NEWS

 

SCHUMANN CDS ARE EDITOR'S CHOICE IN GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE

5th October 2006

Finghin's Schumann release has been garnering unanimous praise from the critics of the major music magazines in the UK and France. Most prestigious of all, the CDs were awarded "Editor¹s Choice" in the Awards Issue of Gramophone issue this October, Bryce Morrison's rave review describing Finghin as "an artist (and I use the word advisedly) of rare poetic empathy, one with an uncanny and moving capacity to arrive at the still centre, the very heart, of Schumann's teeming and frenzied imagination... .this issue deserves a heavenful of stars." 

The CDs also got four stars in BBC Music Magazine and in the Guardian newspaper in September 2006, and excellent reviews in Classica and Diapason magazines in France. These are in addition to the glowing review by Piers Burton-Page in "International Record Review" earlier in the summer. 

Diapason magazine awarded the CDs five of its trademark diapasons' or tuning forks: "In the thorny Humoreske, constantly changing between exterior influences and interior voices, Collins speaks without chattering, sings when he should sing, asks all the right questions, gives all the right answers - in short, the success is total." (Etienne Moreau) 

Classica magazine compared Finghin with eminent predecessors such as Claudio Arrau and Martha Argerich and awarded him 8 out of 10: "In the Fantasiestücke, Collins finds a just middle-ground between the lively, airy, sublime but eminently personal reading of Martha Argerich (EMI), and the density of Arrau (Philips). From the start of "In the Evening", he transports us on the wings of the dream. In theHumoreske, ... he matches Michael Endres (Oehms Classics) and offers us a benchmark recording." (Philippe van den Bosch) 

Many of the critics were under the impression that Finghin is recording the complete piano works of Schumann; however we would like to make it clear here that Claves Records plan that six different pianists will record a double album each to form a complete set of 12 CDs. The Swiss pianist Cédric Pescia is recording Volume 2 and this will be out shortly.