Reviews

Here’s a beautifully presented and performed collection of music…Intriguing, distinctive…performed with enthusiasm and impressive accuracy

…the seventh quartet…is breaking new ground. The Kreutzer Quartet, which specializes in modern music and in particular the music of Edward Cowie, offers technically superior interpretations both in the ensemble and in the solo works.

Les ombres du Fantôme creates an interesting backdrop against the novella. It sparks intrigue…laden with interesting aural derivatives…Captivating…

The writing for instruments throughout the disc, but particularly in this first movement, is miraculous, with everything seemingly perfectly idiomatic for each instrument. This is contemporary music at its finest…Wholeheartedly recommended.

…this is worth a listen…with some rather nice moments.

This is a rather lovely album that we have carried on playing, long after the review was written…well worth a listen

In this recent release…the 75 pieces which make up the six volumes of Michael Blake’s Afrikosmos, Progressive African Piano Pieces, are beautiful and convincingly presented by pianist Antony Gray…there is much to be enjoyed and admired here.

…the foregrounded element is Finnissy’s profound respect for language, its cadences, how it conveys meaning and the ways in which its interaction with music can be expressed in terms of tension and reconciliation.The performers all give insightful performances…mezzo Lotte Betts-Dean’s elegantly inflected delivery is particularly compelling. The recorded sound is both intimate and detailed.

Conductor Shea Lolin and composer/producer Christopher Hussey have joined the Czech
Philharmonic Wind Ensemble….whose range of sounds and feelings is absorbing.

Although the choice of repertoire – just Beethoven and Schubert – does no more than scratch the surface of his recorded achievements, the artists chosen – John Lil and lan and Jennifer Partridge – are twin marks of the quality of Boyden’s musicianship and abilities as a classical record producer.

It’s all nicely performed…An enjoyable and approachable album for fans of lighter opera, art songs and folk.

As a totality, Honma’s Beethoven cycle… is a strong, meaningful and pianistically always impressive presentation of music…it certainly reflects thoughtfulness and a strong commitment to the music, in addition to very considerable technical skill.

There is an intimacy between player and instrument which is both rare and wonderful. There is also a refreshing boldness in the selection of compositions. The Coldplay song ‘Paradise’ soars around the college chapel…mellifluous and immediately engaging…wonderfully atmospheric…masterful dexterity…

soft, distant, echoing passages… seem to emanate from deep inside your head… an amalgam of musical strands, distant voices, and computer generated sound effects, that seek to conjure up the essence of this tragic story. You often get the feeling that you’re inside a…large cathedral filed with long subterranean passages that echo the phantom’s pain and sorrow.

The performances and the recording is of the highest quality and the composer must have been thrilled. If you don’t know Lefanu’s music this would be a good place to begin.

Edward Cowie’s solo piano is splendidly colourful…Our two composers lay down sounds like a painter lays colour on a canvas. Laura [Chislett] uses fascinating avant-garde techniques

Michael Finnissy is one of the most articulate and prolific composers of his generation…this is an engaging and accessible issue, displaying Finnissy’s trademark precision and creative powers…a fascinating disc.

So, in the end, the reasons for buying this would seem to be either in recognition of Boyden’s life, or possibly nostalgia for the reissue, but finally for the chance to sample some highly rated, but under the radar classics of the earlier Romantic era.

Phillips is clearly in full command of this daunting repertoire…Phillips treats this lyrical and introspective music with a sensitive poignancy. With his fine musicianship and impressive technique…His talents most definitely deserve greater exposure.

Lore’s held-notes bellow control at different volumes is amazing. Lore’s musical virtuosic performances make this a must-listen release for all.