Reviews

Eric Craven is a composer who knows his own mind but doesn’t impose his own will. There are no key signatures and the performer can decide their own tempo, dynamics, phrasing, articulation and pedalling. Mary Dullea is a distinguished musician and recording artist who appreciates the freedom this gives but she’s keen to let the music speak for itself.

The eclectic nature of the composer means that something interesting is never far away. In many ways the album is defined by the closing piece A Birthday Trifle, as you think that anyone who can write something this joyful deserves a listen, helping the listener get over the more challenging modern sections. Well worth a listen if you like some modernity.

Soldano… is good. [He] is obviously a world-class player, and his piano expressive and vibrant. A nice collection of romantic piano music played really well.

Abundant monumentalism but also soft, rounded brushstrokes, made crystalline. Burkard Schliessmann is one of the currently most appreciated and interesting German pianists at an international level. Artistic interpretation 4/5; Technical value 4/5.

Skaerved’s imaginative accounts of the music on a wonderful 17th-century violin are lovely airy readings, lightweight but eloquent. a genuinely intriguing musical journey and a fascinating window opened on the world of the early violin.

Cowie seems to neatly sum up a bird’s personality and behaviour, before almost invariably closing with some surprisingly close and accurate evocation of its song, as though giving his birds the last word. The results are imaginative, captivating and really very moving. Cowie could hardly have hoped for more committed, persuasive interpreters than Peter Sheppard Skærved and Roderick Chadwick. This is a disc of quiet wonders, captured in close, detailed sound.

This is a pleasing way to spend 73 minutes. Peter Sheppard Skaerved plays with a warm intimacy; and, as usual, his booklet notes are models of musicological research but not dry.

The concert is very good. White serves up colorful, sparkling, and idiomatic arrangements; and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia executes them with great aplomb and panache. Scott is solid in his soloist role, offering excellent technique and nice phrasing.

The movements are quite short, and each is distinct and intense [but] the cycle creates a surprisingly satisfying musical whole.. There is always a recognisable musical voice and whilst a lot of the material is spiky and tonally free, Cowie certainly does not shy away from tonality and lyricism. The results can, at times, be remarkably visual. The performances from Peter Sheppard Skaerved and Roderick Chadwick are exemplary, sympathetic and committed, lyrical and virtuoso.

A collection of dynamite recordings… his Schumann recordings call for special recognition. An inspiring triumph of faith and art. For yours truly, a nice revelation.

A diverse, atmospheric album,, with excellent performances by Laetare, Denvir and the poets.

You know you’re getting quality with Sheppard Skærved, recognised as a leading interpreter of music new and old, and regularly let loose on old and valuable violins. You might like the album because of Sheppard Skærved’s virtuoso skills or because of an interest in historical violin but you can equally enjoy it for the warm, varied playing [and] the warm, fuzzy and happy mood it creates.

“Fascinating and very successful disc. Throughout this compelling programme, one can readily discern the inner intensity of Sawa’s invention. This release is fully recommended. The presentation, as always from this source, is excellent. (FIVE STARS)

[Lupu’s] understanding of Ysaÿe’s idiom is total. Bonamy is a sensitive partner and the sound is good.

It is pleasant to hear these familiar pieces in a way that is different from the usual, and Soldano certainly shows himself to be a careful arranger as well as a caring interpreter. The arrangements are pleasantly done and the performances are well-paced and sensitive.

The CD opens with a seven-part choral suite titled Odyssey: each movement is based on a historical period of Greek culture and uses a representative text from the era. The second section of the CD presents nine art songs, sung effectively by mezzo-soprano Clare McCaldin and accompanied gracefully by pianist Paul Turner. The musical settings range from darkly austere to sprightly with motifs based on jazz and parlor music.

This commanding, almost regal selection of recordings from Burkard Schliessmann is a shining example of integrity and intelligence in music, welded to a technique of gargantuan proportions. This is a most thought-provoking set, overflowing with performances of insight, and beautifully recorded.

To my sustained delight, Schliessmann reveals himself as a Romantic temperament deeply motivated by both intimacy and intuition, sustained by a wholesome and astonishing technical resource… let me assure possible auditors of the miraculous power of spontaneity that permeates these realizations.

Schliessmann plays all of this challenging repertoire with an impressively assured technique that is always at the service of the music. Schliessmann’s interpretations exhibit a convincing ebb and flow, and the ability to draw upon a wide range of colors and dynamics to create the appropriate sound world for the work at hand. All beautifully played, unfailingly musical, and masterfully structured and paced. I found this recital immensely satisfying, and I am delighted to recommend it for your consideration.

Unhesitatingly recommended. This is really quite remarkable. White seems to have created not just his own voice within opera, but his own type of opera as well. It is a magnificent achievement to do so, and its manifestation here in WOAD is the height of compositional magnificence, performed by two musicians at the very peak of their powers. Words cannot really express my admiration for Kelly Poukens and Suzy Vanderheiden. The recording is everything one could wish for: vivid, present, detailed.