Today’s foremost champion of her compatriot George Enescu (1881-1955) begins with three of his early works, new to CD but entirely derivative and, I would suggest, forgettable despite the coda of the third piece reproducing, we learn, ‘Enescu’s ad hoc interpretation from the 1950 interview for Radio France’ – one for Enescu completists. There follow fine performances of Gaspard and La valse (Ravel was a friend of Enescu), the former notable more for its high drama and textual clarity than for its fantasy and colouring (Argerich, say, and Pogorelich). The highlight for this reviewer comes next: the Five Bagatelles (1934) by Marcel Mihalovici (1898-1985), a fellow Romanian whom Enescu advised to move to Paris in 1919. Technically undemanding, these unpretentious little poems are quite delightful, the final ‘Nocturne’ clearly alluding to Satie’s Gymnopédies. They are dedicated to Mihalovici’s wife, Monique Haas (...)

I would have left it there but the endearingly unpredictable Borac leaves Enescu for a second well-filled CD with both books of Debussy’s Études followed by Schumann’s Piano Concerto. By no means are either of these mere also-rans but vivid and compelling readings that belie their studio origins. If some of the Études are a little heavy-handed compared with, say, Gieseking or Uchida, the Concerto is a joy from beginning to end, tender and exuberant in equal measure (...) Borac concludes with ‘Ahnung’ (1'52"), an album leaf presented by Clara Schumann to a friend, only unearthed in 2009 (the CD tells us that it was originally part of Kinderszenen), its world premiere in September 2009 given by this ever-resourceful and imaginative pianist.

"For the past few years, I've been following the recordings of pianist Luiza Borac, both for their repertoire and artistry.  It was clear from her previous recordings that she may well be a major artist of consequence.  Her Chopin Etudes showed that she had all the virtuoso chops you could want along with something strong and individual to say about the music.  I think she has become best known in the States, however, for her Enescu recordings, which have raised his piano pieces from curiosities to music one needs to know.  As brilliant as her recordings have been, there has been the danger that she might be typed, save for the Chopin and a Schubert Wanderer impossible to find stateside, as someone whose value will be filling in gaps in the repertoire rather than the full blown artist she is.  Her latest CD, "Inspirations and Dreams" for Profil takes care of that, and I think establishes her as someone you must hear.  It opens with her beloved Enescu, but then goes strength to strength in Ravel, including La Valse, and the Debussy Etudes.  This is territory well trod by by all the names you know, but she brings her own views and strengths to this music, and at every turn I was hearing Ravel and Debussy in a new way.  The thing that has me looking forward to Borac's recordings, especially when I'm on the road, is there is always a sense of communication.  It isn't that she imposes structures on pieces that aren't there, but you are well aware of being in her presence, as if this is not just a performance but as if she needs to tell you something about the music that is personal to her and to you as you hear it.  If I could compare that sense to anything it would be what it is like when someone reads a passage from a book or a poem that is especially meaningful to them in the hopes that it affects you as it has them.  She has all the virtuoso tools, as is obvious in Enescu's own transcription of his First Romanian Rhapsody, but they are always in the service of imparting something to the listener.  As it would hardly be a Borac recording without something you have never heard before, she adds five Bagatelles by Marcel Mihalovici, a composer I have barely known for one orchestral piece, his Tragic Overture.  It is well worth knowing, and I can't imagine him having a better champion.  Finally, along with an encore of sorts of Schumann's Ahnung, there is t he surprising edition of the Schumann Piano Concerto.  It seems out of place , except that it is necessary for us to understand Borac's range.  Other than You Tube clips I have not heard her in a major masterwork concerto, and even if the thought was to add this as a calling card for symphony bookers, it isn't long into the a minor concerto before you are glad to add this to your collection of performances by better known pianists.  This is a totally winning collection by a pianist you should know, because of the pleasure and artistry they bring. A final note: on the back of the CD, among the causes she is connected to, is a logo for End Polio Now.  OK, as a polio pioneer  [I was one of the 3 year olds they tested the vaccine on] I may be more emotionally and intellectually invested in that cause than most, but it is evidence that the heart I hear in these performances is not just a matter of interpretation, but is at the core of the artist herself."

Gil Gross, Radio personality USA