‘Maltman's baritone is impressive and authoritative, and he's a sensitive, natural communicator who brings a directness to the songs' many emotions … the sincerity and integrity of his performances are compelling … an affecting, intelligent recital that's well worth seeking out’ (Gramophone)

‘This ‘Pastoral’ Symphony is unequivocally excellent, … the music’s ‘massive quietness’ genuinely disconcerting. Brabbins taps into the underlying melancholy, the work’s pale pastel colours enlivened by sporadic flashes of colour. Wind and brass solos are outstanding; the haunting horn and trumpet calls in the slow movement handsomely played’ (TheArtsDesk.com)» More

‘Hough finds just the right sound to catch the music’s unruly emotions and its carefully crafted musical subtleties. Among this album’s many highlights are the amazing First Intermezzo of the third set, which comes across as a pure rush of energy, and the G minor Ballade, which takes on a massive granitic strength’ (The Telegraph)» More

‘David Hill has devised a most interesting and varied programme for this CD and his highly accomplished choir sings it with tremendous skill. The recordings were made at a variety of time and locations yet the sound quality is consistently good. Hyperion have lived up to their usual standards in respect of the documentation with each composer providing a valuable note on his or her piece’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘I have thoroughly enjoyed the performances given here—the playing is beyond reproach and the recording is beautifully balanced in a natural acoustic. As usual, Hyperion’s presentation is first-class’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Thierry Fischer's ongoing Utah Symphony Saint-Saëns series continues to delight, celebrating a composer who really deserves to be treated with greater respect … the craft, control and formal perfection of the two early symphonies on this disc is exhilarating … as first symphonies go, it's superb. Elegant, unforced playing from the Utah Symphony, clearly enjoying themselves’ (TheArtsDesk.com)» More

'Briljant is eigenlijk het sleutelwoord van deze fantastisch klinkende cd die in geen enkele collectie mag ontbreken … duidelijke zaak: als het gaat om het op de kaart zetten van de romantiek van rond 1900 zijn het Takács Quartet en Marc-André Hamelin niet te verslaan. Pure magie!' (de Gelderlander, Netherlands)

‘This recording of Prokofiev’s 'war sonatas', composed between 1939 and 1944, imbued (especially the first two) with a certain quality of alarm and often seen as a trilogy, is outstanding. From the carefully graded staccato opening of No 6 to the fast, unquiet start of No 7, with its brief finale’s ostinato savagery, to the deceptively gentle incipit of the No 8, Osborne brings to these scores high interpretative intelligence as well as dazzling virtuosity’ (The Sunday Times)

‘The four sets of piano works, Opp 116-119, form a kind of postscript to Brahms’s composing career, written when friends were dying and he was conscious of his own mortality. Minor keys predominate—13 out of 20—but the vigour of the youthful composer who impressed the Schumanns is still present in the Op 116 Capriccios, the Op 118 Ballade and the swan-song Op 119 Rhapsodie. Hough is master of all he surveys here, combining technical elan with deeply satisfying musical insights’ (The Sunday Times)

‘Despite the similarity of their names, the styles of these two Low Country Renaissance composers significantly differ, with Lupi’s lines generally more ornate than Hellinck’s. The latter’s five-voice Missa Surrexit pastor bonus is a model of refinement, but it’s somewhat overshadowed here by Lupi’s motet Salve Celeberrima Virgo, nine minutes of ravishingly expressive polyphony given a beautifully shaped reading by the Brabant Ensemble. Two further Lupi motets are nearly as fine, while a robust Te Deum completes his contribution’ (The Sunday Times)

‘Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony have now reached a milestone by being the first American entity to record all of Camille Saint-Saëns’ symphonies … perhaps saving the best for last, volume 3 has pure persuasion and pure genius. We tip our hats to Thierry Fischer’s Anglophone coliseum for presenting Camille Saint-Saëns with stateside distinction and thoughtful sophistication’ (ConcertoNet, Canada)

‘Janáček’s song-cycle tells of forbidden love with an immediacy that demands extraordinary responses, and Nicky Spence offers all the ardent urgency, obsessive desperation and sweet vulnerability it needs. Julius Drake’ s piano playing communicates with just as much power, beauty and subtlety’ (BBC Music Magazine)