BBC Music Magazine has given a four-star review to Illia Ovcharenko’s Manu Sinistra, with critic Jessica Duchen calling the album an enterprising listen that is always beautifully performed, especially by its soloist.
The review highlights all three concertos, written for pianist Paul Wittgenstein after he lost his right arm in World War I, noting that his commissions spurred a remarkable wealth of repertoire into life. Duchen praises Bortkiewicz’s Piano Concerto No. 2 as an appealing addition to the limelight, landing stylistically somewhere between Borodin and Bernard Herrmann, and notes that Ovcharenko and the MDR Sinfonieorchester under Oksana Lyniv bring vivid colour palettes that draw out each piece’s contrasting character.
The review raises one balance concern, finding the recording rather too piano-centric in the Bortkiewicz, but praises the Prokofiev Concerto No. 4 as sparky and strong-edged, with the ensemble playing that avoids similar issues.
Manu Sinistra is out now on PENTATONE.
