Reviews

[Crosse’s ] Viola Concerto, an immensely likeable 22-minute offering of striking substance… reveal a discerning and imaginative voice. [Manduell’s] Flutes Concerto proves a notable discovery.. just as impressive is the Double Concerto. Enterprising release … well worth hunting down.

The [Crosse] Viola Concerto is impressive and significant… I believe that this is one of the most important viola concertos in the catalogue. If I was seriously impressed by the [Manduell] Flutes Concerto, then the Double Concerto ‘took my breath away’. Manduell has created a diaphanous sound-world that is strikingly beautiful as well as being musically interesting. The performance of all five pieces on this CD is splendid. These are demanding works that are not in the standard repertoire, yet the soloists and the Manchester Sinfonia make them sound second nature. The CD sound quality is ideal and reflects the typically intimate nature of these works.

[The Crosse Viola Concerto] … a short but potent work. The whole work is magically scored. John Manduell’s Flutes Concerto…is a masterly example of Manduell’s style. This seems to me to be an important work, original in concept and execution. Manduell’s exciting Double Concerto …is the most exuberant of the works on this disc, lively in rhythm and strong in melody. It shows Manduell’s lighter side and certainly should appeal to small ensembles.

A fine recording from Metier of works by Gordon Crosse and John Manduell, giving further proof of the number of fine composers Britain has… some glorious music with distinctive textures and colours. The Manchester Sinfonia under Timothy Reynish gives wonderful performances throughout and the recordings made at St Thomas’ Church, Stockport, England are excellent.

The Crosse works are in the best English pastoral tradition and yet speak with a fresh, vital and totally individual voice. The Manduell works are in many ways no less lyrical than the Crosse; one of the most striking features of the two works on this CD is the ear for orchestral colour … immediately striking effects that grab the ear. The performances throughout are uniformly excellent. We should be grateful to Metier for bringing these unjustly neglected works to our attention.

This is a very rewarding pair of discs featuring music that, whilst certainly contemporary in nature, is immediately accessible and of genuine appeal – another significant release from Metier.

This is an outstanding CD… the recording is wonderfully well balanced between the soloists and the Manchester Sinfonia. It is exciting to hear such vibrancy and clarity in every track, and the pieces by Sir John Manduell and Gordon Crosse complement each other brilliantly. Throughout the disc, [the] quality of musicality both in performance and composition is exquisitely balanced. [In Manduell’s Flutes Concerto] Michael Cox handles every musical and artistic demand with complete command.

I’ve been blown away by the poetry in [Crosse’s] Brief Encounter. The Concerto for viola and strings is a feast for the ears. Manduell gets fascinating sounds from the whole ensemble. The musicians play very well and the sound is good.

Four world premieres on this worthy recording—two by Americans, one by a Swiss, and one American orchestration of a Percy Grainger fantasy. The Moores Symphony sounds terrific – lively and youthful, but also solid and round­ed. The recording is full-bodied, as illustrated by the big bass drum in the finale.

Appealing music … . The playing level is high, the engagement strong: one can not require more.

The results [conductor Krager] obtains from his young people are remarkable, and serve all of these pieces very well. Highly recommended to anyone interested in new repertory.

This is a CD that you can play many times and appreciate in different ways each time. The artwork is eye-catching and distinctive; well done.

This interesting CD from US label Métier shows how varied the levels in the field of neotonal music are today. [Peter Lieuwen] writes wonderfully inspired, really good music that is modern in the best sense… One can hardly resist this Grainger composition. It is simply enchanting, if it does perhaps not constitute “great music” in the strict sense. But it counts on the other hand also as the best “light” music that I can imagine. In short, this album is a half-magnificent affair, but the half that can be called “magnificent” is so great that I actually can only recommend buying the CD. And from Moores Symphony Orchestra I’d like to hear more soon. This is a really great ensemble!

I have become more enthusiastic about this release as I have lived with it. There is no question of the skill of these artists, or of the other performers who participate in this recording. They all deal with the often significant performance complexities with admirable virtuosity. The recording quality itself, and the presentation, including extensive notes and biographies of all participants, are exemplary.

The playing of these ‘new’ works on this present CD is remarkable, and displays considerable imagination and virtuosity. I enjoyed this record of what I take to be premiere recordings. Each work is characterised by approachability, interest and a deep sense of musicality. One of the best modern chamber music records I have heard in a long time.

Works as memorable as they are thoroughly of our times, modern-postmodern, tonal, dramatic and evocative, alive with rhythmic vitality such that one could well imagine dancing to parts of them. Each of the four works has a gem-like brilliance that shines forth. It is a wonderful recital by a trio that breathes together as one, playing music that has both charm and musical significance. It is an exemplary disk. Bravo!

From first note to last in this wholly unexpected but consistently enthralling surprise, [The Fidelio Trio] do themselves, the gifted composers, and the Old Sod very proud.

These players deliver the most impressive performances of these fine works. The recording is excellent and there are informative booklet notes. This is an attractive release that brings some impressive contemporary piano trios.

This is a terrific disc, and the fact that the composers are all well established means that we have four very different but very mature talents responding to the challenge of writing for the tricky but rewarding combination of piano, violin and cello. The Fidelio Trio are to be commended for their commissioning policy, and the performances they gave on this disc are full of vibrant energy and sympathy with the music.

These recordings of piano trios by Irish composers are a wonderful surprise: New music from Ireland, which is enjoyable and perfectly interpreted. It is inconsequential to assign this music to genres – composition styles are too different. This is exactly what is appealing when listening to this music. It contains everything, beginning with a reminiscence of Bartók or the impressionists, all the way to hidden or even quite explicit elements of Jazz, the Tango and of course Irish folk music. They are not eclectic emulations, but independent, clever ideas which develop based on traditional styles. Kudos to the musicians of the Fidelio Trio. Their playing is confident, they explore the sound canvas of their instruments, and are technically assured, while the violinist Darragh Morgan also masters the style of an Irish fiddler. The recording is very balanced, every instrument appears present, never does the piano drown out the string instruments. Interpretation 4/5; sound 4/5; repertoire 5/5; booklet 4/5