Concert Reviews
'The clear, intelligent account of Debussy's Violin Sonata was refreshingly unindulgent, but full of sparkling detail, with tonal beauty and incisive rhythmic clarity, balancing wit and poetry' - The Strad
'Superlative ... astonishing ... an unwaveringly engaging performance' - Seen and Heard International
'Playing of compelling conviction' - The Daily Telegraph
'In Mozart's E minor Sonata K304, the playing was elegant and articulate, with just the right balance between drama and gentility ... The first movement [of Franck's Sonata] flowed gracefully forward towards its climaxes; the second movement was vibrant and colourful. The finale had many voices, including a light effervescensce not always heard in this grand work. As an encore, they gave a dynamic performance of Brahms' FAE Scherzo' - The Strad
'Krzysztof Penderecki (...) stood forward to congratulate Foyle and Stsura on their performance of his 1953 Sonata No 1 for violin and piano: fierce and fiery in its leapfrogging first movement, haunting in the violin’s Andante musings over the wandering tread of the piano' - The Times
'Schubert’s Grand Duo was precisely that, two equal virtuosos playing wonderfully together, from memory ... intensely rewarding concentration from both players and the audience. The communication between them was remarkable ...It was no surprise that they received such thunderous applause.' - The Latest
‘From his beautifully shaped opening phrase [of Bruch's Concerto] it was immediately clear we could expect something special and so it proved’ - Wells Journal
'The highlight of the concert was Foyle's stirring performance of the Chaconne from Bach's Partita No.2 ... wonderfully expressive solo violin playing ... Foyle highlighted the distinct individual voices in the piece with some real virtuosic playing' - Herald Scotland
'One of those perfectly meshing musical partnerships that is a joy to hear. Playing Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata and Franck’s Sonata in A from memory freed them up to focus on their interaction as a duo with such complete unanimity that you couldn’t help but be drawn in' - Music and Vision
‘Of this performance [of Tchaikovsky's Concerto], there was nothing to say except ‘Bravo!’ The long and rapturous applause was richly deserved' - Eastbourne Herald
'By any measure, this was an outstanding recital. The young Scottish-Estonian partnership took on three pillars of the sonata repertoire, and brought something fresh and appealing to all of them (...) A performance of Brahms’ D minor sonata, Op.108, performed from memory by both players, came close to the ideal in its blend of passion and fiery intensity.' - Stratford Herald
'Foyle's performance [of Elgar's Violin Concerto] was completely thrilling. The beautiful slow movement was extremely moving and the final movement, with its extended accompanied cadenza, was a revelation of the soloist's skill. It was thoroughly exciting and enchanting.' The Herts Advertiser
'A rare, seemingly limitless variety of tonal colour' - Borbecker Nachricten
‘Michael Foyle and Maksim Stsura impressed immediately ... an excellent and well-matched duo’ - The Classical Source
‘The playing of the Royal Academy of Music Chamber Soloists is pleasingly flexible throughout ... with Michael Foyle’s sinuous, snaking violin solos worth special mention’ - Gramophone Magazine
CD Reviews
The Great War Centenary (2018)
vividly and beautifully conceived and executed. Foyle's playing is remarkable in its accuracy, tonal focus and impressive range ... delivered in sweeping style - BBC Music Magazine (UK)
The opening bars of a CD are often enough to know if you are dealing with musicians of an extraordinary calibre. Michael Foyle and Maksim Stsura clearly have something to say: articulation with which to lick your fingers, and a rich palette of tonal colours, this recording is superaudio-worthy ... the duo delivers a dream debut, admirably telling a story completely in symbiosis and in service of the music. Rating 10/10 - Luister (Netherlands)
impassioned, richly detailed performances of three wartime works by Debussy, Janacek and Respighi, and a moving and troubled musical meditation on death and dissolution from Kenneth Hesketh - The Daily Telegraph (UK)
an extraordinary release ... optimal sound recording and played phenomenally. Highly recommended - Stretto (Belgium)
