‘Characteristically rugged and uncompromising, but with touches of fantasy, visionary inwardness and wit. This is music that nourishes the soul’ (Gramophone)
‘Gripping works … Raymond Clarke is the ideal advocate’ (BBC Music Magazine)
‘I am reeling from having listened to this disc. These three major works and a little miniature have all the Simpson features that his symphonies and string quartets revealed: intellectual rigour, dazzling but controlled powers of imagination, and, overall, a craggy grandeur. The Variations, with its enigmatically soft ending, should have you on the edge of your seat. This is a marvellous addition to Hyperion's pioneering series’ (Classic CD)
‘Here is music of enormous power and inimitable character, performed with immense authority and understanding. Admirable sound. A very strong recommendation’ (Hi-Fi News)
‘An advocate of rare intelligence … this is an extremely valuable addition to Hyperion's still-expanding Simpson discography. The recording is simply superb, and Raymond Clarke's accounts almost beyond praise in their penetration, technical command and diablerie (listen to the sulphurous ending of the Beethoven Variations)’ (Tempo)