Reviews

[Artyomov] writes big, ambitious tunes; listening to his we always feel small; Artyomov is a being who understands and has mastery of the universe. Powerful stuff… meaty fare, but not unapproachable or even particularly “difficult”; it’s the scope of his ambition that’s hard to take in.

Vyacheslav Artyomov is regarded as Russia’s greatest living composer. Artyomov’s warm, expressive compositions reflect his interest in the archaic, Christian motifs and Eastern meditation. The Symphony of Elegies is very different from the others, being exceptionally ethereal, mainly very quiet, and meditative as well as sorrowful.

A comprehensive live record of five decades of McLeod piano works which McLachlan takes in his stride. Not without its challenges, for both listener and performer.

A set of compositions inspired by five women from history. Cinematic soundscapes and clever interpretations.

Vyacheslav Artyomov’s one-movement symphony is the atmospheric centrepiece of this disc – the layering of sounds is hypnotic and the effect is powerful.

To say that Nan Schwartz is one of America’s significant gifted composers is an understatement. Nan Schwartz is one of our great treasures to be heard and relished.

All the playing is of the highest standard.. The recording is perfect, and the documentation is most helpful. This highly-imaginative programme explores a diverse range of music. It is thoroughly enjoyable from the first track to the last.

Sheer pleasure… ravishing sound … quite gorgeous. The playing is superb. The sound recording is ideal, and the CD liner notes always helpful. All in all, this is a great CD: It explores many delightful byways of music that surely deserve to be discovered.

This recent release is a significant offering of the orchestral works of Marcus Blunt. It will surely appeal to lovers of lush harmony and orchestration. [The Piano] concerto is a significant addition to the repertoire, and this fine recording by Murray McLachlan and the Manchester Camerata is all the more welcome.

A veritable smorgasbord of recent works for secular and sacred settings… Simmons’s wholly sympathetic playing finds colour, variety and texture aplenty on a superb American instrument.

This large instgrument suits perfectly both the pseudo-renaissance world of Raimund Schächer and the neo-romantic fancies of Andreas Willscher. I have to say, Cooman makes the music … sound fantastic.

The five works on this album are inspired by the lives and works of famous women. The mood is gothic and sombre, a mood ideal for organ. These were all serious people, and the music reflects that, although it is uplifting in places, and it’s all atmospheric; music for reflecting on life.

The cat poems never fail to please. Many modern CDS we review lie unplayed thereafter, but we suspect this is one that, will prove longer lasting in appeal.

Christopher Fox has crafted an imaginative output, employing diverse approaches and many different technical resources. Heather Roche is the stalwart interpreter of these pieces. Her own versatility and facility with myriad extended techniques make Roche an ideal performer of Fox’s music. The result never ceases to be of interest.

Passages of quite luscious string writing are contrasted with the rhythmically edgy writing which is a feature of Marcus Blunt’s style. The performances of all, soloists and orchestra, in all these works are admirable. Murray McLachlan plays with razor-sharp crystalline clarity. Lesley Wilson’s playing is just marvellous.

This double CD is hugely generous. We are very much in safe hands when our guide is the marvellous Murray McLachlan. He leads us through the most complex and exciting percussive passages with a ferocious virtuosity and startling precision, then through quieter music bringing out all the varied depths of feeling that McLeod has imprinted in these full colour compositions. An absolute delight.

Much of the music is somewhat sombre but they do contain some beautifully reflective passages. The works are conceived on a massive scale and are essentially tonal with rich orchestration providing a depth of colour. Truly stimulating and has set me on the road to exploring further treasures by Artyomov. A revelation!

Music that is by turns riotously colourful, knowingly confrontational and profoundly moving. The Way to Olympus is singularly compelling… Gurian Hymn is an enthralling composition and one that deserves to be far better known. It is sublimely played and recorded… This fascinating disc provides a decent starting point for listeners keen to investigate the strangely diffuse but parallel worlds of a Russian composer whose oeuvre seems consistently unpredictable. , I would actually dare to suggest that the deeply impressive Gurian Hymn is well worth the disc’s asking price on its own.

I love both the composer and the players featured in this album. Great, fun addition[s] to the repertoire of any chamber group.

This fine recording presents a convincing performance of a fine composition.