a glowing and growing star ... beautiful tone, compelling agility and persuasive presentation, those are some of his hallmarks ... teamwork (is) impeccable. Both shifting so admirably from one musical idiom (French: Debussy) to another (Czech: Janáček) and yet two more totally different ones (Italian: Respighi; British: Hesketh). How much better would you like to have it? - HR Audio (France)
deeply felt and penetrating interpretations ... an attractive release of deeply expressive performances - Pizzicato (Luxembourg)
CD of the Week, 11-18 November 2018 - NPO Radio 4 (Netherlands National Radio)
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Lutoslawski and Penderecki: Complete Music for Violin and Piano (2019)
'This is an absolute cracker of a disc and right from the first note, one feels that one is hearing something extraordinary ... The performances are responsive, intelligent and very polished ... a performance that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat' - Classical Music Daily
'Lutosławski wrote Subito as a violin competition test piece towards the end of his life, and here it shows off the technique not only of the violinist Michael Foyle but that of the pianist Maksim Štšura. Both players catch its beauty, and they are equally persuasive in Lutosławski’s haunting Recitativo e arioso, earliest (1951) of the pieces here. More often heard in its version with orchestra, Partita is spikier, and Foyle and Štšura handle it with commanding aplomb. The Three Miniatures, Webern-like in their compactness, certainly belong to Penderecki’s avant-garde period, and the Sonata No. 1 is his first published work yet highly accomplished — and enjoyable thanks to this Scottish-Estonian duo’s musical intelligence.’ - BBC Music Magazine
'The playing is gutsy, alive and alert, these short pieces brilliant scene setters for Penderecki’s fiery Sonata No 1. After the same composer’s aphoristic Three Miniatures and Lutoslawski’s Bartók-influenced Partita, Penderecki’s Sonata No 2 (composed in 2000), the most recent of all the works represented, is a gripping apotheosis, its anguished final movement disappearing high into the musical stratosphere.' - The Scotsman
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BEETHOVEN: Sonatas for Piano and Violin (2021)
'Michael Foyle and Maksim Štšura retain a strong sense of chamber-scale intimacy, ensuring that Beethoven’s sforzando outbursts strain at the leash, as surely he originally intended ... They are also remarkably detailed in their responses, relishing the shock of the new ... Time and again, as witness the glorious central theme and variations, Foyle and Štšura articulate their phrasing with a deftness and clarity that subtly enhances the music’s emotional power ... The final sonata in the series, Op. 96 in G major, exchanges chest-beating heroics for time-suspending poetics, creating the haunting impression of listening in on Beethoven’s most private thoughts. Whereas the general tendency is to apply overblown rhetorical gesturing, by allowing the music to just ‘be’ in the moment, Foyle and Štšura reveal its gentle essence. The finale, in particular, is beautifully shaped, with a magical exploration of lower dynamics, topped off by joyous dancing that for once suggests the use of soft shoes in flight rather than galumphing hob-nail boots. First-rate sonics, too, which, like the performances themselves, balance detail and warmth to perfection.' * * * * * - BBC Music Magazine
'From the opening notes of the 'Kreutzer' Sonata one senses Foyle's dramatic presence ... The back and forth between violin and piano is vividly intense, with the violin's pizzicati sounding with whiplash crispness. At the other end of the spectrum, the Adagio espressivo is played with touching intimacy, at times almost like a private conversation. The violinist's singing tone and supple phrasing almost turn it into an aria. It is clear that these are not run-throughs but are committed, artistically finished performances.Throughout I found myself caught up up by the intesity and concentration of the playing. ' - Fanfare
'Recording Beethoven's complete violin sonatas in Mechelen, the home of Beethoven's forebears, during a period of near-global isolation revealed to this Scottish-Estonian duo new layers of emotional and psychological intensity, and you certainly hear this in the rapport between the two players ... the personality and the integrity of this duo are evident throughout ... The evident care taken by both players and the attractive variety of tone colours Foyle draws from his 1750 Gagliano make the prospect of the final volume in this series a tempting one.' - Gramophone
