Reviews

There is a conviction and enthusiasm in his playing that holds your attention and promotes the idiom as well as anyone else can. Anyone who has an interest in the avant-garde will find reward in the playing and selections here.

A display of excellent technical virtuosity of which Craig derives to be proud… thoroughly gripping and exciting to listen to. Richard Craig is a master of contemporary techniques for his instrument. He approaches the avant-garde with an obvious technical control and clear musical understanding and the music is well communicated. The disc has much to offer in terms of both its repertoire and quality, and there is a pleasing consistency of standards throughout.

Remarkable playing, remarkable possession of the music by the performer through a wide range of style and situations. This is a record full of fluting life

Astonishing virtuosity… all of the music on the disc is ferociously original. An album that fully engages the listener… [an] important and essential release.

Commanding and often beautiful authority. The first essential new music CD of 2011?

Meticulously organized instrumental and chamber pieces… superb anthology… Lumsdaine snatches empiric sound sources from an open-ended world of possibilities. These performances prove deeply sensitive to Lumsdaine’s needs, with a special nod going to pianist Peter Lawson. A lesson in musical possibility and artistic skill from a composer of rare sonic vision.

An unusual but rewarding feature… is the five Australian Soundcapes. All the perfomers enter Lumsdaine’s musical world with skill and enthusiasm, and perform a representative programme of his music with which any composer would be delighted. We can enjoy exploring the works of one of Australia’s most creative and individual musicians.

This double CD has … seen the light of day and, like a rare flower, at last blossomed into being. Every note is perfectly placed and none wasted … all the participants interpret this music with consummate skill and devotion to detail.

Lumsdaine is a master of scale. Most of these pieces are aphoristic miniatures.. [they] encompass complete musical universes in their tiny durations. The longer pieces are hypnotic. In them one loses all sense of time and comes away with a feeling of time well spent. This is music of profound stillness despite its often disjunct, almost Webernesque intervals. Soprano Lesley-Jane Rogers is unflappable in the face of this music’s demands…accuracy of pitch, tone production and excellent diction. Recorder virtuoso John Turner becomes a cosmic bird, pianist Peter Lawson comfortably navigates the daunting demands of Cambewarra. The recorded sound is first-rate by today’s standards

The [Soundscapes] are vivid and intense and they do create an atmosphere.. the music, often freely tonal, often quite abstract… captures [Lumsdaine’s] intertwined passions for music and nature.

These discs sum up Australia and its culture superbly well. Lesley-Jane Rogers is an absolute delight. Peter Lawson is quite brilliant and utterly convincing… John Turner’s magical playing… vivid and exciting performance. Excellent booklet… a composer with much that is original to say.

John Turner continues to impress… Deserving of particular note is the double-disc set White Dawn… thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully engineered.

This is challenging music for the listener… but not without its rewards. The sound recording is excellent, though the cellist’s breathing is rather audible in Blue on Blue. The booklet is glossy and informative, with biographies, poem texts and interesting and well-written notes by [Anthony] Gilbert. More than a full CD’s worth of [Lumsdaine’s] works here that any lover of contemporary music should be familiar with.

The main attraction… is the admirable String Quartet by John Veale. The music of Robert Crawford… is a bit more angular and forward looking in its layout which serves as a good foil to Veale’s more traditional views. The three works on the CD well exploit the chamber music idiom. The Adderbury Ensemble, John Turner and Linda Merrick all come across with conviction… their emotional perceptions serve the music very well. Metier… has done us a fine service.

Likeable harmonic language… a pleasing modern mix of tonality and atonality. The playing of John Turner and Linda Merrick is admirable, but the beautifully prepared performances from the Adderbury Ensemble are most impressive.

John Veale left for us a wealth of fine music that deserves greater exposure. String Quartet [is] and energetic and yet lyrical, imaginative work. [Crawford’s] Two Part Inventions for recorder and clarinet… an unexpected combination that is well managed

These two composers make fascinating and well-contrasted bedfellows. The indomitable John Turner is more than aided by the Adderbury Ensemble… graced by the lyrical and silky tone of Linda Merrick. Superb and understanding performance … fascinating and enterprising disc.

The transfers from 78s are exemplary… over –correction has been avoided… the use of period recordings brings us nearer to the strange world of Philip Heseltine. The accompanying booklet is a mine of information. In all this is a fitting memorial to Peter Warlock. These transfers have obviously been made with exceptional care and this is an important historical release.

Pride of place goes to the 1950 version of The Curlew. René Soames.. shows himself to be an outstanding interpreter. Overall I give this set a four-star review. Seldom has Warlock’s very personal sound-world been so well served on record. Generally, very well done and an important set for musicologists as well as collectors.

All Warlockians and Delians should have an interest in these great rarities… this compilation is a treasure trove of very rare recordings.