CHICAGO TRIBUNE (Howard Reich)
"...Hauser hears the darker side of Shostakovich's message; so he opted for subdued colors, restrained tempos and scaled-down dynamics. Nevertheless, he managed to maintain interest in every bar of this expansive piece, and the way he did it was intriguing. Essentially, Hauser has the ability to underscore the significance of both small gestures and large ones. He turns every phrase for maximum melodic effect, but at the same time he takes great pains to emphasize the overall architecture of a work. Thus, he communicates to the listener via carefully chiseled melodic contours yet makes it quite clear where he is going with the piece as a whole. To Hauser, forward motion is crucial, and that is why he can make a performance interesting regardless of how introverted his interpretation happens to be."
"...Hauser hears the darker side of Shostakovich's message; so he opted for subdued colors, restrained tempos and scaled-down dynamics. Nevertheless, he managed to maintain interest in every bar of this expansive piece, and the way he did it was intriguing. Essentially, Hauser has the ability to underscore the significance of both small gestures and large ones. He turns every phrase for maximum melodic effect, but at the same time he takes great pains to emphasize the overall architecture of a work. Thus, he communicates to the listener via carefully chiseled melodic contours yet makes it quite clear where he is going with the piece as a whole. To Hauser, forward motion is crucial, and that is why he can make a performance interesting regardless of how introverted his interpretation happens to be."