'more Classically contained than Kremer and Argerich (DG), better musically balanced than Menuhin and Kempff (also DG) and less interventionist than Faust and Melnikov (Harmonia Mundi) ... By avoiding any hint of big player rhetoric or self-conscious interpretative tinkering, Foyle and Štšura keep the mind focused on Beethoven’s wide-ranging inspiration and radical thought patterns ... The result is an engaging set of performances that cast fresh light on this much-recorded area of the repertoire.' - BBC Music Magazine
these performances are some of the very best I’ve heard among a recent spate of entries in this repertoire. In fact, I’d say they’re well-nigh ideal. Foyle produces an absolutely gorgeous sound on his 1750 Gennaro Gagliano violin, with modern setup. The tone is of a purity and alluring sweetness above the staff, while sacrificing nothing of robustness on the G- and D-strings. His bowing is strong and incisive but always smooth, evincing no grittiness or roughness, even in the execution of chords and forte passages. Vibrato is audible but discreet ... He never attenuates his tone in soft passages to the point where he disappears beneath the piano. Balance between the two instruments is consistent and equal, as is the balance between the two players in matters of phrasing and other interpretive details. The recording is excellent.' - Fanfare
'From beginning to end they put Beethoven in the right light: with spontaneity, joie-de-vivre, a little bravura but also adding tranquility, subtlety and drama where necessary, this all with outstanding timing... with this release they deserve a high position among the many acclaimed recordings available' - Luister Magazine (Netherlands)
vividly and beautifully conceived and executed. Foyle's playing is remarkable in its accuracy, tonal focus and impressive range ... delivered in sweeping style - BBC Music Magazine (UK)
The opening bars of a CD are often enough to know if you are dealing with musicians of an extraordinary calibre. Michael Foyle and Maksim Stsura clearly have something to say: articulation with which to lick your fingers, and a rich palette of tonal colours, this recording is superaudio-worthy ... the duo delivers a dream debut, admirably telling a story completely in symbiosis and in service of the music. Rating 10/10 - Luister (Netherlands)
impassioned, richly detailed performances of three wartime works by Debussy, Janacek and Respighi, and a moving and troubled musical meditation on death and dissolution from Kenneth Hesketh - The Daily Telegraph (UK)
an extraordinary release ... optimal sound recording and played phenomenally. Highly recommended - Stretto (Belgium)
a glowing and growing star ... beautiful tone, compelling agility and persuasive presentation, those are some of his hallmarks ... teamwork (is) impeccable. Both shifting so admirably from one musical idiom (French: Debussy) to another (Czech: Janáček) and yet two more totally different ones (Italian: Respighi; British: Hesketh). How much better would you like to have it? - HR Audio (France)
deeply felt and penetrating interpretations ... an attractive release of deeply expressive performances - Pizzicato (Luxembourg)
CD of the Week, 11-18 November 2018 - NPO Radio 4 (Netherlands National Radio)
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Lutoslawski and Penderecki: Complete Music for Violin and Piano (2019)
'This is an absolute cracker of a disc and right from the first note, one feels that one is hearing something extraordinary ... The performances are responsive, intelligent and very polished ... a performance that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat' - Classical Music Daily
'Lutosławski wrote Subito as a violin competition test piece towards the end of his life, and here it shows off the technique not only of the violinist Michael Foyle but that of the pianist Maksim Štšura. Both players catch its beauty, and they are equally persuasive in Lutosławski’s haunting Recitativo e arioso, earliest (1951) of the pieces here. More often heard in its version with orchestra, Partita is spikier, and Foyle and Štšura handle it with commanding aplomb. The Three Miniatures, Webern-like in their compactness, certainly belong to Penderecki’s avant-garde period, and the Sonata No. 1 is his first published work yet highly accomplished — and enjoyable thanks to this Scottish-Estonian duo’s musical intelligence.’ - BBC Music Magazine
