Reviews

A cleverly arranged chamber program. Excellent musicians, outstanding sound quality. A valuable publication.

This new release honors the significance of Deller and the com­posers he inspired in the resurgence of the countertenor in the later 20th Century. What is more significant about this new release is its inclusion of otherwise unrecord­ed modern compositions for countertenor. In these selections, the music and the performances are much more engaging.

Very interesting collection of dissimilar pieces

Notwithstanding its immediacy and charisma, the highly approachable nature of Garth’s keyboard writing rendered [the Sonatas] within reach of those possessing only a relatively modest technique. A highly refined, elegant mode of writing holding considerable appeal. Cooper is joined by violinists Pavlo Beznosiuk and Caroline Balding, and cellist Robin Michael, superbly disciplined musicians whose presence is invariably sensed rather than heard… shapely and stylishly captivating playing. It is not just the adventurous speeds which contribute to the zesty effect in these performances but the intuitive and perfectly aligned nuances and points of emphasis with which the ensemble is able to operate so consistently. The recording is excellent, as it needs to be, in order to do justice to the top-drawer musicianship on display from these fine players.

The Avison Ensemble performs these two sonata sets with considerable attention to Garth’s clear phrasing. Their tempos are flexible enough to allow his tunes to stand out, and they have an outstanding sense of ensemble… In short, this is fine music with an excellent performance.

There is much variety in the sonatas with Garth’s memorable themes a particularly attractive feature. . The playing of Gary Cooper and the Avison Ensemble has so much verve and life in sonatas that are full of fine tunes that stick in the mind long after listening to them. This is a highly desirable issue that will give endless enjoyment.

It was not hard at all to listen to these sonatas at a stretch. This is delightful music, very well written and with plenty of good themes. There is never a dull moment here, and that is also due to the interpreters [who] deliver energetic and differentiated performances. This has resulted in a highly entertaining set of discs.

Garth’s works possess a combination of intensity of expression coupled with compositional proficiency … that makes them enjoyable and worthwhile as concert pieces. The performance of the sonatas by the Avison Ensemble is vivid and committed. Garth emerges from this recording as a thoroughly good composer whose music would merit publication in commercial editions.

These are pleasant works, easy to grip (the minuet movements are especially intriguing) which highlight a composer fascinated by contemporary Italian instrumental style. The interpretation by the Avison Ensemble (one of the most interesting of British ensembles playing baroque music) and harpsichordist Gary Cooper makes the most of these works and highlights Garth’s skillful and versatile compositional technique.

The strings are beautifully played by Pavlo Beznosiuk and Caroline Balding. Cooper varies the sonic palette nicely by alternating between harpsichord, fortepiano, and chamber. Garth’s music is charming. The recording has a bright, clean sound.

Well done, Divine Art for a welcome set of works by John Garth. The sonatas on these CDs are beautifully played with excellent sound and have a vigour that prevents them from being dull and predictable. They have an elegance and gracefulness. All the performers are exemplary and Gary Cooper has done much to encourage us with early music, a genre which many foolishly dismiss. All I can do is recommend this handsome set. I do urge you to purchase.

There is a period flavored freshness and vivacity to these works, as nicely performed by the Avison Ensemble with Gary Cooper. The individual tang of early pianoforte instruments, harpsichord and organ help individualize each sonata and give it character. The ensemble plays these pieces with enthusiasm, an infectious sort. I found myself listening with pleasure each time. I suspect anyone with an interest and appreciation for the earlier forms will feel positively about the program and its performance. Good show!

If any band was capable of convincing me [of the musical worth of the works], it would be superb British early music outfit The Avison Ensemble, whose recordings not only of their namesake’s music but that of Vivaldi, Handel and Corelli are renowned for a refined gutsiness that is quite unique. The change in timbre from harpsichord to fortepiano to organ is both effective and welcome, while the string playing is as finely differentiated and engaging as Cooper’s sparkling keyboard work

The only other recording of the music of Durham composer John Garth, comprising six cello concertos, also comes from Divine Art and received a warm welcome from me some time ago.  If anything the music [here] is even more interesting than on its predecessor and the performances are just as fine as on the earlier set.  The mp3 transfer is clear and immediate and the pdf booklet comes as part of the deal.

This is true piano music. [The Piano Sonata] is the longest piece and the one which is most intriguingly original. A truly extraordinary Op. 1 which deserves regular hearings and public airings. {among the other works are] evocative and beautifully crafted piano miniatures … each is a finely polished gem. The Prelude and Fugue is searching and dramatic. James Willshire’s performances are faultless both musically and emotionally. I can only strongly advise that you buy this disc and enjoy for yourself a new and individual voice in British piano music.

Jennings’ music is refreshingly straightforward and communicative … any lover of tonal modern piano music will find much to enjoy in these 78 minutes.

David Jennings is a composer who is beholden to no-one in spite of a number of trajectories in his musical language. His is serious, well-structured music that I can do business with. More to the point, many of these pieces are not only impressive, but are interesting, satisfying and often moving. No listener or composer could wish for more. I loved [the] Sonata. It is surely one of the best examples to have come from the pen of a British composer for many years. This is a beautifully produced CD in every manner. The sound quality is outstanding, with each nuance of the music being clear. The programme is considerable in both scale and concept: the ‘complete piano works’ lasting over 78 minutes. The interpretation of these pieces by James Willshire is everything that could be wished. This is a CD of piano music that is inspiring and challenging. RECORDING OF THE YEAR 2013

The young pianist James Willshire plays all these pieces with warmth and an emphasis on the melodic line. David Jennings’s music is not flashy or ostentatious, but it is melodic, open hearted, and well made.

The composer reveals himself to be admirably equipped in writing for the piano and James Willshire seems an ideal interpreter.

Crossland’s Moonlight Sonata enjoys a weighty lyricism without undue distortion of the musical line. [The Bach-Busoni Chorale Preludes] sing gloriously and fleetly over bass tones to emphasise their cantabile, stately and devotional directness of expression. Recording engineer Mike Hatch has provided a balanced resonance between the salon and the concert-hall.”,25111,Audiophile Audition,Gary Lemco
4701,International Record Review – Mark Tanner – 25111,international-record-review-25111-mark-tanner,With [the two Mozart] works she succeeds in giving the recording an immediate sense of purpose. [In the Beethoven] Crossland grapples boldly with the music’s continual tension and release which certainly brings a good deal of zeal and excitement to her interpretations.”