“On repeated listening, any initial feelings of ‘sacrilege’ increasingly yield to admiration for the compelling empathy that underpins this whole re-imagining...Middleton is a magician of moods, his wonderfully enriching rubato the lynchpin of a disc that, ultimately, posts a balanceredressing love letter to Robert and Clara.”
★★★★ Performance ★★★★★ Recording
“Amid formidable recorded competition, Sampson is close to the top of the Frauenliebe pantheon...it’s high time Joseph Middleton made an album of solo Schumann piano music.”
“Sampson’s light bright timbre touches the heart.”
“I could not recommend a German Lieder recital more than this one. Both the program and the artists are exceptional.”