“McLean has a player’s understanding of how best to present the viola in a solo role, and has written idiomatic passagework and sonorous cadenzas that Myers seizes gratefully, with consistently beautiful tone and unshakeable aplomb.”
Carlos Maria Solare, The Strad
“This disc is not only a showcase for the talent and skill of violist Roger Myers, but also for the instrument itself. During this program the viola journeys from autumnal to skittish and finally to introverted—moods where its plangent tones are clearly an asset … Myers himself is an expressive soloist, playing a Guadagnini viola made in 1763, which is warmly resiny in the lower and middle registers and strong in its upper register. I actually prefer his rendition of the Shostakovich to Mendelssohn’s: Myers takes the first two movements slightly faster—highly effective in the biting scherzo—but adds a whole minute to the final movement, where he is the more searching and affecting of the two. Plus, the sound of the new recording is far superior.”
Phillip Scott, Fanfare
“The Londoners are lush in the McLean, light footed in the Schumann, and appropriately terrifying in the Shostakovich. Myers is a bold player, comfortable and deft across these varied concertos…Myers is a bold player, comfortable and deft across these varied concertos. He employs a gorgeous 1763 Guadagnini.”
Grant Chu Covell, La Folia
“McLean’s orchestration of Robert Schumann’s Marchenbilder, Op. 113, is a masterpiece. The viola part remains exactly the same as the original (it was originally written for viola), and the orchestration seems informed by Tchaikovsky and Dvorak, in all the best violin-concerto-like ways … Vladimir Mendelssohn’s transcription of the Shostakovich Viola Sonata (the “farewell” in the release’s title, because it was Shostakovich’s last piece) is for solo viola, string orchestra, and celeste. The orchestration completely transforms the piece. It becomes more intimate in the intimate sections and more strident in the strident sections … The Australian violist Roger Myers is an excellent player, and the London Symphony sounds spectacular.”
American Record Guide
“In Fantasy and Farewell, Myers performs with an infinite range of color and impeccable technique. He is accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Francis. Myers and the orchestra communicate seamlessly with each other, creating a powerful collaboration between chamber musicians rather than the stereotypical soloist battling against an orchestra … Myers’s tone sparkles [in Schumann’s Märchenbilder] as he converses with woodwinds and strings which play the roles of singing birds, dancing elves, and fluttering fairies. … Myers outdoes himself with a nuanced performance of the [Shostakovich] third movement. He plays the beginning of the movement with a sublime, veiled tone. In a cadenza about three quarters of the way through the movement, he bypasses overt showmanship in favor of subtle, restrained fury. At the end of the piece, Myers and the orchestra work beautifully together to portray a heartbeat as it gradually slows and “flatlines”. This album will make a great addition to any violist’s collection.”
The Contrapuntist
“Australian-American violist Roger Myers and his supporting team from the LSO under Michael Francis put in a worthy performance… Fantasy and Farewell is a highly worthwhile production.”
Mark Roberts, DSCH magazine
“Myers plays marvelously throughout with the LSO in the capable hands of Michael Francis…He should achieve great success with this recital.”
Limelight Magazine (Australia)
“ [in] The Shostakovich Sonata-especially given the eloquent advocacy of the present interpreters…Myers starts the piece with some perfectly balanced, swinging pizzicati and the first orchestral entry (sul ponticello) instantly conjures an appropriately eerie atmosphere. Later Myers Adapts convincingly to his role as primus inter pares…this is a reading that packs a strong punch.”
Carlos Maria Solare, The Journal of the American Viola Society
“The McLean Suite is a pleasure to listen to, full of images of freedom, love and beauty thanks to Roger Myers’ sensitive interpretation, never lacking in beauty of sound and precision. Roger plays with mastery all the way through, and is an excellent musician, technician, and musical “painter” without a doubt.”
Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot, The Journal of the Canadian Viola Society
“The McLean Suite is an intensely emotional, deeply moving, and stunningly beautiful piece, it’s a magnificent and important addition to the viola concerto literature. Violist Roger Myers, who plays the piece gorgeously, can be thrilled with the result of his commission. The Schumann orchestrations are effective, and Myers’s playing is impressive. Just listen to the tempo he takes in the third piece, Rasch , to hear what a real virtuoso on the instrument sounds like. This is a “should-buy” recommendation.”
Jerry Dubins, Fanfare