Reviews

The ornamentation…sounds both natural and beautiful… an aural feast. Magical. EDITOR’S CHOIRE CD OCTOBER 2009

Could be habit forming, but it’s an addiction that is entirely beneficial. The contents of ‘Sacred Hearts and Secret Music’ are sung with an unpretentious artistry that allows the music to make maximum impact on the listener. it is a most notable addition to the recorded canon of sacred music

Ethereally beautiful, haunting music, performed with grace and sincerity

The effect [in the Mass] is light, lovely, beautifully rendered by six women on the four vocal parts… the most interesting chant is the sequence for St. Agnes. Altogether, this is an offbeat program of considerable interest, not exactly comparable to competitive versions of the music.

’Excellent ensemble…. the CD wins out through pure sound, fervour and refreshing simplicity

It is lovely to hear so many monodic settings for the Feast of St. Agnes, who serves as an inspiration for nuns; their chants vary from simple plainsong to more elaborate settings… Musica Secreta’s performance of Palestrina’s Mass Veni Sponsa Christi… is equally beautiful. The Palestrina settings on this CD are very effective and Musica Secreta amply demonstrates that this music can be performed by women alone.

Compelling album of music…irresistible, and thanks to the honest-to-goodness sound of the recording and unaffected music-making, mercifully free from artificial additives. Strongly recommended (5 stars)

Sensitively imagined and vividly realized interpretations… remarkably delicate but with a kind of muscular dignity that is extremely moving

The music is interesting, beautifully sung and well recommended

This recording will appeal to different people for one or more of a variety of reasons; if you sit back and listen to some beautiful singing, the {Palestrina Mass] certainly makes the recording very worthwhile. De Rore’s Magnificat too receives an attractive performance. The beautiful performances of the Holy Saturday Lamentations..life-enhancing music, designed to lift the soul. The recording is very good, with great clarity… the presentation is attractive… the notes are informative. This new recording is a worthy addition to Musica Secreta’s discography and to the catalogue in general.

The world of musicology has long been aware that there were nuns who sang sacred polyphony written for men in ingenious re-arrangements. Barely explored on disc, it was time someone gave it a serious go, and there is surely no ensemble better equipped intellectually to unlock this cloistered performance practice that Musica Secreta. Their versions […]

Made quite an impact to listeners [of the BBC Radio 4 serialisation of the Sacred Hearts novel]… and immensely relaxing experience from a highly professional group

This version for solo piano is as authoritative as any other presentation; engrossing it is, played with fervour and intelligence… the whole account bristles with intellectual life.

His transcription is not merely evidence of a familiarity with the Mahlerian idiom; it is infused with a profound understanding of the importance of this work in the larger context of Mahler’s symphonic journey. Highly recommended.

Mr Goldstone proves himself a fine arranger… in an amply filled disc, Goldstone delivers up some remarkably clean and virtuosic playing. Production quality of the first order. Interesting and thorough program notes along with excellent sound quality make for an outstanding presentation.

A generous and very varied selection of music… [Goldstone’s arrangements] are made with great skill and understanding. Any dance studio [would] be delighted to have a pianist of half this skill. Essentially an enjoyable recital… it would be hard to be bored by it or finish listening to it other than in a cheerful mood.

A series of inventive arrangements… sparkling instrumental fare from one of Britain’s most respected classical pianists

Goldstone revels in these transcriptions and his playing can only be admired, He has a wonderful ability to get to the heart of the music. He is a communicator of the highest order. It is a very pleasurable CD, deserves to find friends, shows us how gifted and dedicated a pianist Goldstone is and we admire and praise him for music off the beaten track. The sound quality is very good. The picture on the cover is delightful.

This is a formidable solo recital from a highly accomplished musician. Voicings are varied subtly and imaginatively… a small master class in accentuation, dynamic shading and myriad suggestive coloristic devices – all sounding perfectly natural and unforced. Few attempt the God Save the King so ferocious are the demands, Wrist-numbing drama, projected with unstinting panache. Adding to the lustre of the disc is the booklet. When one encounters excellence of this kind its right to acknowledge the fact. So too the recorded sound and the recital as a whole. RECORDING OF THE MONTH

By any standards this is an outstanding disc debut. Brilliantly played – fellow fiddlers will blanch to hear him (Gold Star Recommended CD)