Reviews

Froberger, one the earliest developers of the dance suite and one of the most-skillful creators of this movement sequence, composed highly distinctive forms of movements… an unusual and highly creative composer. Froberger’s rhythmic irregularities and unusual handling of Baroque dance forms give the music a level of complexity that Rowland explores with considerable skill and careful attention.

Another enterprising pairing of a 17th-century violin and composer yields some gems. The zeal of Peter Sheppard Skærved seems to have no end. My main feeling is gratitude that the Partias have been made available in this form.

Peter Sheppard Skærved continues his fascinating exploration of outstanding violins. Beautifully nuanced performances.

Highly eclectic modernist, tonally sophisticated language… the orchestral sonorities are a highlight. New York’s Riverside Symphony play these works stunningly. The musical standards are matched by the sound quality, which is first rate.

The works on this disc are really and truly outstanding. The music [is] gripping and moving, as are the performances of it. This is a desert-island disc.

Textures and harmonies are often beautiful, mysterious, and atmospheric [with] ever-changing density and degrees of light and shade. This release deserves your support and, more to the point, will reward your time and attention. Sonically excellent, marvelous music. The performances here are excellent… superb work.

Constant was a skilled composer who handled orchestration with considerable ability… a fine command of orchestral forces… in a style mixing the impressionistic with the suitably magisterial.

Carson Cooman is so prolific and creative… his compositions are all distinctively different and varied in style, expression and technique. All of Cooman’s music is tonal and accessible, but with plenty of unique and at times adventurous harmonic twists and turns, that raise the bar and instantly tweak your ears.

We took to the avant-garde work like a duck to water… It all has something of a magical quality.

Distinctive and expressive.

I found this recording to be an engaging, captivating, and charming experience from start to finish. Dullea plays the music with clarity, sensitivity of phrasing, and an admirably rich palette of colors, all captured in first-rate sound. A fine recording, one that makes me look forward to hearing Volume Two.

The whole set reflects very well the stylistic trajectory of the composer.

There is a strange alchemy at work here. Clearly virtuosic work requir[ing] considerable concentration to perform. There is a magic about this music that I cannot put my finger on. Sometimes it is profitable to push beyond one’s comfort zone.

Quirky and upbeat, mesmerizing works… true artistic alchemy.

Balances are fascinating: she makes pleasant effects. Pianism that sounds both old-fashioned and fresh. Worth investigating – spontaneous pianistic journeys through these pieces.

Sound quality is a major attraction. These works exhibit a degree of seriousness that takes them beyond the “salon music” of their time into a realm with a greater sense of drama. And what a violin it is: a 1629 instrument by Girolamo Amati (1561-1630), with the warmth and splendidly even tone for which Amati instruments have long been renowned. Skærved is more than a virtuoso performer of these works: an exceptionally interesting CD.

Hayden’s piano music is formidably complex but Ian Pace proves an exceptional interpreter, clarifying every element of Hayden’s contrasting demands. This is music of fearless intensity performed with exceptional technique and perception from one of Britain’s leading exponents of contemporary piano music.

Pace performs with grace and conviction, and, most importantly in this repertoire, without any obvious sense of virtuosic display. The music is clearly under his fingers, and the excitement and tension, extreme as they often are, result from compositional choices rather than a virtuosic high-wire act. Pace, to his credit, always provides a satisfying aural experience.

Fantastical, dystopian, highly poetic. The music is excellent. The entire cast has a firm grounding in contemporary music and it shows.

The playing is tidy and well phrased.