Reviews

This recording is a mighty labour of love. Giles Davies and the Goss Male Quartet with pianist Steven Devine illuminate an important tradition in English singing that is almost lost. How sad that so few of the singer’s own recordings have survived. That is all the more reason to cherish this recording. It’s not John Goss, but it’s as near as we are likely to get to a fine and generous artist and a lost tradition of music-making.

[John Goss].. was a great entertainer & an innate musician & performer. This CD is a celebration & dedication to this wonderfully talented character & the items chosen are perhaps many that Goss himself might have included in his recitals. For Giles Davis, this is obviously a labour of love & he manages to squeeze out all the emotional & musical expressiveness of the repertoire in question. Stephen Devine & the Goss Male Quartet lend sympathetic support throughout. This is certainly a fitting tribute to one of Britain’s most lovable yet astoundingly neglected artists.

Throughout, the singing is exemplary, the diction faultless, and a wide range of tone and colour coupled with the wide range of repertoire means that one’s mind is always kept captivated. The pianist, Steven Devine, also has a vivid sense of colour and there were moments when I wondered how many different instruments he was playing, the Elizabethan songs are almost lute-like, and the end of Schubert’s ‘The grave-diggers longing for home’ has the depth and resonance of a real double bass.

Beautifully sung… Davies’s love and knowledge of this repertoire shines through…the selection of songs is a very fine one and the fact that the disc also contains detailed, interesting and well-written notes is a bonus.

Jeffreys could be counted among the great songwriters of the second English Renaissance… his sparse, evanescent accompaniments are incredibly evocative and his melodies…release the fragrant depths of his chosen texts with seemingly effortless grace. Beautifully realised by tenor James Gilchrist

Advocacy such as this is great for any composer, and still more so for one whose music has not yet attracted the attention it deserves. In James Gilchrist these present songs have an excellent advocate. Overall this is a very good disc indeed. These songs deserve the exposure that discs like this make possible. They are in the best traditions of the English song genre and collectors… will find this disc has many rewards.

Worthy of comparison to much better-known composers….[Jeffreys] has an exceptional ability to create a variety of musical expressions that fit the words. You will not want to pass this up. Gilchrist’s voice has a gentleness, warmth and sweetness that is just right, and his enunciation is impeccable. Good notes and texts.

This is music for a quiet evening – in contemplation of some of the less complex emotions aroused by things fine and beautiful – all beautifully sung by James Gilchrist with Anna Tilbrook accompanying.

James Gilchrist is the splendid soloist on this disc, his excellent diction and great beauty of tone demonstrated in a wide range of moods.

Not ‘fashionable’ perhaps, but a composer sensitive both to words and music. The programme includes eight first recordings. Tenor James Gilchrist has a warm voice, and has the support of a fine pianist.

The veteran two-piano team of Anthony Goldstone and Caroline Clemmow have been torrential in delivering unfamiliar versions of classics from the hinterland of the repertoire. But in their latest disc, they have surpassed themselves. The result is wonderful

admirably clear-sighted…the artistry of Goldstone and Clemmow bring the music to life… self-recommending

A disc of charm and curios… four-handed Grieg and Mozart provide consistent pleasure­

the music comes through with a minty freshness that stimulates and excites.. these pieces can become part of the staple repertoire.

I found the whole experience of listening highly congenial… the recording is very well judged. The playing is buoyant and sensitive by turns; this duo has a real flair for the unexpected. An unusual perspective on a much-abused warhorse – with the added attraction of some equally diverting companion works

This version of the concerto certainly has appeal. Another revelation is the inclusion of the two-piano version of the Mozart…a charming gilding of the lily. An interesting and well-performed programme. The recording quality is solid and clear. Catch this one while it’s available

Only when fighting, even when losing, does life bring joy: such lines bring a gulp to the throat in this programme of music from Jewish composers banned or gassed by the Nazis. Sheridan… has heart and passion, which warms the more testing selections by Ullmann and Schulhoff. Pavel Haas’s Seven Folk Songs are the best discovery.

Sheridan’s light lyric voice is sweet…the accompaniment is excellent, and it is well recorded. The songs are all worth hearing. It is simply musical justice that this music should be heard by a wider audience.

Judith Sheridan has done wonders has done wonders in bringing together and recording 33 songs by composers banned by the Nazis. The seriousness of purpose brought to the performances is undeniable.

A sad chapter of German history is brought to light by this song recital