Reviews

Nearly 30 songs by a composer whose life almost spanned the 20th century. Full of lyrical impulse and often setting his own words, these are songs that sometimes are light and sometimes have remarkable emotional power, in masterly performances from James Gilchrist and Nathan Williamson.

Johnson displays great stylistic diversity…[and] a beautiful compositional path…well worth listening to.

Magical storytelling for any time of year…Param Vir’s music encompasses east and west in vividly spiky and shimmering sounds, and the performances…are as compelling as the soundscapes that frame them and the stories themselves. (5 Stars)

Performances and sound are…exceptional

…a thoughtful programme of contemporary piano music…enthralling…and undoubted sincerity

Lydia Kakadbase writes in an instantly appealing style…This extremely enjoyable disc of chamber and vocal music is most welcome and ought to make many new friends for her music…superbly executed.

This is a very varied selection…Yet all share a curious sense of yearning and a fractured beauty that turns this 10-track compilation into something of a unified song suite.

Showcasing Liz Dilnot Johnson’s diverse choral music, the disc celebrates her relationship with Ex Cathedral who are powerful advocates for her highly effective music

I would go as far as to say this is one of the great piano cycles, and is certainly one of the most significant piano statements of the 21st century so far.

suitably majestic…haunting and beautiful. A…listenable album…one I will continue to play.

James Cook’s compositions… [are] cloaked in mystical, dark, shimmering timbres. Kevin Bowyer orchestrates… with great sensitivity, constantly striving to build tension and break through the twilight with brilliant clarity… [using] bright colors that fade like a fine shadow toward the end.

This new disc is most welcome and is comprehensively recommended…a splendid portrait of an excellent and admirable composer…some quite outstanding music.

Frederick Paul Naftel’s new album showcases his eclectic compositional style through a diverse collection of works. This is a completely fascinating CD; the music is entertaining and skilfully composed in varied styles. I am really pleased that I have had the opportunity to get to know it better.

diverse in terms of styles and formats, moods and atmospheres… [Naftel’s] music is the unmistakable contemporary voice that reveals itself in its eccentricity and individuality… The various performers give the music an individual character with their committed interpretations.

…his music keeps you on the edge of your seat…a very interesting and individualistic figure, one worth checking out.

68 minutes of most enjoyable music…5-star recording!

Overall, this is a most engaging collection of ambient pieces, offering the listener an opportunity to withdraw, reflect, and unwind to music that is sensitively performed and intelligently curated.

Enger’s project could have been titled  Das Lied von der Erde had Mahler not beat her to it 115 years ago. She’s received deserved acclaim for her playing and the sincerity with which her deeply felt interpretations are presented, and certainly the reputation she’s built as a performer and recording artist is significantly enhanced by Resonating Earth.

a fascinating…engrossing listen.

Thank goodness for discs like these…In an over-consuming world that feeds us “easy” music, recitals like this are surely vital: To remind us of what music is capable of, what musicians are capable of and, as listeners, what we ourselves are capable of. The music enshrined here has the capacity to open up whole new vistas, if we let it. Recommended.