Reviews

Loges sings with sensitivity to the text [and is] best suited to the more sombre sound of Brahms. A chance to hear [Franz’s] music sung by a good singer

[Loge’s singing quality] is very beautiful.. Alexander Schmalcz is a very fine accompanist. This is a great release all round

a consistent, thought-through interpretation… reinforces the intensity of approach… an admirable stroke of planning [to include the Franz songs]. Loges and his admirable partner are beautifully recorded.. [a] stimulating recital

exceptional performances, excellent recordings.. beautifully presented account of Dichterliebe. The revelation comes with the Robert Franz settings…each an individual vocal jewel.

Each of Telemann’s sets is masterly in its own way. Sheppard Skærved’s performance is solid and accomplished. I have emerged more impressed than ever by Telemann.

They are pleasing works … I can recommend these recordings for their historical interest: Peter Sheppard Skaerved plays on one of the oldest surviving violins, an Andrea Amati made in 1570. I can also recommend them for Skaerved’s superb, very scholarly notes on each of the fantasies.

An ambitious and interesting project … what distinguishes these fantasies is the richness of timbre and palette that expresses a fantastic range of nuances. Skærved’s interpretation is idiomatic … and therein lies the great merit of the production. The listener is able with these pleasant dynamics to easily locate the instrument in the soundstage, which is spatially close. Artistic rating: 4/5 Technical Rating: 5/5

This rather lovely and delicate new album is the first instalment of an ambitious new project, to record baroque works on some of the world’s most historic instruments. Although it’s just one man and his violin, it’s an interesting album. Telemann composed to entertain and the 24 pieces of music take in the sound of dance and folk … It’s charming rather than intellectually challenging. A very pleasing album, and the church gives it all a nicely timeless atmosphere.

[Skaerved] draws an imposing range of timbres from the Amati violin. Skærved’s individuality … should be most welcome. Principally for the ambiance, the tonal splen­dor of the Amati violin, and for the strong sense of purpose Skærved displays throughout, these per­formances earn a warm recommendation

Absolutely terrific…. Whilst the equal star of this show is the 1570 Andrea Amati violin, it is this violinist’s ability to draw so many fine details, timbres and textures that makes these such fine performances. There is no doubt that in Skærved’s hands this is a glorious instrument. The recording is in a class of its own, detailed and spacious, giving one the feeling of being in the presence of spontaneous music making. The well-illustrated booklet is of the usual high standard we have come to expect from the Divine Art Recordings Group. This looks set to be a satisfying and rewarding series.

This CD is presented as a salon concert, and has the qualities one would expect of such a concert: a more intimate feel but also playing of the very highest standard. . Overall, the CD is a delight — playful, accessible and entertaining — with Skærved joined by Roderick Chadwick on piano.

Fascinating and absorbing … Skærved has recreated one of Bull’s historical recitals and presented it ‘as it would have been’: mainly works that would not be found in many concert programmes today, but back in the mid-1800s it would have been an amazingly popular and innovative choice. I was impressed by the sound quality of this CD. Every note was clear: the tone of this historical violin is displayed and played to perfection and the piano (where used) is in ideal balance. Enthusiasts of historical violins will be eagerly awaiting succeeding volumes of this most worthy and enjoyable project.

The sound [of the 1647 Amati] is powerful, but also round and mellow and beautiful, the violin captures perfectly the masterpiece that is the Mozart Sonata in G major K. 301. But it is the rest of the program, similar to what Ole Bull usually presented in his musical soirées, which shows fully what this Amati is capable of … a unique, fascinating, seductive timbre. Peter Sheppard Skærved is not far behind [Bull], as his technique and his musicality allow him to extract from the violin every nuance and harmonious phrase. This is a record that will please all those who love the violin.

Undeniable proof that clarity does not have to be sacrificed to excitement: Boyde turns in one of the best interpretations I have yet heard. It’s a fabulous reading, tender and blisteringly exciting by turns, with a dexterity that suggests Horowitz himself

Good to see the re-appearance of this disc – first issued and reviewed here in the very early days of the site. These performances are taken from live events – witness the applause and the occasional cough – for example at 6:56 in the first movement of the Tchaikovsky. Boyde pulls off the storming stuff […]

Andreas Boyde is exactly the man for the job… Boyde more than any brings out the music in the notes. Boyde is splendidly matched by conductor Johannes Fritzsch who is equally sympathetic to the score, [In the Shostakovich}, too, the Freiburgers turn in top-notch playing…. Their performance fairly crackles with excitement.

a very satisfying reading indeed. An illuminating attempt to get beyond Mussorgsky’s words, behind the notes. And it succeeds admirably. To couple Pictures with Miroirs is clever wordplay that also works on musical terms. Again Boyde’s interpretation reaches beyond virtuosity to let the music speak through the contrasts realized in the clarity that his remarkable technique permits. Excellent piano tone – some wonderfully sonorous passages

[Clarke] is second to none in terms of sensibility and keyboard command.  His version of the First Sonata is particularly convincing.  Good recording.

Szymanowski strives for a Wagnerian amplitude of texture, surging relentlessly across the keyboard … The levitation of such a rich – superrich – art requires nothing less than a pianistic superman. While Raymond Clarke’s debut recording of Ronald Stevenson’s epic Passacaglia on DSCH (a virtual compendium of the pianist’s art…) and subsequent triumphant tilts at […]

“Critics’ Choice” recording 1999 Raymond Clarke chose it [Sonata No.3] for his graduation recital 12 years ago and for his broadcasting début, so it obviously means a lot to him, and in this remarkable performance he demonstrates it to be an extraordinary piece … the concluding fugue … should sound like the obvious and inevitable […]