Piano Journal review by Alexander Thompson.

‘The 26 year old Jordanian pianist Iyad Sughayer is no stranger to EPTA circles: In 2015 he was declared the overall winner of the EPTA UK Piano Competition. Since then he has performed extensively in concerts arranged by the International Keyboard Trust, as well as on numerous overseas tours, and has broadcast the Khachaturian Concerto on BBC Radio 3 with the BBC Philharmonic. This release is Sughayer’s recording debut, and is a fascinating, colourful and intriguingly exciting collection that encompasses nearly all of the solo piano works by Armenian’s most famous composer. Khatchaturian’s crazily energised, flamboyant and intensively manic Sonata is a ferocious beast of a bravura showstopper. Sughayer tackles its fiendishly demanding outer movements with tremendously spirited pianism. There is nothing here for him to fear, and though he takes very fast tempos his wonderfully confident pianism unfolds with a sense of ease. He makes a strong case for the work, showing its logic and inevitability. The slow movement unfolds naturally, with a great sense of authority. Elsewhere in the miniatures Sughayer is equally impressive. The Poema is delightfully colourful, poetic and touchingly expansive. The sonatina is a lighter affair, and Sughayer proves that he can enter the child-like world of this with ease. A strong debut that will bring pleasure and enjoyment on repeated hearings.’