"The selection of Schubert songs, in Liszt’s often probing arrangements, provides an effective transition between the album's primary works. Especially arresting is a brace from Schwanengesang – ‘Die Stadt’ and ‘Am Meer’ each ominous in their expression. A restrained yet atmospheric ‘Der Wanderer’ might arguably have been better placed immediately before the Fantasy itself, though the latter’s conviction is its own justification. Kantorow slightly reins in its extrovert initial Allegro as to emphasise the pathos of its Adagio then the impetus of its Presto sections. Nor is there any lack of resolve in a final Allegro that sees this sequence through to its scintillating close.
With sound as wide ranging and immediate as that on the previous two volumes, this release further consolidates Kantorow’s standing among the leading pianists of his generation. Peter J Rabinowitz’s hailing of it as ‘a standout recording’ could not be more appropriate."
Richard Whitehouse
