Reviews

The music covers a wide range of emotions and makes a powerful impression,. Mark Rowlinson copes with both the technical demands and range of these songs. David Jones accompanies most sympathetically. Williamson’s love of Housman and eloquent music continue to impress and he is surely among the most important living British songwriters

Diversions to have provided texts… there are helpful notes on the songs by the composer. I am glad to have heard this disc.

Mark Rowlinson sings well. The core of his voice is a warm, round baritone but he’s got a good top range too. David Jones supports him proficiently. The [Byron and Coleridge songs} I found the most attractive … I stood with the dead is a particularly imposing song; its music is impassioned. Williamson’s songs are worth hearing and it’s good that they’ve been given this exposure.

The twenty songs here find a first-rate advocate in the experienced Mark Rowlinson whose delivery is clear and his diction outstanding. Equally importantly he is positively supported by pianist David Jones, as much of the musical argument of these songs lies in the often chordal accompaniment, whose piano writing is so characteristic of this composer. Strongly recommended to lovers of English song and of Housman settings in particular.

This anthology … is filled with pleasing, tranquil settings in the respected tradition of English song. They are intelligently grouped by subject: love, war sorrow etc, leading the listener through a range of emotions. Overall, an interesting and worthwhile recording, well presented with full texts and notes.

In his music, Williamson consistently matches the emotional nuances of Housman’s measured verses. Baritone Mark Rowlinson and his pianist range effectively from the lyrical to the dramatic – ’Tis five years since is particularly arresting.

This is my first exposure to the piano team of Goldstone and Clemmow and it certainly makes me want to hear more from them. They possess subtlety, power, elegance and intellect. This CD deserves to reach an audience well beyond that of lovers of obscure two-piano literature.

As with all of their releases so far, I find the choice of repertoire matched by {the duo’s] fabulous performances. These are two consummate musicians completely in tune with each other’s playing. Inventive programming that has uncovered many unknown works and resurrected others has made them one of the most enjoyable duos I have become acquainted with over the past several years.

Gustav Holst wrote a great deal of wonderful music, but it remains a mystery why he never again produced anything as invigorating, memorable and original as The Planets. So it is all the more intriguing to encounter The Planets in a new and startling guise… a performance which, as here, seems positively to revel in this new-found leanness, sometimes even percussive glare. I defy any listener not to be shaken and stirred. [The Elgar] arrangement comes off surprisingly well, not least because the more brittle sound of the piano adds a distinct, even welcome, touch of muscle to the contours of the piece. The mixture on this disc of old wine in new bottles, together with a splash of Beaujolais nouveau, is one to savour.

Restores Goldstone & Clemmow’s terrific all-British recording … in some style with an attractively laid out booklet note. [The Elgar Serenade makes for most diverting listening allowing one to hear the harmonic development with that much more immediacy. Goldstone & Clemmow play The Planets with genuine percussive intensity. They manage to convey the writing, on its pianistic lines, as a valid musical experience in itself. This excellent disc thus presents an enjoyably varied programme offering a revivifying slant on British piano music.

Holst knew that only a large orchestra could do full justice to his Planets but this recording by the brilliant duo Anthony Goldstone and Caroline Clemmow show precisely what can be gained in a two piano performance. Elgar’s duet version of his Serenade for String Orchestra provides a complete contrast, lending itself well to the piano in a performance of intimacy, with the music never forced. [Bury’s] Prelude and Fugue gets a wonderful performance on this disc bringing out a real depth of feeling in the prelude and providing a scintillating fugue. Bainton’s short Miniature Suite for piano duet is something of a small gem. There can be no doubt that Anthony Goldstone and Caroline Clemmow are one of the finest piano duos around and the recording … is full, clear and detailed.

The two-piano version of The Planets .. is a valid account of this work that inspires, excites and often astounds. [Bury’s] Prelude is a masterclass in the genre of English ‘pastoral’ … [Bainton’s] Miniature Suite is a perfect small-scale outing. This is an important release from Divine Art. The recording is excellent. The playing of all the works is superb.

A wonderful recording of piano rarities, expertly performed. Gustav Holst’s original two piano version of The Planets was in and of itself complete. The pictoresque, evocative, symbolic and elemental essence behind the music was all there … it was already a masterpiece in its original two piano version. Goldstone and Clemmow have everything planned out so well, that the choice of instrument becomes irrelevant. I will not go into any detail about the other pieces on this CD, except to say that they are all wonderful little gems within the two piano repertoire, and act as great appetizers before the main course. If you are piano fans, Holst fans, Planets fans, or Goldstone and Clemmow fans, and missed out on this recording in its original incarnations, don’t make the same mistake twice. This is musicianship at its best, in ear opening interpretations.

Here is a remarkable trio of CDs featuring the piano music of John R. Williamson. He has forged a style that convincingly fuses disparate elements into an organic whole. The lyrical impulse is very strong and the emotional world is often intense and heartfelt. Time and time again the listener is carried along by sweeps of modal contours that are enlivened and even subverted by the churning harmonies. The world is lucky to have a fine composer such as Williamson and he himself is lucky to have a pianist so dedicated to playing his music as Murray McLachlan. The three CDs are attractively packaged…recordings are clear and have plenty of gain… powerful music and committed performances. Williamson is making an important contribution to piano repertoire in a style all his own.

The twins have an excellent technique and a lively musicality that enables then to give superb interpretations. They are so well in control that the whole exercise sounds fun, and this communicates itself to the listener, resulting in a wonderfully enjoyable experience. Throughout, Rachel and Vanessa, helped by a superb recording, bring out the clarity of the many varied textures really well. An outstanding CD, full of joy! Very highly recommended.

Their playing has accomplishment, enterprise and a charming freshness.. They are excellent musicians and have a wide taste in repertoire. The recording… is very clear and natural and I have the greatest pleasure in recommending this disc as an introduction to the wide range, both familiar and less familiar, of the piano duet repertoire.

Hey, did you know the next Labeque Sisters are coming out of England?  This finds them covering some well trod Labeque ground and covering it quite well. Good taste that tastes good, like what’s going on here.  A striking new sound that bodes well for keyboards of the future.

The more I listen, the more I like these interpretations.. I like Crossland’s sincere lyrical approach and would definitely love to hear this program from her in the concert hall. After a few listenings, I came under the spell. On the whole, this is a consistent and well thought-out recital.

Elegant, thoughtful, individual without being outré, and exceedingly musical throughout. I enjoyed this disc repeatedly and each time through, found new things to make me go all slack-jawed at their beauty and their rightness. One realizes that Crossland thinks closely about formal architecture in a credible and insightful way. This is a marvellous recital and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Direct, pleasingly gracious account of the Mozart. Beethoven performances are ruminative and clearly considered … I found my attention firmly held by this pianist’s musical individuality. [In the Op. 110] her attention to its structure, notably in the fuga and arioso, is unwavering. Additionally she compels our attention with an iron-clad sense of purpose and dynamically nuanced phrasing until the glorious, sonorous closing bars. Her cognizance of Beethoven’s ineffable legacy is moving indeed. her instinctive artistry, warm musicianship, and established appeal to live, listening or viewing audiences appears beyond question, now and in the future.