Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1

Trifonov's combination of delicacy and fire leaves an indelible impression in this debut recording with the Mariinsky. The Tchaikovsky, scorching and heart-rending but never bombastic, is paired with solo Liszt transcriptions (of Schumann and Schubert) and Chopin's Barcarolle.

Trifonov may be at the start of his career but he is already a mature artist. His youth brings an overwhelming energy which seems to blow the cobwebs off everything he performs: he forces one to listen to these works anew, the sure sign of greatness.

IRR Outstanding

Truly exciting Tchaikovsky… One of the most exhilarating recordings of the Tchaikovsky concerto I've heard in years… It could easily have been a CD Review disc of the week when it was released last year so I'm glad you've heard it this morning.

Massive power gives way to the most delicate pianissimi and a constant sense of discovery. This performance is close to epic.

Daniil Trifonov, still only 21, is one of the hottest pianists of the moment.

… his recording breaks new ground. It confirms, if confirmation was necessary, that St. Petersburg's Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre is a major-league ensemble, and it represents another jewel in the crown of the new Mariinsky label. Best of all, with the considerable assistance of Mariinsky director Valery Gergiev on the podium, Trifonov scrapes away the bombast and the posturing from a score that's regularly performed - and listened to - on autopilot.

His [Trifonov's] performance of the Tchaikovsky warhorse is nuanced but not mannered, virtuosic without being showy, and powerful yet not hammered, as many young Russian pianists do. Liszt's grandiose transcriptions of Schubert and Schumann songs, including a swirling Erlkönig, reveal his ability to conjure mood and drama with colour or phrasing … He has the world at his feet.