Reviews

It’s rare to come across a recording, or indeed a live concert, where one thinks “yes, that is how it should be played!”, but this was my reaction on listening to Tom Hicks’ new recording of Chopin’s Nocturnes. I cannot fault this performance; it is wonderful in so many ways. Highly recommended.

Tom Hicks’ fascinating decision-making…shows just how expressive the pieces can be…an auditory environment that becomes deeper and more welcoming every time it is experienced. 

This is a disc to cherish, a mix of the well-known and the “why haven’t I heard his before?”. Rayo and Grünberg have chosen their repertoire carefully, and lavish love, experience and wisdom upon it. Rayo is a star…Grünberg is the perfect collaborative pianist. Superb.

Rayo is a first-rate exponent of this material—to my knowledge, there hasn’t been a Spanish song recital of this caliber in a long time.

…full of texture, nuance, and depth

If the vocals lean towards crystalline, Durran’s piano is sensitive and gentle…it’s a stimulating listen.

Despite the composer’s sometimes prickly and curmudgeonly personality, this is music that is nothing short of delightful. this unknown music should take its place proudly alongside the many masterpieces produced by Malcom Williamson. My usual high recommendation…

The string quartets are magnificent….Sheppard Skaerved has dedicated his life to the violin music of our time, inspiring, I imagine, a whole new repertoire, and this is one of the finest fruits of his activity. A valuable, and astonishing, release; documentation of contemporary music as important as this is vital.

A superb introduction, in fine recorded sound, to the music of Seán Doherty. Performances are utterly faultless throughout.

There is a hypnotic beauty to much of Hakim’s music on this collection. His blending of religious inspiration, rhythmic vitality, melodic inspiration, and imagination all add up to a deeply engaging experience. Gwendeline Lumaret…plays with impeccable intonation, a varied and colorful sound, and a consistent sense of drama.

This is some of the finest choral writing from a living composer I have heard in years. This is powerful, varied music, a masterclass in how to set poetry, heard in the strongest possible performances.

The Choir of the Church of the Advent, Boston, and pianist Chengcheng Ma, led by conductor Mark Dwyer, perform the Lister works in exemplary fashion, with clear diction and a lovely, exquisitely blended sonority. Recommended.

The performances by the Choir of the Church of the Advent in Boston, conducted by Mark Dwyer, are technically impeccable and do full justice to Lister’s inspirations. Mention should also be made of the accompanist, Chengcheng Ma, who shapes, bends, and phrases the music impeccably while fulfilling his duty to support the chorus. Each piece is moving in its own way, and together they make up a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Warmly and engagingly recommended.

sensitive, warm performances by cellist Catherine Wilmers and pianist Jill Morton…make this an attractive release.

The performances are strong, the recorded sound is natural, the program notes are helpful. There is not a single work that I was not glad to encounter, and I will return in the future…

Honma is an excellent pianist…her scrupulous interpretation…makes each listening experience…unique

…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.