Various: Song of the Cello / Deutsche Grammophon
"…there's such depth to these personal choices from Mischa Maisky that I can't imagine a more delightfully varied yet comprehensive showcase… this CD is a treasure."
Classic FM Magazine, March 2008
Dimitri Stikovetsky's string trio arrangement of Bach Goldberg Variations
"Maisky reveals a deft and thoughtful ensemble sensibility"
Gramophone, May 2007
NordDeutscher Rundfunk / Shostakovich First Cello Concerto
"As soon as Maisky played the first note, it was clear that his generous gestures are completely at the service of an interpretation that seeks to lay open the innermost soul of the music. Maisky played with sharpness and a biting humour."
Hamburger Abendblatt, April 2005
"Maisky played the Shostakovich cello concerto no.1 with more lyricism than most of his colleagues. The high point was undoubtedly the moderato, which grew ever higher in intensity, and spilled out into an unravelling cadence."
Die Welt, April 2005
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Dvorák Cello Concerto
“Mehta praises ‘the translucency of his playing, which sounds so sensible and thought-through, without giving any impression of being artificial.’ I think I know what he means. Maisky owns the heroic character of the work to such an extent that the first solo entry comes across as an extension of himself, played with great resolution, punching out the sforzando spread chords with no loss of tone quality.”
The Strad, August 2004
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Shostakovich First Cello Concerto
“…his performance had an authentic air of struggle and protest. As he flung off each jagged phrase he wheeled around angrily to hear the answering phrase from the timpani, his halo of grey hair flying. And, in the slow movement, he captured the broken, withdrawn, infinitely sad quality of the music.”
The Daily Telegraph, 1 April 2004
“Maisky’s cello was soon soaring out to rise above anything the orchestra could pit against it, then ceding to an expressive horn solo. His was an intense, passionate performance that vividly brought out the work’s desperation…”
The Guardian, 1 April 2004
Beethoven Triple Concerto with Argerich and Capuçon / EMI
“Maisky’s cello holds sway in the first movement particularly, and his muscular but sensitive playing is a delight. When he duets with Capuçon, the pair appear joined at the hip.”
The Times, 4 June 2004
Mendelssohn / Deutsche Gramophon
“Maisky performs the two cello sonatas with his typical intensity and passion…Mischa Maisky, whose playing always shows intense involvement, makes a passionate advocate for the Mendelssohn sonatas…Maisky gives notably urgent, dramatic readings of both works.”
Gramophone
Schumann / Argerich / Deutsche Gramophon
“Mischa Maisky is lustrously eloquent in Schumann’s gorgeous concerto, particularly in the slow movement, where he is expansive without ever once sliding into sentimentality…fervent, rapturous and beautiful”.
The Guardian
Brahms’ Double Concerto / Repin / Royal Concertogebouw Orchestra
“The violinist and cellist pooled their expressive resources in a way that projected the music strongly and yet retained the sense of being an inextricable part of the structural fabric”.
The Daily Telegraph
Schumann Cello Concerto / Orpheus Chamber Orchestra / Deutsche Grammophon
“...passionate, full-blooded playing of Maisky, whose improvisatory flair is well suited to the work.”
The Times
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Walton Concerto
“This was certainly one of the most intense and demanding performances the work has received in London for some time…In Maisky’s hands, the central movement was far more than the scherzo-like episode which it can seem. This was a true Allegro Appassionato.”
London Symphony Orchestra / Shostakovich
“A commanding performance…one could have heard a pin drop as Maisky delivered the demanding and structurally crucial cadenza.”
Philharmonia Orchestra / Elgar
“Maisky’s delivery of the solo part was remarkable for its concentration, carrying power and fearless virtuosity.”
BBC Philharmonic / Hindemith
“Hugely impressive.”
In recital with Martha Argerich
“His tone is severely fine and precise, his phrasing scrupulously balanced and he speaks with a tight, brave elegance that derives from passion being exerted without waste.”
“Virtuoso cellists”
“No-one matches his soul-searching in Shostakovich Cello Concerto no.2, nor the vocal qualities in his performance of Schubert’s Arpeggione.”
Classic CD
Brahms Sonata in E minor / Pavel Gililov
“Maisky’s tone is veiled and gentle, and his phrasing affectingly poetic…Maisky holds the line with great skill…The second movement is conversational and lightly pointed, with a tripping second set, and I loved the way the cello races ahead into the finale, beckoning the pianist to respond.”
Gramophone
Saint-Saens
“Maisky’s account of The Swan” is arresting: where most cellists give it ample tone and warm expressiveness, he plays it rather slowly and very quietly indeed. It’s magical, and typical of his way of drawing more from less. “
Classic CD
Schubert Lieder (arr. Maisky)
“How marvellously he mirrors the qualities of the voice for his voice, that of the cello, is ever present.”
Classic CD
Bach Solo Suites (2nd recording on DG)
“What was once big-boned and lavishly emphatic is now gentler and infinitely more witty… This is what re-recording should be all about.”
The Independent