Henk van Tuijl wrote:

>...but I am still impressed by Louis Lortie who for one reason or
>another does not seem to have many supporters on this list.

Lortie is mentioned very little on the list.  Let's remedy that.  I greatly
liked his Ravel solo piano discs on Chandos - very moving.  Even there,
however, some critics did not care for what they considered swimming
acoustics and a lack of crispness in the playing.

It's funny how some artists get "beyond" the label they record for, while
others are stuck in the "house pianist" category.  Lortie, Howard, Shelley
appear stuck in the Chandos house, while Hough has risen above it, as
Hamelin has for Hyperion.  Maybe it is just the talent, since Hough and
Hamelin are a league above the others.  It likely takes a special talent
to reach the top without being on a major label.

Don Satz
[log in to unmask]