Blackford

Big, hymnlike tunes emerge from straining and urgent textures, and like so much Finnish music, this is not afraid to look into the abyss. — Gramophone Magazine, January 2024 More…

Blackford’s 1996 Mirror of Perfection is a big-boned and breathtaking opener, while the more recent Vision of a Garden – based on Peter Johnstone’s ‘ICU Diaries’ written while in hospital with... — BBC Music Magazine, September 2022, 4 out of 5 stars More…

As usual, with any project that John Turner turns his hand to, this is a major success. From the playing of both the soloists that is perfect, through the liner-notes, the design of the CD and... — MusicWeb International, 29th August 2013 More…

Blackford’s meditation on beauty is both sophisticated and appealing and is thrillingly performed. But beware: the CD is only 24 minutes long. — BBC Music Magazine, October 2019, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Mirror of Perfection is a response to texts by St Francis of Assisi, some of which (notably Canticle of Love III) are surprisingly erotic in content. The scoring, for string orchestra plus horns... — MusicWeb International, January 2013 More…

Ranging from the Shostakovich-like angst of Niobe for violin and orchestra to the more Romantic wanderings of Blewbury Air for cello and piano, this is an excellent introduction to Blackford’s... — BBC Music Magazine, August 2021, 4 out of 5 stars More…