Reviews

Östlund’s signature, like Debussy and Schumann in the great tradition, merges atmosphere, mystery, fantasy, and fairy tale. . The sensation of Nachtmusik is so strong that one can approach these two discs as a single narrative of encounters by moonlight. [Östlund’s] personal vocabulary—striking, often repetitive rhythms, dashes of Shostakovich and Prokofiev, diatonic harmonies that bend in other directions, and remembrances of vocal traditions from Arabia and the Orient that decorate the lyrical line with melismatic flourishes—is markedly original. [I] feel enriched by stepping into his world of fancy free.

There’s just too much going on to do it justice [in a short review]. The sleeve does a good job, suggestive as it is of dreamy, other-worldly soundscapes. A fascinating piece of work, guaranteed to make your dream­like reveries seem all the more fantastical.

Evoking the magic of night in all its guises from the dark to the whimsical this lyrical new music has an individual sound and is in turn picturesque and witty. Timeless and sophisticated music.

Jonathan Östlund is a composer who reveals an ability to create works that are magical, playful and energetic but always with a distinctive sound, a sound that will surely appeal to a wide audience.The recordings, made at Greystoke Studio, London are close but clear and detailed. The booklet and art work are up to Divine Art’s usual high standards.

Although we recognise Impressionism and Romanticism Östlund’s expression is strong at all times and completely his own.

Jonathan Östlund is one of those contemporary composers who writes music with natural poetic melodies and highly sophisticated harmonies, blending tradition with contemporary expression. The music flows with extremely flexible interpretation, with both dramatic climaxes and romantically soft sections, with variations in color, texture, emotion and narrative expression. Full of passion, emotion, fatality

[Phantasion] is performed in the most miraculous fashion… Blandine Waldmann is superb in her keyboard color, unafraid to opt for harsher sonorities when appropriate. Of particular interest is the playfulness of The Wizard. Delightful. Rêverie – Jeux de pluie for string quartet is given a positively radiant performance by the Cellini Quartet. This is a fascinating canvas, full of color. Östlund clearly has much to say, and he says it in a consistently interesting manner. Fully worthy of investigation.

Boyle’s interpretations are highly idiosyncratic… Her unique playing draws attention to unobvious textures and fascinating harmonies… I did find her interpretations refreshing.

It’s a lovely CD. Boyle makes the music sound fresh yet soothing. It’s Mozart, played well: what more do you need to know?

Diana Boyle breathes fresh life into these sonatas… always supremely musical… this pianist’s phrasing, use of dynamics and varied tempi revealing so any lovely facets. These fine performances take a welcome place on my shelves. She receives an excellent recording full of detail and presence, with her piano tone perfectly caught. There are notes in the form of an interview with the pianist.

We like quirky modern classical albums like this. The music, we think, falls into three categories: music he wrote for his own entertainment, which is often playful and amusing; more serious work that is a little stark but still enjoyable and then some colder pieces that we guess are modern but which we found harder to digest. There is nothing that is really difficult, though. It’s an interesting and meaty CD. Fans of 20th century music will doubtless be attracted but anyone with an interest in modern British composers will find much to like

Diversified styles of music, which could possibly be assigned to the category ‘neo-classical’. Some is certainly more associated with ‘British Light Music’, but there are also sophisticated pieces. A pleasant program, not earth-moving, but pleasant chamber music entertainment. The musicians’ presentation of the pieces is lively and impressive.

An affectionate salvaging of an oeuvre at risk of falling by the wayside. Heaton Smith{s} work, broadly neoclassical, is not without distinction … his abstract pieces can be striking.

The raw, distinctly rustic nature of the music [in the Notturnos] presents a vivid picture of youthful high spirits … while {the Jessop Ensemble’s performance] has a strongly homespun feel to it, this approach undeniably underlines the essential joviality of this music. [In the Scherzandi] there are plenty of special moments … impressive collective virtuosity from these young players, all of which is delivered with complete authority.

The name of Haydn as the composer guarantees that this is not music which goes in one ear and out the other. It is surely also great stuff for musicians to play. That comes well to the fore here. The music on these two discs is highly enjoyable and entertaining.

Kenneth Smith’s sound is ravishingly beautiful, and he always plays with accuracy and imagination. Paul Rhodes’s accompani­ments are skillful, sensitive, and perfectly timed. The booklet includes a few words about each selection plus information on publishers. The cover art, a close-up of light blue delphini­um flowers, is almost as lovely as the playing inside.

A programme … in which the musicality and freshness are joined in the simple pleasures of an auditory adventure. The French listener will discover here many titles popular across the Channel in Britain to his grand satisfaction.

The playing is a pleasure to listen to, with beautifully even tone, a wide palette of colours, and flawless intonation, accompanied sensitively by Paul Rhodes. This is a most enjoyable compilation, beautifully played.

Flutist Kenneth Smith and pianist Paul Rhodes give a two-disc recital that contains some of the most calming music imaginable. Their arrangements are enthralling and they convey the meanings of [the originally vocal] pieces without reference to their texts. The sound on the recording is clear and present with the flute in front of the piano.

The cover alone will be enough to attract the interest of casual browsers but this new set contains many fine works, some by composers that are rarely recorded, all in very fine performances indeed… phenomenally accurate playing. This is a very fine set indeed with some of the finest performances of works for flute and piano I have heard. The booklet and presentation are up to Divine Art’s usual high standards with first rate notes from Kenneth Smith and Paul Rhodes.