International Piano
“These are both indispensable additions to the pianist’s discography.”
BBC Music Magazine
March 2008
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“Serkin was a forceful, direct pianist, who mainly avoided charm and caprice. Nonetheless, Beethoven's Diabolic Variations get full justice from him, and he is a profound interpreter of late Brahms.”
Gramophone Magazine
August 2007
“Serkin in concert – performances that really capture the pianist’s essence…he possessed that rare ability to project the widest range of dynamics so that every note would speak and connect to audiences in a large venue regardless of where they sat. In the 12 years separating his benchmark 1957 recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations and this concert transmission, slow, introspective variations like Nos 14 and 31 have become more ascetic and rhythmically contained while certain lyrical variations take on greater lightness and flexibility…”