ECCO

The musicians in ECCO should be applauded for such a wonderfully committed and passionate recording. Every note is invested and phrase sings. What a wonderful way to start out 2012, I'll be listening to this recording quite a bit.

This album is awesome! The members of ECCO are able to create some really special sounds. From the extremely inventive La Follia variations to the beautiful Tchaikovsky Serenade they have such intelligent and bold approaches to this music! The Shostakovitch Chamber Symphony is usually overshadowed by its original quartet version due to tempo problems with a larger ensemble, but this group has none of those problems! The tempos are exactly what Shostakovitch demands from the performers. You can hear the virtuosity of each member of this ensemble within every second of this album. The fact that they are conductor-less only credits more to their absolute cohesion as a group and absolute mastery of the works they are performing. BUY!

This group is just amazing. They're all young classical musicians who have busy careers outside ECCO, but got together to play just for the love of music. There is no conductor, and they rotate positions so everyone has equal chance to shine. Their immense talent and collaborative spirit is so evident here, just as when I've heard them in live concerts. It's the best classical recording I've heard in a very long time, and I really can't wait for their next one!