Reviews

This double CD of solo piano (the ever-reliable Mary Dullea) reminded us of Bach’s Goldberg Variations — not because of the variations (there aren’t any) but because of the way it wends in and out of your consciousness. Neither unstructured or formless, it’s never strident or intrusive.

The Kreutzer Quartet’s strong performances reveals [the three works’ powerful individuality. Casken’s quartet certainly adds up to an impressive whole, as does, in a very different way, Judith Weir’s. Robert Saxton’s quartet is perhaps a slightly tougher nut… at its heart is a darkly meditative slow movement. It has taken a long time for this release to reach the market, but it was worth the wait.

Recorded at the turn of the millennium, the Kreutzers respond brilliantly to all their music’s mercurial demands (Four stars awarded)

John Casken’s quartet stands out on an excellent disc…touch and timbre beautifully captured by the Kreutzer Quartet.

There are some good helpful notes and the sound quality is first class. Well done to Metier for giving [these recordings] the oxygen of publicity.

The range of worthwhile issues on the Divine Art label continues to expand with this outstanding release of three relatively recent string quartets by British composers. The performances, in the absence of scores, seem very fine and totally committed, and the recording quality is excellent. Very strongly recommended.

[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.