William Zagorski, one of the regular critics of American magazine The Fanfare, has placed this CD in his “Top 5” list of all the CDs published worldwide in 2009.

'The cellist, Evva Mizerska, seems to me, in my dotage, a mere child. She is, however, in possession of a fine, large-scaled, and infinitely plastic sound, able to encompass the challenging demands of Krzysztof Meyer’s thoughts with ease. Her two accompanists, Emma Abbate and Katarzyna Glensk, also quite young, navigate this difficult music with both utter commitment and facility. The sound is spotlessly clean in all registers, dynamically vast, and satisfying... These are stunning performances of stunning music.'

'These three young performers play these works as if they owned them, with complete assurance and clear dedication. Evva Mizerska produces a beautiful sound, no matter what Meyer asks of her, and Emma Abbate and Katarzyna Glensk leave a similarly attractive impression never mind that the piano parts are very challenging! …This warmly yet transparently engineered CD whets one’s appetite for more.'

'The performances are excellent, and all the performers go all out to make this music really speak to us. The notes in the booklet are excellent and the recording is superb. I’ve said it before, but I shall repeat myself: Meyer is a major composer and he cannot be ignored. There are now sufficient CDs of his music available for us to be able to really discover him and his work. For me this is essential listening, and I would urge everyone who is interested in contemporary music to join me in discovering one of the most elemental and exciting composers currently at work today.'

'…great expressive range and impressive authority.'

Emma and Evva shine together

St George’s, Bristol

‘Yesterday Lunchtime Classics concert welcomed two young artistes for the first time. They were Evva Mizerska (cello) and Emma Abbate (piano) who started playing together in 2003 and have toured extensively. To celebrate the bi-centenary of the birth of both Chopin and Schumann the programme consisted of two transcriptions and two original works. Glazunov's arrangement of Etude in C Sharp Minor suited this combination with the cello presenting the main tune in this short piece. Chopin's Cello Sonata was completed near the end of his life. Both players had complete control of their respective parts in this excellent performance. Schumann's Phantasiestucke was originally written for clarinet but he also said that it would be suitable for the cello. The cellist took on the task, producing some of her own ideas in a rendition that went from nostalgic lyricism to firm resolution with excellent support from the pianist. The Polonaise Brilliante was one of Chopin's early works and there were no problems for the duo who produced a fine conclusion to this fascinating concert with some superb playing.’

‘This year the 200th and 100th anniversaries of the birth, respectively, of Frédéric Chopin and Samuel Barber are celebrated, and cello sonatas by these composers were the chief works in the recital by Evva Mizerska (cello), and Emma Abbate, (piano). The cellist’s rich and sonorous tone filled Hexham Abbey and she and her pianist partner left us in no doubt that we were listening to a genuine duo of highly accomplished performers. Shorter pieces by Polish and British composers of the present day, Krzysztof Meyer, Stephen Dodgson and Graham Coatman, sustained the essentially melodic and romantic mood. Coatman’s Fable Fantaisiste, receiving its first performance, developed the thematic possibilities of Japanese motifs in an atmospheric piece reminiscent at times of Debussy. Barber’s Cello Sonata Op.6 (1938) is full of Brahmsian gesture on a classical-romantic scale. Like Barber himself, an outstanding though conservative musician alongside more original figures like Copland and Carter, it struggles to maintain a distinctive identity. It is nevertheless engaging in its complexity of structure and detail. Chopin’s Cello Sonata in G minor Op.65 of nearly 100 years earlier, which perhaps should have concluded the programme, is a different matter. This sonata is also set out in classical form and proportions but strikes home with its confident directness. Familiar pianistic figurations remind us of how we usually remember Chopin, but such finger prints are a characteristic and integral part of the substance and originality of this music. The whole of this unashamedly romantic programme was played with warmth, breadth of expression and triumphant musicianship.’

'The collaborative works of Polish cellist Evva Mizerska and Italian pianist Emma Abbate (their début recording premièred the complete works for cello and piano of the contemporary Polish composer Krzysztof Meyer) have been received to great acclaim. An outstanding partnership, they respond superlatively to the complexity, sensitivity and power of Chopin's and Schumann's works, playing with utter commitment, complete assurance and a beautiful, spotlessly clean sound.'