CD OF THE WEEK (CLASSIC FM RADIO) 10 DE RÉPERTOIRE 'A repertoire that makes for a welcome family evening around the piano; alas for us all that we cannot offer renderings of such sympathetic finesse and lyrical elegance as are here set down by Philip Martin ‘at home’' (Henry Kelly, Classic FM Radio) 'You may wonder when you last heard such beguiling, fine-toned fluency ... this is a delectable disc finely recorded' (Gramophone) 'This repertoire is as delightful to listen to as it is to play … perfect evening listening' (Classic FM Magazine) 'Played by Philip Martin with winning insouciance' (The Independent) 'Martin makes for a sensitive, sympathetic guide … this release is a veritable treasure trove for the pianophile' (International Record Review) '[Martin] plays poetically throughout, and this for me is an unmissable collection' (Mail on Sunday) 'If you’ve ever struggled through Badarzewska’s Maiden’s Prayer, tripped yourself up in Dvorák’s Humoresque in G flat, or wondered how the simple lines of MacDowell’s To a Wild Rose would sound in capable, smooth-contoured professional hands, this is the disc for you' (Irish Times) '77 minutes de bonheur pur sucre pour nous faire oublier la morosité de la rentrée!' (Répertoire, France) 'Philip Martin is a pianist of great intelligence and much innate musicality; and the excellence of the recording is the final element in the equation for success' (musicweb.uk.net) ------------------------------------ None of us can deny that they have fallen prey to the lure of a junk shop or of the chaotic mysteries of an attic, and sometimes purchasers of an old wardrobe or chest of drawers find there a bundle of treasure left behind … well, the spirit of 'What have we here?' permeates the adventures captured on this album. Salon music had its heyday on record in the era of 78s, since the length of a side suited it so well, and for that reason some titles—such as Rubinstein's Melody in F and Paderewski's Minuet in G—may be familiar, but there are 'finds' to be had in any such compilation. This is music on which most aspiring pianists have cut their teeth, giving them as it does both the satisfaction of mastering a complete piece without straining their technique (well, mostly) as well as the backbone of a repertoire that makes for a welcome family evening around the piano; alas for us all that we cannot offer renderings of such sympathetic finesse and lyrical elegance as are here set down by Philip Martin 'at home' and off-duty from his award-winning complete Gottschalk recordings on Hyperion.