Mark Buller ponders a host of moral issues in these works performed by the sterling choral ensemble Conspirare. Conspirare, led by founding Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson, respond to all of Buller’s emotional gestures with utmost cohesion and flexibility, and the soloists – basses Michael Hawes and Simon Barrad and soprano Emily Yocum Black – are first-rate.

Haitham Haidar is a Lebanese-Palestinian-Canadian tenor with a memorably warm tone…a gripping communicator and charismatic musician. This touching and sensitive debut album presents a beautifully conceived programme. The resulting sound world is beautiful. This performance will stay with me for a long time…

…monumental piano release…Ian Pace is a leading interpreter of Finnissy’s work.

The narrative is always front and center in Woodhall’s concept, with textual clarity a priority, both for solo and choral writing. The choral group Cantores Lucis handles their multiple roles with distinction, offering a lovely, blended ensemble, crisp diction, and rhythmic verve…beautifully performed. Recommended.

Listening to these 14 tracks, I feel he’s onto something important. His voice has an unmannered directness which goes straight to the heart, whether it’s in Monteverdi’s ‘Nigra sum’ or in the sweet simplicity of a paean to Jesus commonly sung in Arab churches on Good Friday. And with four top-flight instrumentalists led by Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, two very different musical worlds become a serene, seamless single one. – (5 Stars and Vocal Choice for October 2025)

Conspirare carries this appealing interpretation above all with their exquisitely balanced sound, which brings the necessary emotionality and intimacy to the works.

All sorts of music by Lance Hulme…complex..abstract, contemplative…lively, dissonant. Fine playing by all.

Burkard Schliessmann’s invitation to encounter the core of Schumann presents performances that enrich the soul in a recording that is surely unparalleled.

a deeply original and uncompromising voice in contemporary composition. It not only pushes boundaries but also trusts the performer’s interpretative vision… a masterpiece of the 21st century for solo flute