Reviews

The impact of nature and Cowie’s response to the specific birds and their habitat have created a musical language that is unique. Like all great composers, Edward Cowie has managed to create a synthesis of his influences, and has added to them, and pushed well beyond. The playing by both partners of this violin/piano duo is revelatory. Engineer Jonathan Haskell has provided the wonderfully sensitive and always vivid recording.

Performed with considerable skill and sensitivity. The Laetare Vocal Ensemble, a 36-voice Dublin-based chamber choir, has no problem whatsoever with the genre-mixing elements that are pervasive here. Composers heard here appear to be steeped in Irish tale-telling traditions and accomplished at setting words appropriately. An immersive experience in elements of contemporary Irish music and mostly contemporary Irish poetry and tale-telling, its sincerity and authenticity beyond reproach.

This latest release from Romanian violinist Sherban Lupu whets my appetite for Ysaÿe’s compositions still further. Both the work and interpretation hold the attention. The technical demands made of double-stopping are dispatched with ease by Lupu, whilst Bonamy doesn’t neglect his piano’s tone even in forte. The recordings, made in Romania (duo pieces) and Latvia (concerto) serve the music well to capture the sense of urgency these performances deliver to reveal new aspects of Ysaÿe’s writing for the violin.

New music with highly original treatments of the relationships between the bird singers and where and how they sing. Skærved and Chadwick bring to life Cowie’s vivid evocations.

There ought to be more recordings like this… fascinating listening. Laetare are experts at maintaining a strong balance between folk, classical and modern styles, which they blend into a single consistent voice.

A new Divine Art CD featuring Sherban Lupu playing music by Eugène Ysaÿe is a fine example of works whose near-total obscurity is difficult to understand. Lupu plays the concerto with real panache, and Paul Mann provides sure-handed support – just as pianist Henri Bonamy does for the remainder of the pieces heard here. This CD is a remarkably engaging exploration of some byways of the violin’s past.

Dediu’s works on this CD are well-constructed and performed with a high level of skill.

Soldano’s playing is glowing and red-blooded, alternating a storming eloquence with intimacy. Soldano is a pianist born for Rachmaninov, making you long to hear him in the Concertos, Preludes and Etudes-Tableaux” – Bryce Morrison (International Piano)  CRITIC’S CHOICE CD

Perhaps the finest praise I can give is that I am not a violinist, yet I found this transfixing throughout. I would love to hear more Hallgrimsson. And, as a final cherry on top of this violinistic cake, the beautiful cover art is by Hallgrimsson himself. Sheppard Skaerved is magisterial in his command of his instrument… [his] control at the lower) dynamics is absolutely impeccable.

Anyone who has been collecting this series of discs will definitely want this one as well; it is worth the price for the Sonnenuntergang alone. Recommended.

This is a superb release of immense musical value, and a reminder of the stature of Femeyhough. Pace’s beauty of sound, as well as expression, make this a performance to remember.

Divine Art are to be congratulated on bringing some of Dediu’s compositions to a wider audience through this release on their Metier label. The [music] is often simultaneously arresting, earnest yet quirky and demands that any listener pay it close attention. There is no mistaking the sweeping, virtuosic verve that both players imbue the music with, making a fully convincing case for it. For the listener in search of new discoveries this release proves revealing of different aspects upon repeated listening. If you are feeling adventurous, why not give this a try.

This is an appealing CD. All the music here is accessible, well-written and musically rewarding. The performance is bewitching from start to finish. The sound is ideal.

Exuberant and passionate performances of brilliant music.

This is a valuable disc that, in its presentation of so many ‘discoveries’, offers insights into Ysaÿe’s compositional directions over four decades.

A fascinating exploration of vocal and choral music by numerous Irish composers – juxtaposed with recitations of Irish poetry. I am deeply struck in the delivery of these many poems. Laetare Vocal Ensemble, the Dublin-based choir, give a really heartfelt rendition of all the works they perform in. Musically a fascinating album, but it speaks volumes of bigger things.

This is a fabulous, large collection of duets that belongs in every piano teacher’s library. The key to this release (and a good part of its success) is the freshness each student brings to his part. Add in the sensitive and sometimes demanding collaboration by teacher Gray, and you get an unmatched program. This collection is quite amazing.

Sawa was the greatest organ composer in Polish history. I found this composer’s music to be well worth exploring. [Cooman has] considerable skills and innate understanding of the instrument as a performer, as demonstrated in these enjoyable performances.

You will never hear a more perfectly attuned and harmonious player than Skærved, whether with his instrument or in putting his considerable expertise at the service of the composer…. , played with flawless intonation and exceptional musicianship. This disc is just a joy from first note to last.

White favors an embodied lyricism, and his vocal writing flexibly feeds a number of solos, duets and trios often treated a cappella or with the complicity of a flute which Jenni Hogan manages in a controlled way to make a character in its own right. The female quartet undoubtedly plays in favor of this beautiful musical homogeneity.With the help of the performers, Alastair White infuses this virtual dramaturgy with a musical intensity that succeeds in giving it substance, a feat that could not better correspond to the theme of this opera.