…one of the best song recitals in recent memory, as enjoyable as it is revelatory.

Pianist Richard Shaw…is…superb. Gerard McChrystal makes his saxophones chirrup, twitter or sing smoothly…Together, the two performers bring both the birds and their backgrounds in the African veldt brilliantly to life.

This impressive debut recording…create[s] a compelling album which demonstrates how music evolves and how works from different times and styles can interact and inspire new ideas. Hao plays…with a mixture of bravura and intensity of expression…fascinating and absorbing…

Because They Have Songs is not merely a catalogue of avian caricature, nor a travelogue in sound . It is a deeply personal meditation on the act of listening, of translating transitory encounters with the wild into lasting musical form. Cowie’s approach invites us to hear not just birdsong, but the emotional resonance of place, memory and artistic response. Whether taken in full flight or savoured movement by movement, this cycle rewards the curious ear and the imaginative soul. Like the birds themselves, it sings because it must – because it has songs.

This new CD features Lofstrom’s vocal music, beginning with three attractive scenes from his opera Two Soldiers…The rest of the album is a recital by the very capable and expressive American-born baritone Ryan De Ryke, accompanied ably by Daniel Schlosberg at the piano…intriguing album…

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.