out for him.” Fiona Maddocks, The Observer 20 November 2011 |
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Francesco Piemontesi pianoRecital CD on Avanti Classic “Francesco Piemontesi combines communicative panache with remarkable
insight...[an] exceptional talent” “...this pianist reveals a powerful gift of intimacy. You have to stop and listen.” “Franceso Piemontesi's latest recital disc
confirms the fine impression left by his set of Schumann's piano sonatas
released by Claves last year. There's a real aristocratic sweep to this
27-year-old Swiss pianist's playing; the Handel suite from which Brahms
extracted the theme of his Handel Variations is generously expressive,
while Piemontesi's account of the Brahms Variations themselves, if not
barnstorming exactly, is full of delicacy and transparent textures that
make you hang on every phrase.” “Intelligence, refinement, elegance of
tone, as well as complete clarity of polyphony are all characteristic of
this musician, born in 1983. This is particularly beneficial in Brahms’
Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, which is superbly
interpreted.” |
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Nino Gvetadze pianoWidmung piano music by Franz Liszt CD on Orchid Classics “…Gvetadze has all the necessary technical equipment to give the big moments their full impact – and thrillingly so; and yet there’s always a sense of a musing, meditative intelligence exploring their layers of meaning in the very act of playing, as if she is spontaneously creating the music under her fingers. Her very wide range of colour, always sensitively and appropriately applied, subtle pedalling and a beautifully intuitive, almost Paderewskian sense of rubato make these no question. But these have a magic of their own.” “Her technique is sublime, but never takes
the leading role. This is a pianist with a fantastic tone culture and
deep inner poetry.” “Gvetadze plays with a fine balance of
delicacy and bravado, and her interpretations are perfectly tailored to
the needs of each piece. The variety of Liszt's expressions are matched
by her subtle use of color and accentuation, and her touch is remarkably
consistent and even, for changing easily from the softest dynamics to
the loudest with little apparent effort... this is a worthy contribution
to the Liszt celebrations, and Gvetadze's artistic performances deserve
serious attention.” “Her tone is liquescent and her sprays of pianistic foritura sound effortless, yet she possesses all of the strength that Liszt’s writing requires.”
“…it [Gretchen am Spinnrade animation film] is not only charming and atmospheric but is also extremely accurate in conveying her fingers on the keyboard…. This short film constitutes an unexpected visual bonus to a CD that would be very worth acquiring even without it.” |
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Khatia Buniatishvili pianoDebut CD on Sony Classical of music by Franz Liszt “The B minor Sonata is the centrepiece of
Buniatishvili's programme, and she goes at it with real ferocity,
ratcheting up the intensity within the first few dozen bars and hardly
pausing for breath from then on... Her floating of the melody of the Liebestraum, and her elegant weaving through the mysterious harmonies of La Lugubre Gondola, though, show there is much more to her artistry than just full-frontal musical assaults.” “It's unlikely that any other Liszt record
in this centenary year will outdo this pianistic debut by Georgia's
fiery young star. Her account of the great B minor Sonata has Olympian
grandeur; her Mephisto Waltz No1 alternates between swooning delicacy
and a furiously laser-like accuracy; La Lugubre Gondola has hieratic
mystery. Magnificent.” “This debut disc looks like a safe ‘Best of
Liszt’ selection but, thrillingly, is much more than that.
Buniatishvili is a young artist with a huge temperament and technique
that puts one in mind of the young Martha Argerich...” |
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Henk Neven baritoneAuf einer Burg CD on Onyx Classics “Neven has an exceptional voice - perfectly
controlled, ideal for German Lieder. It is hardly an exaggeration to
think of him on the evidence of this fine disc as successor to Dietrich
Fischer-Dieskau... It is a long time since I enjoyed a disc of Lieder
from a young singer quite as much as this, and I long to hear more from
him.” “...An intelligent reading, a sense of
dignity in the timbre, exceptional diction... Not only in [Henk Neven’s]
voice but also in the interpretation there is a great sense of breadth
with his flexible approach to the music. The musical conversation
between Neven and his excellent accompanist gives extra sparkle. This is
a CD that you will want to hear over and over again.” “Here's a name to watch…Neven's highly
individual timbre is unlike any other lieder interpreter's: he sings
with astonishing technical finesse, verbal acuity and a sense of wonder
in these pieces from Schumann's annus miserabilis of song, 1840...
