“A brilliant, assertive sound, suffused with a particularly Russian sense of drama.”

— New York Times

 

“Nothing short of stupendous.”

— Denver Post 

 

“...an awe-inspiring experience. Should human beings be able to play like this?”

— Gramophone

 

“I saw the greatest orchestra in the world play Friday night. If you think that's hyperbole, ask anyone who was in Yardley Hall that night. The Russian National Orchestra is the Rolls-Royce of orchestras, no ordinary ensemble.”

— The Kansas City Star

 

“The Russian National Orchestra's performances [are] as close to perfect as one could hope for.”

— Trinity Mirror, England

 

“Everything is exquisitely played by the Russian National Orchestra, whose refinement has opened a new chapter in Russian orchestral playing.”

— Gramophone

 

“They played with such captivating beauty that the audience let out an involuntary sigh of pleasure at the end.”

— Evening Standard, London

 

“In a modern classical world, rife with reports of under-funded and dying ensembles, curtailed schedules and shrinking audiences, the foundation and continued growth of [the Russian National Orchestra] seems not only miraculous; it just may be the most important cultural story of our time.”

— International Piano

 

“The RNO played with a power, beauty and finesse currently unmatched by any other Moscow orchestra.”

— The Moscow Times

 

“[The RNO] may not bask in governmental approval at home, but in the eyes of the world they're the tops.”

— The Independent, London

 

“[The RNO is] easily the greatest Russian orchestra of today.”

— The Journal, Newcastle

 

“The Russian National Orchestra...has become a living symbol of the best in Russian art.”

— The Miami Herald

 

 “Each section of the RNO is vigorous, confident, wonderful.”

— Mainichi, Tokyo

 

“[The] Russian National Orchestra has to count as a major miracle.”

— Time Out New York

 

“Classical music [has the] singular power to transform, unite and liberate. There is perhaps no orchestra in the world that personifies those ideals like the RNO.”

— Palm Beach Illustrated

 

“Like everything else about how Pletnev runs this orchestra, he takes nothing for granted... And also like everything else about this remarkable organization, he makes it seem not just new but newly worthwhile.”

— Los Angeles Times 

 

“Pletnev evokes music with the RNO which satisfies the appetite and leaves you breathless.”

— Kölnische Rundschau, Köln

 

 “...superbly disciplined, faultlessly played and breathtakingly beautiful.”

— Classic CD

 

“It takes a pretty special Pathétique to make a London concert critic sit up these days, but special is the word here... There's poetry, subtlety, mood-painting that is rich but never over-ripe and - yes - dignity. The revelations don't stop there. No one should be surprised to hear that a Russian orchestra can be soul-searching, but the tonal sophistication and superbly judged balance are something new.”

— Observer, London