Following the delightful, unpretentious Op. 19 children's pieces, Schäfer plays Korngold's Tales of Strauss, a potboiler of Strauss-family melodies that proves surprsingly uninteresting in the context of like-minded Strauss concoctions by Rosenthal, Friedman, Tausig, Grunfeld, and others of that ilk. Without taking anything away from Martin Jones' excellent performance on Nimbus, Schäfer's more indulgent, volatile temperament takes top honors. Just compare his impassioned dive into the introductory measures leading into the Blue Danube with Jones' relatively sober approach, and you'll hear for yourself. Profil's sonics may not match Chandos or Etcetera for close-up warmth and richness, but they certainly do Schäfer's terrific pianism justice.

--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com