… but what I suspected may happen has happened – Limelight has removed the review of the Leatham Music CD from their website. Interestingly, there are still summaries of the comments made about the review there, but clicking on the review link causes electronic mayhem on their website.
So they’ve admitted the review was crap, which of course it was. But the damage has been done – the review was printed in the March edition of Limelight and so people (I imagine many, since Limelight has an Australia-wide distribution and is the official organ, as it were, of ABC Classic FM) now have totally the wrong idea about the recording, the artists, and the piano.
The question is, what are Limelight going to do to redress the balance? They have caused significant and unnecessary damage to Leatham Music and they now have a responsibility to correct that. It will be interesting to see what they do.
Probably nothing, but one lives in hope.
This is my considered review of the CD.
“Leatham Music is a small, boutique recording studio based in Albury, NSW. They are dedicated to producing recordings by Australian-based musicians involving the much-admired Stuart & Sons piano. This latest recording by the Melbourne-based duo Igor Machlak and Olga Kharitonova showcases an interesting range of music by Schubert and Brahms on one hand, and Stravinsky and Ravel on the other.
The first thing that strikes one on listening is the quality and clarity of the sound. Unlike some other commercial recordings of the Stuart piano, the inherent timbre of the Stuart is faithfully reproduced here and the interplay between the two pianists is able to be clearly heard.
The next thing is the quality of the performance. Machlak and Kharitonova have been performing together for quite some time now, and their understanding of each other and their teamwork is quite exemplary. Their technical prowess is self-evident, and it is clear especially in the Brahms that they are thoroughly enjoying what they are doing.
The selection of music gives sufficient rein to what one might call the classic repertoire in Schubert and Brahms, and then superimposing the more esoteric and, to the listener, less comfortable works of Ravel and Stravinsky. The overall mix, whilst varied, is ultimately quite satisfying.
The CD is recommended listening.”