From the July/August 2002 issue of Clavier magazine:

Few recordings of the Brahms Piano Concerto # 2 in B-flat, Op. 83 compare to Sviatoslav Richter's stellar debut at Carnegie Hall 40 years ago, except perhaps his own with Erich Leinsdorf and the Chicago Symphony. Although Geza Anda, Alfred Brendel, and Friedrich Wuhrer produced noteworthy readings that moved rapidly to the top of any collector's must-have list, none quite equaled the breathtaking intensity that Richter brought to the work, that is, until now. In this privately issued recording underwritten by the University of Evansville in Indiana, Garnet Ungar, a pianist unknown in the commercial musical mainstream, delivers a performance at once powerful and precise. It is remarkable that this disc ended up on my doorstep without so much as a press release or word of explanation; perhaps it was a twist of fate. Those familiar with the music industry know that most publications only print reviews of recordings from bona fide labels. Ignoring Ungar's performance would be unjust and irresponsible. From the opening duet between horn and piano, followed by Brahms's cadenza introduction, Ungar wastes no tim'e establishing a magisterial presence. His playing is specific: each motive is shaped with an identity of its own that remains memorable for the duration of the work, giving the musical material structural integrity.  The solidity and passion of Ungar's Brahms has much in common with Richter, but it is no imitation. On the contrary, he is his own man, lending its oceanic form and fistfuls of chord progressions immediacy and intensity. Rarely has the scherzo sounded more robust and urgent, or its compulsive surges so compelling. Ungar finds every opportunity to drive the music forward without taking either motivic material or passagework for granted. Unfortunately Charles Demuynck, an enthusiastic conductor from Indiana, has his share of problems controlling the Varna Philharmonic, a Bulgarian orchestra that likely saw better days before the collapse of communism. The ensemble seems simply out of practice. The critically important horn player in the Brahms sounds out of breath in the opening bars, while the rest of the group struggles for cohesion in an otherwise spirited reading of Beethoven's Symphony # 8, the second work on the C.D. Demuynck's ideas come across well enough. His Beethoven is bold with unimpeded passions, and while the interpretation is hardly original, it is also welcome in a world where so many conductors have forgotten the buoyant spirit and good will of the music. At press time I learned that Americus Records will release this recording on its label. For more information, go to wwwamericuscd.com

-John Bell Young