Reviews

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.

A CD that’s impossible to dislike… its purity does wonders for an over-busy brain. Seivewright plays with simplicity and grace. The music has got real charm.

The program shows the great variety of styles produced in settings of poets from Thomas Hardy to Tennyson, Brontë and many others. This is a delightful album for all lovers of English Song and poetry, performed with warmth, dexterity and tenderness.

Magnificent, truly moving … Artyomov’s goal was nothing short of a large scale work which would act as a vehicle for national expiation. The chromaticism and violence of this music manages to out-Schnittke Schnittke himself. At times he is as directly communicative as Benjamin Britten in his more renowned (War) Requiem. This is not just another ‘Russian Requiem’ – it grips, moves, and surprises at every turn. A riveting performance of a moving and important work.

There is much variety among the styles and instrumentation of these wonderfully played works such that the listener will be held rapt through the duration of this program. Lovers of well-written chamber music in varying contemporary styles will definitely not want to miss this set.

Simon Leach is clearly a master of his instrument. His playing is nothing short of brilliant as he combines technical precision with varied articulation, all the while allowing the music to breathe. It is always a delight to hear new works in such definitive performances, and I would think that Naji Hakim must be very pleased with this presentation of his music. Highly recommended.

A fragrant mix of the well-known and the more obscure. The performance standard here is remarkable, the recording perfectly judged. Beautifully performed, this is a most sophisticated program.

A majestic, beautiful organ and one could hardly ask for a better recording. Cooman’s readings of the scores are impeccable in every way.

I have written positively about this composer’s music recently. I find this re¬lease even more consistently interesting than the two that I reviewed {previously}. A Symphony of Elegies is intense and gripping, and it is played with understanding by these musicians. Soprano Lydia Davydova comes off as a Russian Cathy Berberian, and I mean that as high praise indeed.

The music on this set is not without lyricism but it’s far more likely to be jagged; it’s not without intimacy, but it’s far more likely to be vehement; it’s not without moments of consonant beauty, but it’s far more likely to be densely dissonant. For the most part, this is deadly serious music. It also demands tremendous concentration from the performer—and Murray McLachlan plays with virtuosity and commitment. McLachlan’s young daughter (16 at the time of this recording) acquits herself nimbly in the Hebridean Dances, and McLeod is a wonderfully deadpan narrator in Haflidi s Pictures. An adventurous project.

Superb project… testament to McCabe’s wonderful pianistic artistry. In short, a marvellous, utterly compelling rediscovery.

Galuppi’s sonatas are a model of simplicity, lyricality and buoyancy. Peter Seivewright plays it all with the charm and enthusiasm it demands. It is disarming music that makes a point not to be profound and that is refreshing.

A very able and keenly interpretive pianist…it is in a way a composer’s pianist we hear, for he approaches the music, every phrase, as if it were his own. And the works are each gems. A superior engagement with some very attractive modern piano music.

A wonderful collection of works, performed with McCabe’s usual dazzling virtuosity and deep musicality… all are fine additions to McCabe’s recorded legacy.