Aparté

Thomas Hampson shoulders the lion’s share of the songs, and if vocally the result is a little uneven, there’s no gainsaying his clarion command, exemplary diction and perceptive narration. — BBC Music Magazine, July 2023, 3 out of 5 stars / 4 out of 5 stars (Recording) More…

There are one or two rough edges in Emelyanychev’s first recording with his Russian ensemble (the horns could definitely have benefited from another take in the third-movement trio), but I love... — Katherine Cooper, Presto Music, November 2018 More…

This performance doesn’t attempt to sound gratuitously beautiful, but digs into the tragic substance of the music, and the players aren’t afraid to bring flexibility to the pulse, so there’s... — BBC Music Magazine, June 2015, 4 out of 5 stars More…

The Greek baritone is versatile in opera, and his French is faultless in Gounod’s settings of Gauthier, de Musset and Hugo...The Maid of Athens gives Christoyannis a chance to sing in his native... — Sunday Times, 22nd July 2018 More…

It was the Boulanger Competition which brought Dubois and Raës together in 2009, and their long-term immersion in these frequently astonishing songs is evident at every turn, from the atmospheric... — Presto Music, February 2020 More…

Anyone who sees [the Fauré] as primarily consolatory is likely to be brought up sharp by the opening, where Les Siècles’ brass and strings sound severe to the point of austerity, and the first... — Gramophone Magazine, June 2019 More…