Eijsacker's virtuoso piano-playing only enhances this remarkable young
singer's outstanding debut.” “Here emerges a young baritone for the
Lieder repertoire to take up the torch on the eventual retirement of
Thomas Allen, Thomas Hampson, Wolfgang Holzmair, Simon Keenlyside and
Thomas Quasthoff, all now in their fifties or beyond. Henk Neven
possesses a lyric baritone with both resonance and sap in the tone, the
ability to articulate text with clarity but without fussy
over-emphasis... I am confident that he is on the threshold of a fine
career.” “He has a beautiful voice, flexible,
rounded and warm, and sings, always in the middle of the note, with much
intelligence and no affectation.” |
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Elias String QuartetThe Beethoven Project website dedicated to preparations for a complete cycle of Beethoven String Quartets from 2011-2015 www.thebeethovenproject.com “It’s a very interesting package; not just a
cheap marketing shot, but a real attempt to demystify the whole
business of string quartets, the almost mythical status of Beethoven,
and to draw listeners into the process of learning, collaboration and
assembling this mighty series of non-stop masterpieces.” “A wonderful and wonderfully ambitious
project has just been launched by the young Elias Quartet, a truly
in-depth approach to the complete Beethoven quartets…It’s a splendid
venture, generously sponsored by the Borletti-Buitoni Trust, a great
supporter of classical music to whom we’re all indebted.” “The young and very gifted Elias String
Quartet are getting ready for the big one – Beethoven, the complete
string quartets. But how does a young group get the word out in a
market that is half competitive, half indifferent and when so many other
brands are far better known? Start with a website…get a few
heavyweights to blog on it, kicking off with the Lindsay Quartet’s Peter
Cropper. Keep the thing refreshed with new features. Shoot a short
film. Build an audience online. Look and learn. That’s how. I like
these guys. They’re thinking creative.” |
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Martin Helmchen pianoShostakovich Piano Concertos & Piano Quintet LPO CD with London Philharmonic Orchestra / Vladimir Jurowski “...a disc of exuberance and, as ever with this composer, melancholy.” “Martin Helmchen shows himself adept in all
aspects of No 1’s quirky humour, No 2’s playful high spirits and - in
the famous Andante - a nostalgic romanticism Rachmaninov might have been
proud of… What makes this disc more special is a truly superb account
of Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet…this is one of the most impressive
performances of the work that I’ve heard in recent years.” |
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Julian Steckel celloKorngold, Bloch, Goldschmidt concertos CD with Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie / Daniel Raiskin on Avi-Service for music “...compelling recording…Steckel plays each
with touching sensitivity. While Korngold beguiles, and Bloch
challenges, the standout piece is Goldschmidt’s in a zestful
performance.” “Steckel understands the work [Goldschmidt Cello Concerto] better than any soloist I have heard... Not to be missed.” “What impresses and indeed thrills me about
Steckel’s playing is the range of colour and emotion he finds in this
trio of rather wonderful scores... Here on a single disc we have the
finest version of the Korngold and performances of major works by Bloch
and Goldschmidt more than equal to any other. Julian Steckel – remember
that name – Bravo!”” |
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Aronowitz EnsembleFrom ONE to SEVEN concert series at The Forge Venue, Camden “The penultimate concert in The Aronowitz
Ensemble's residency at The Forge, Camden, took the listener from the
dazzling pop and spit of Salvatore Sciarrino's Notturni brillanti for
solo viola (Lily Francis) to the night-scented arpeggios of Schubert's
Notturno (Tom Poster, Guy Johnston and Magnus Johnston), and on to the
fretful stirrings of Bartok's Fifth String Quartet and Schoenberg's
shame-drugged idyll, Verklärte Nacht. Boccherini's rowdy Variazioni
sulla Ritirata notturna di Madrid offered comic relief, while Poster's
arrangement of Strauss's Morgen brought all seven players together for a
cheesy sunrise... such an absurd abundance of talent in this ensemble” “Imaginative programming, high-calibre performances, convivial atmosphere. What more could one ask for?” |
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Ralph van Raat pianoGavin Bryars Piano Concerto The Solway Canal Naxos CD “Bryars’s craftsmanship is undeniable, the
sources imaginatively chosen and cleverly manipulated, the integrity
absolute…Van Raat is a passionate, skilled advocate.” |
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Alexei Ogrintchouk oboeCD of Bach Oboe Concertos with Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Alina Ibragimova on BIS “An intriguing disc, fastidiously
researched…The Swedish Chamber Orchestra plays crisply and cleanly with a
sound perfectly matched to Ogrintchouk’s own (extremely fine and
technically impeccable) sound…this is a fine performance.” “Ogrintchouk plays it [A major Concerto for
oboe d’amore] beautifully…with a just appreciation of the instrument’s
mellow tonal qualities. He has the understanding of how Bach’s long
phrases are braced by shorter ones within their span, which is an
essential quality of good Bach-playing. The other two solo concertos
find him equally at home…simply be grateful for four admirably played
and recorded oboe concertos by a great composer who wrote demandingly
but incomparably for the instrument.” “Alexei Ogrintchouk... offers playing that’s graceful, beautiful and searchingly expressive.” “What's consistently authentic, though, is
the quality of Ogrintchouk's playing, with its fulsome tone and clean
articulation. He's placed well forward in the sound picture but the
contribution of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra is important, too; forget
the musicology, it's a delightful disc.” |