‘Pip Eastop plays a natural horn akin to the type available to the virtuoso for whom Mozart wrote the four concertos, Joseph Leutgeb. Mozart clearly did not feel in any way hidebound by the horn’s limited range of easily attainable notes … with lucid input from The Hanover Band and from the Eroica Quartet in the Quintet, these performances have a musical integrity over and above historical interest’ (Gramophone)

‘Not least, where most players of the natural horn seek to minimise the difference in tone of those pitches that can only be got out of the instrument by hand-stopping and tricks of breathing, Pip Eastop positively flaunts them, suggesting how Mozart may have actually relied upon the effect of a muffled note here or a chromatic snarl there to help shape and colour his phrasing’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘An extraordinary performance on the natural horn … Pip Eastop gives these pieces an extraordinary immediacy and authenticity. His superb technical ability and inventiveness are put to brilliant use in these very enjoyable renditions. He is ably accompanied by The Hanover Band conducted by Tony Halstead’ (Classic FM)» More

‘Eastop sails through the challenges with aplomb. His playing possesses plenty of agility and he can phrase slow movements gracefully … he is matched by a very stylish Hanover Band … the string playing is lean, with clean articulation and punch to the accents … after the concertos comes a lovely reading of the Horn Quintet, K407, the earliest work Mozart composed for Leutgeb. In this, the composer employs two violas instead of two violins, giving a slightly darker string palette, admirably conveyed here by the Eroica Quartet. After the raucous, rambunctious concertos, the Quintet offers an amiable postlude, performed with much charm. This is a clear winner of a disc destined to bring many a smile through the winter gloom’ (International Record Review)» More

‘Hanover Band sounds terrific; the sonics are vivid and detailed, yet resonant. And Pip Eastop, principal horn of the London Chamber Orchestra, is a remarkable player with great skill an amazing high register, and a penchant for pushing the boundaries in cadenzas’ (American Record Guide)

‘Eastop knocks off the concertos with all the flair, self-confidence, and sensitivity one expects from a soloist … Eastop’s vivid playing is complemented by the tasteful, stylish contribution from The Hanover Band and from the Eroica Quartet, which joins Eastop for Mozart’s Horn Quintet. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only CD to include this essential work of the horn repertory with the four concertos’ (Fanfare, USA)» More

‘Pip Eastop plays on a modern copy of an 1830 natural horn with an astonishing variety of noises at his command’ (Financial Times)

‘There’s something a little special about this … exciting performances, the hand-stopping negotiated with fabulous facility’ (BBC CD Review)» More

‘Even if you have the classic Dennis Brain recordings with Herbert von Karajan … as surely almost all Mozarteans do, there's a place for an alternative set on the natural horn and with the advantage of modern recording … this recording made me hear more new aspects of the concertos and especially of the quintet than any other. It’s emphatically not just for the period-instrument brigade’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Eastop combines the incisive and the lyrical in perfect proportion’ (The New Zealand Herald)» More

‘Eastop's playing has the effect of making the modern horn sound a little, er, boring. He doesn't attempt to smooth over the differences between open and stopped notes, effortlessly switching between legato lines and rollicking hunting calls. It's an instantly appealing, very vocal sound … this is a feel-good disc in every way; Eastop's cheeky virtuosity eliciting gasps as well as giggles … Eastop sails through its difficulties, resisting the temptation to rush through the witty finale. It sounds all the better for it. Intelligent notes, sensitive accompaniments and excellent sound—what's not to like?’ (TheArtsDesk.com)» More

‘Eastop has the gift of numerous timbres and effects, a wide range of dynamics, shares the fun of wacky cadenzas, is unfazed by high notes, can be audacious and—put simply—is a master of the natural horn, everything heard having to be made without the aid of added-later valves and sophisticated plumbing. This is flawless, poised and always musical playing’ (Classical Source)» More

‘A marvellous venture of technical virtuosity from Pip Eastop, the newest shining star in brass, and a brave choice considering the wide array of recordings on offer’ (The Epoch Times)» More

‘What a fabulous CD this is! … these are joyful, engaged and engaging performances, as varied in mood and vocabulary as the music itself, and alchemically removing the distance between Mozart’s time and our own’ (The Whole Note, Canada)» More

«On apprécie l'ordre dans lequel Halstead a gravé les concertos, fidèle à leur vraie chronologie … on savoure également les sonorités d'un cor naturel sans piston qui oblige certes le souffleur à de périlleuses accentuations mais déploie des couleurs contrastées, des plus flûtées aux plus cuivrées» (Diapason, France)» More