“… This CD presents two musicians in different roles from the ones in which we are most accustomed to them. Michael Collins shows that he is an able conductor in addition to a commanding clarinetist; and, Michael McHale … is given a solo turn here. McHale is impressive in the flashy Burleske, and Collins proves a responsive accompanist. As for his playing here, Collins, particularly Duett-Concertino, is the best I’ve heard him, with great fluency, spot-on intontation, and a more pleasing liquid sound than I’ve come to expect from him. Bassoonist Julie Price … matches him phrase for phrase. In the Violin Concerto, Tasmin Little has all the necessary technique … this is a well-played and enjoyable collection, ideal for those who want a survey of Strauss’s concerted music. Recommended.”

“…I greatly enjoy this disc and have played it repeatedly … I therefore heartily recommend this disc to anyone seeking a recording of the concertante works of Richard Strauss. The solo performances are very good and more than matched by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Michael Collins’ control of the orchestra is masterly as he drives on the performances, especially in the Romanze where he acts as both soloist and conductor …”

Performance ****      Recording ****

“… it [Duett-Concertino] makes an outstandingly well-contrasted sequel to the early Burleske for piano and orchestra. Which also does us a service in spotlighting Belfast-born soloist Michael McHale, virtuoso in the best sense of making true expression out of his flights and fancies. Michael Collins as conductor gives the cue for diving headlong into the young Strauss’s individual homage to the wittier side of his musical god at the time, Brahms. As clarinettist, Collins sings mellifluously with BBCSO principal Julie Price in the Duett-Concertino…”

“… The Duett-Concertino, Strauss’s final work in the genre, also receives a lovely performance. Both Collins and the bassoonist Julie Price offer characterful performances in this warm and nostalgic piece from the composer’s old age, with its echoes of the operas Capriccio and Daphne, and the string-playing is attractively crisp and expressive. All four works are superbly recorded.”