Jiri Belohlavek

“If [Foerster's] melodies are not intrinsically memorable, these finely wrought concertos get ideally idiomatic, rhapsodic performances from Zenaty and the BBCSO under Belohlavek.” Sunday Times, 17th August 2008 ***

“[The Violin Concertos] are intensely lyrical works, mostly conventional in form but gorgeously expansive in the best of their melodic writing. The performances seem beautifully judged, and the soloist Ivan Zenaty has the perfect pure-toned expressiveness the music needs.” Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 5th September 2008 ***

“Full marks to Ivan Ženatý and Jirí Belohlávek for bringing these fascinating works to public attention.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2008 ****

“Isabelle Faust is a lyrical soloist, and also finds plenty of energy to convey the rhythmic play of the finale. The other concertante work here is for piano, and Cédric Tiberghien is receptive to its neo-Baroque sensibility. The Prague Philharmonia under Jirí Belohlávek provides idiomatic support, and the strings shine in the one other work here, the short Serenáda No 2 from Martinu's playful Paris years.” The Telegraph, 7th June 2008

“Martinu's Second Violin Concerto is one of his greatest works in the genre. From her very first entry, Isabelle Faust shows a strong feeling for the work's dramatic ebb and flow, and in the supremely beautiful slow movement achieves heights of eloquence. Belohlávek provides magnificently flexible accompaniment and a clear vision of the work's broadly developed structure.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2008 *****

“… this brilliant new account of the Second Concerto (1943), played with verve and a real feeling for the idiom by Isabelle Faust. … her sweet, precise tones allows Martinu's angular lyricism… open out for maximum appeal.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2008

“Belohlávek is at home here in a lively account of a loveable opera.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2008

“This notoriously difficult yet majestic concerto is the perfect vehicle to show off the considerable talents of dazzling French pianist Cedric Tiberghien, who tackles it with a combination of effortless virtuosity and maturity beyond his years. Partnered with the BBC Symphony and new chief conductor Jiri Belohlavek, Tiberghien is equally at home in the light, contemplative passages, the stormy superstructure and the joyous final movement. The orchestra completes its programme with a spirited rendering of Brahms's Haydn Variations.” The Observer

“few recordings in recent years have matched the emotional intensity and drama that Tiberghien and Belohlavek bring to this masterpiece.” Classic FM Magazine

“The French pianist Cédric Tiberghien, now 32, has climbed to prominence slowly, gathering competition prizes, a Harmonia Mundi recording contract and four CD recital discs of core repertoire from Bach to Debussy. He's no flashy virtuoso: one Lang Lang is enough. But he's refreshingly individual, sensitive, strong-minded, intelligent; more than a name to watch.” The Times

“The recording spotlights the piano so that Tiberghien's every note can be heard and pondered, and he never gives the impression of irresponsibility or excessive calculation. But everything is so shaped and rationally conceived that this powerful work never quite achieves its usual impact...” BBC Music Magazine, January 2008 ****

"When he first joined the BBC Symphony Orchestra as principal guest conductor in 1995, the position was regarded as a graveyard as far as future prospects in the UK were concerned: no previous principal guest had ever gone on to hold the top post with it or any other British orchestra. Belohlavek bucked the trend. He has proved that you don't need to be a showman to make an impact. In the concert hall audiences instinctively recognise that his priority is the music, not his ego. His dry Bohemian charm has become more pronounced with age, and the same maturing process has informed his music-making. Andrew Clark,The Financial Times 7th July 2007

"The accompanying performance of the Dumky Trio is completely captivating; indeed their rendition of the four middle movements is among the finest available." BBC Music Magazine

"In the past two years appealing new recordings have been issued, although the most recent, with Isabelle Faust in a magnificent ensemble performance with Jirí Belohlávek and the Prague Philharmonia, is far the best." Gramophone