Somm

Sutherland’s grasp of the musical qualities of each score is impressive. Most notable is the symphonic suite On the Waterfront, which receives a performance of genuine insight. This is worth... — Musical Opinion, October/December 2018, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Beecham communicated exceptionally well with both Tristan and Flagstad, a relationship here extended into a sensitive and thrilling reading of the Wesendonck songs. Conductor and orchestra are... — Gramophone Magazine More…

Stripped of full orchestral accompaniment, the pieces naturally take on a lighter, less forbidding character; fresh air seems to blow through them, freeing them to be both more carefree but... — The Observer, 14th December 2008 More…

[Williams] has a mellow, refined tone, distinctively poetic delivery, and is keenly sensitive to the words. And with Allan’s lively support, he can unleash sufficient vigour in the emotional... — BBC Music Magazine, February 2018, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Joubert’s disturbing anti-war statement South of the Line (1985) is the major work on this powerfully performed disc of the composer’s choral music. — BBC Music Magazine, May 2017, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Those who know Parry mainly from the robustly self-assured ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘I Was Glad’ may find the more sophisticated nuances of these songs surprising…Pianist Andrew West supports the singers... — BBC Music Magazine, August 2018, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Beecham's 1937 Fourth is one of the definitive versions, but this 1951 studio broadcast offers clearer sound, despite infuriating rasps from the acetate master, and very similar intensity.... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2006, 4 out of 5 stars More…

K576 stands at the centre of this enormously satisfying third volume of Donohoe’s Mozart cycle….Donohoe invests this music with a real sense of pathos and world-weariness, extracting a wealth... — BBC Music Magazine, July 2020, 5 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 4 out of 5 stars (Recording) More…

Vann’s talent for eliciting intelligent responses to text, and his use of dynamic nuances to clarify meaning, are splendidly evident in the Nunc Dimittis. The 20 singers of the Royal Hospital... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2023, 4 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 5 out of 5 stars (Recording) More…

By far the most interesting interplay between voice and string quartet in this new recital is in Sally Beamish’s five Tree Carols, of which this is the first recording...All told, a cleverly... — BBC Music Magazine, September 2022, 4 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 5 out of 5 stars (Recording) More…