It is seldom that recordings convey such a sense of lost beauty recovered as these in the Music of Chopin's Time series. Though rare, both these Piano Concertos have been previously recorded, yet in the hands of Howard Shelley and the Sinfonia Varsovia they yield up fresh secrets and reveal a delicate musical landscape as never before.

Shelley's uncanny ability to elevate good second-rate music to the level of minor masterpiece has been well documented...Few other pianists are as well equipped to deliver the virtuoso and lyrical in equally persuasive measure - his phrase-shaping and grading of dynamics...are outstanding - but to do so while conducting from the keyboard is another thing altogether. The audience applause at the end of each concerto was never more richly deserved.

Lessel's melodic gift [is] apparent from the very start...It's a splendid piece, with a particularly good slow movement at its heart...Shelley's solo playing is superb and he draws an animated response from the orchestra....Dobrzynski's concerto is a startling and exciting discovery for anyone with a serious interest in the origins of Chopin's style, and it's hard to imagine a more convincing and committed performance