'The playing is gutsy, alive and alert, these short pieces brilliant scene setters for Penderecki’s fiery Sonata No 1. After the same composer’s aphoristic Three Miniatures and Lutoslawski’s Bartók-influenced Partita, Penderecki’s Sonata No 2 (composed in 2000), the most recent of all the works represented, is a gripping apotheosis, its anguished final movement disappearing high into the musical stratosphere.' - The Scotsman
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEETHOVEN: Sonatas for Piano and Violin (2021)
'Michael Foyle and Maksim Štšura retain a strong sense of chamber-scale intimacy, ensuring that Beethoven’s sforzando outbursts strain at the leash, as surely he originally intended ... They are also remarkably detailed in their responses, relishing the shock of the new ... Time and again, as witness the glorious central theme and variations, Foyle and Štšura articulate their phrasing with a deftness and clarity that subtly enhances the music’s emotional power ... The final sonata in the series, Op. 96 in G major, exchanges chest-beating heroics for time-suspending poetics, creating the haunting impression of listening in on Beethoven’s most private thoughts. Whereas the general tendency is to apply overblown rhetorical gesturing, by allowing the music to just ‘be’ in the moment, Foyle and Štšura reveal its gentle essence. The finale, in particular, is beautifully shaped, with a magical exploration of lower dynamics, topped off by joyous dancing that for once suggests the use of soft shoes in flight rather than galumphing hob-nail boots. First-rate sonics, too, which, like the performances themselves, balance detail and warmth to perfection.' * * * * * - BBC Music Magazine
'From the opening notes of the 'Kreutzer' Sonata one senses Foyle's dramatic presence ... The back and forth between violin and piano is vividly intense, with the violin's pizzicati sounding with whiplash crispness. At the other end of the spectrum, the Adagio espressivo is played with touching intimacy, at times almost like a private conversation. The violinist's singing tone and supple phrasing almost turn it into an aria. It is clear that these are not run-throughs but are committed, artistically finished performances.Throughout I found myself caught up up by the intesity and concentration of the playing. ' - Fanfare
'Recording Beethoven's complete violin sonatas in Mechelen, the home of Beethoven's forebears, during a period of near-global isolation revealed to this Scottish-Estonian duo new layers of emotional and psychological intensity, and you certainly hear this in the rapport between the two players ... the personality and the integrity of this duo are evident throughout ... The evident care taken by both players and the attractive variety of tone colours Foyle draws from his 1750 Gagliano make the prospect of the final volume in this series a tempting one.' - Gramophone
'more Classically contained than Kremer and Argerich (DG), better musically balanced than Menuhin and Kempff (also DG) and less interventionist than Faust and Melnikov (Harmonia Mundi) ... By avoiding any hint of big player rhetoric or self-conscious interpretative tinkering, Foyle and Štšura keep the mind focused on Beethoven’s wide-ranging inspiration and radical thought patterns ... The result is an engaging set of performances that cast fresh light on this much-recorded area of the repertoire.' - BBC Music Magazine
these performances are some of the very best I’ve heard among a recent spate of entries in this repertoire. In fact, I’d say they’re well-nigh ideal. Foyle produces an absolutely gorgeous sound on his 1750 Gennaro Gagliano violin, with modern setup. The tone is of a purity and alluring sweetness above the staff, while sacrificing nothing of robustness on the G- and D-strings. His bowing is strong and incisive but always smooth, evincing no grittiness or roughness, even in the execution of chords and forte passages. Vibrato is audible but discreet ... He never attenuates his tone in soft passages to the point where he disappears beneath the piano. Balance between the two instruments is consistent and equal, as is the balance between the two players in matters of phrasing and other interpretive details. The recording is excellent.' - Fanfare
'From beginning to end they put Beethoven in the right light: with spontaneity, joie-de-vivre, a little bravura but also adding tranquility, subtlety and drama where necessary, this all with outstanding timing... with this release they deserve a high position among the many acclaimed recordings available' - Luister Magazine (Netherlands)