Mathias and Pickard Piano Sonatas

“Both composers’ music is brilliantly played by Raymond Clarke, a pianist who combines an emotional commitment to the music with a prodigious technique. The whole disc is enthralling. It is music-making of the first order of magnificent new music that I would recommend all other serious music-lovers to investigate. Intelligent and passionate music performed with great insight.” - Classic CD

“The furious toccata-like conclusion [of John Pickard’s Sonata] is quite an experience, especially played as well as here … Raymond Clarke, for whom the Sonata was composed, plays both these taxing and profoundly thought pieces with dedication and virtuosic flair … First-rate recording: an excellent disc of contemporary British piano music.” - BBC Music Magazine

“This is music of severe technical demands that should be labelled ‘Warning. Professional stunt pianist used. Do not try playing these works in your home.’ That pianist is Raymond Clarke, dedicatee of Pickard’s Sonata… This CD is almost unthinkable without his expertise and persistence; the rhythms have to be acutely etched to keep the high-strung tensions tight and rewarding. Clarke is the man here.” - Fanfare