Reviews

The music is intense… at times, challenging. The recordings are vivid. Superb booklet that has colour photographs and extremely informative essays in English and Russian.

This is a well-constructed ‘entertainment’, with lots of lovely musical clichés, technical wizardry and many subtle nods to the composer’s genius. The clever bit is the interlocking of themes. It seems to happen as if by magic. Remarkable. The presentation of this CD is outstanding.

The playing of the British pianist Diana Boyle is quite a discovery. Her playing has magical freshness and clarity; a precision that is cool, yet full of feeling, perfectly attuned to the elusiveness of this music. Her phrasing, like her use of dynamics, is endlessly bold and fascinating. No player or lover of the piano should overlook this disc.

Two very well-filled discs in excellent acoustic… this is impressive music, persuasively performed. (Four stars)

This disc acts as a reminder of McCabe’s greatness as a pianist.

Deep, spiritual and brilliantly crafted music… six works for varying chamber ensembles, and while embodying the composer’s overall wide ranging compositional style, spirituality and mysticism, the music expresses this in a more intimate, lyrical style than his massive symphonic works.

Artyomov undoubtedly had some daring to present a mass “for the martyrs of Long-suffering Russia”. His Requiem is a vast cry that alternates revolt and elegy, vehemence and lamentation. The mass of the choruses is combined with a powerful orchestra that is further strengthened by the organ and the bells. (four stars)

This new CD is a cause for celebrating a life as Goldstone plays (with his wife Caroline Clemmow) some tunes that will bring a smile if not some tapping of toes.

The marvellously colourful piano settings often illustrate the texts with graphic emotional power, as of course does Rowlinson’s smooth expressive vocal delivery.

Compelling listening. This music is slow and sombre, the lightness achieved through transparent scoring. These pieces are worth hearing, and a useful introduction to a figure who deserves wider recognition. The performances are authoritative and well-engineered.

[This] CD is cause for celebration. Terrific playing, of course, paired to smart program notes by Iain Sneddon, impeccable engineering by Oli Whitworth, Stephen Sutton’s album design. The sheer delight that Porgy, Preludes & Paris produces after not one but many hearings comes from a very idiomatic, very American, very cool, very laid-back, very down-to-earth, very unpretentious, very…Gershwin way of playing Gershwin. The Stoodleys have it all and Divine Art has a winning ticket with these two artists. More please!

As I listened to the CD I was once again intrigued by the versatility of the Russian composer’s genre-defying music. As usual with anything divine art issues, Star Wind is nicely packaged and provided with Robert Matthew Walker’s excellent commentary. The engineering by various teams is uniformly good.

Artyomov (b 1940) has become one of Russia’s most celebrated living composers. Every so often, thank goodness, the cause of aesthetic justice is served. By the time this thing ends, you’ll know you’ve been somewhere. This issue is “definitive” in musi¬cal terms… A blockbuster of a work.

McLachlan Sr’s playing is impressive, from the off playing quickly but accurately. In places this flows like a river in flood, the notes cascading out of the speakers but McLachlan always in control. McLachlan Jr plays on a couple of tracks and is equally impressive. McLeod goes in for big, bold direct sounds, although despite the complexity it’s got a directness about it. A stimulating programme.

Both [composers] enjoy common ground in their love and respect for jazz that is deliciously palpable on this disc. A mastery of compositional lyricism and inventive orchestration seals the bond between the two composers and makes this CD so interesting. Two wonderful orchestras, the Synchron Stage Orchestra Vienna (Schwartz) and the Bratislava Studio Symphony (Broadstock) perform splendidly under conductor Kevin Purcell.

Aside from the sheer delight that Seivewright’s playing brings to the soul of this listener, we are stunned by the rich variety and charm of Galuppi’s music. The CD is handsome in design, brilliantly annotated by Seivewright [and] delivers an uncomplicated, faithfully-recorded sound .Peter Seivewright’s fourth volume will undergo a severe test in my home study by being subjected to repeated replays, so much do I enjoy it.

The form and style of these piano sonatas runs the gamut from baroque to classical and even pushes towards early romanticism. They are all quite pleasant to listen to. The playing by Peter Seivewright and the Scottish Baroque Soloists (in the concerto) is excellent. There is always clarity of line and fluidity of invention.

Once more I sat down to quietly and with undivided attention listen to Goldstone unearth yet another treasure trove. Goldstone was one of the finest pianists I heard in over a half century of concert-going. His playing in this CD is assured to a fault yet pliant and impassioned, accurate yet never pedantic, elegant but not in the least fussy or mannered.

This CD gets off to a wonderful start [with] a near perfect five-part choral setting…. a truly perfect fusion of words and music. The singing is ideal on this recording. Mornington Singers and their director Orla Flanagan present a purity of sound, a perfect balance of parts and an enthusiastic understanding of the music and texts. I cannot fault this CD. It is already shaping up to be one of my major discoveries of the year.

I was delighted to have a chance to hear this CD. It is a fascinating exploration of ‘English’ songs … This reissue will be of great interest to all those enthusiasts of song. The CD booklet is well-produced with relevant details about the composers and their music.