Gramophone has praised Illia Ovcharenko’s playing on Manu Sinistra, with critic Peter J Rabinowitz calling it playing of unusual dexterity, colour and force of character.
Rabinowitz highlights Ovcharenko’s assured navigation of Prokofiev’s treacherous finger-twisters, his lyrical outpourings in the Bortkiewicz, and his gossamer touch in the final Ravel cadenza, praising his exceptional control of voicing and responsiveness to the music’s emotional terrain. He also commends the programme’s concept, calling Ovcharenko’s gathering of three Wittgenstein-commissioned works an “incredible act of defiance,” and notes the rarely heard Bortkiewicz concerto carries particular resonance given the ongoing war in Ukraine. While the review notes the MDR-Sinfonieorchester’s playing occasionally lacks the same finesse, it concludes the release is well worth attention.
Manu Sinistra is out now on PENTATONE.
