‘Gugnin finds surprising poetry in the music, but if you want to persuade anyone of his transcendental technique in 25 seconds, play them the Fifth (D major) Prelude (track six), where the even passagework played at a rapid speed is little short of miraculous … a ferocious new talent who can also accomplish introspection. Masterly’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘A new recording now has to tell us something new about the piece—and this one does, gloriously. It’s obvious from the first few bars, where Dausgaard scrupulously observes minor changes of dynamic, that this is going to be a reading that pays especial attention to the detail of the score, and again and again throughout these 73 minutes he brings out some aspect of the orchestration, the balance, the tempo, the rhythm, that I hadn’t noticed before—and the players of the BBC Scottish reward him with a chamber-musical clarity and a whipcrack responsiveness that is altogether remarkable … play this loud (as you will definitely want to) and its sheer physical impact will have you conducting along—you won’t be able to sit still. Daniel Grimley’s booklet note is a model of what these things should be. In short, this is a thrilling, wildly exciting release. We all knew that Kullervo was a work of astonishing radicality, unlike anything else in the music of its day; Dausgaard’s achievement is that he reveals just how radical it really was—and still is. If this recording doesn’t sweep up an indecent quantity of prizes, there’s something wrong with the world’ (Finnish Music Quarterly, Finland)» More

‘Robin Tritschler's sweet-toned voice is a delight, as is Malcolm Martineau's sparkling, pearly, luminous piano sound. The recording quality has a beautiful clarity and intimacy’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘This recording is a testimony to John Tavener’s long association with the choir of Winchester Cathedral, who perform a selection of pieces from throughout the composer’s career with unerring accuracy and sublime musicality. A bonus is the personal dimension achieved by the inclusion of a booklet note by the choir’s former director, Martin Neary’ (Gramophone)

‘Brabbins completes his Tippett cycle with the 'bluesy' Third Symphony and its successor, a powerful birth-to-death journey, brilliantly played by the Scottish orchestra’ (The Sunday Times)

‘The completion of Brabbins's Tippett symphony cycle, including the first recording of a fascinating early work, is further cause for celebration, and a timely reminder of this composer's special strengths’ (Gramophone)

‘A series we've enjoyed here on Record Review is coming to an end—the Saint-Saëns symphonies from the Utah Symphony conducted by Thierry Fischer … a reading [of Le carnaval des animaux] that goes for character and colour rather than slapstick comedy, trusting the brilliance of Saint-Saëns's writing to do the trick. A lovely thing to find tucked away between Saint-Saëns's two early symphonies’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Spence is unquestionably one of our finest singing actors, and his palpable enthusiasm for Janáček is most convenient, given that he is first among the performers here who provide this infrequently performed masterpiece with its most convincing modern recording to date. While much of this is down to Spence’s judiciously deployed dramatic instincts (and his seemingly excellent Czech) the common denominator in all 22 numbers of the Diary here is in fact the pianist Julius Drake. In this sequence he is especially outstanding—I baulk at using the conventional term ‘accompanist’. It strikes me that Drake may actually be the one pulling the strings; his flexibility and ear for detail are exceptional … this interpretation of the Diary surely stands among the best of all, and in terms of modern recordings I feel it trumps the Bostridge/Adès version ultimately by dint of its searing theatricality and the consistently focused performances of these performers. Hyperion’s sound is superfine and wonderfully natural … I suspect [Janáček] himself would have been most moved by this exceptional performance’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘There’s a truth and honesty about this interpretation that you simply can’t argue with … beyond all the perfect balancings and the ear-pricking little details being drawn out of the score, it’s played with bucketloads of heart. A true stand‑out’ (Gramophone)

‘There’s a truth and honesty about this interpretation that you simply can’t argue with … beyond all the perfect balancings and the ear-pricking little details being drawn out of the score, it’s played with bucketloads of heart. A true stand‑out’ (Gramophone)

‘Cinquecento’s well engineered disc is recommended with no reservations. Palestrina’s sheer genius is better expressed in this intense music, audibly influenced by his Franco-Flemish predecessors back to Josquin, than in his more public mainstream music in the—sometimes blander—High Renaissance style. For all that there are seventy brief tracks, interest never palls. As a commercial recording, this is perfection’ (Early Music Review)

„Ganz egal was man zum Vergleich heranzieht, ob Perlman, Zukerman oder Heifetz—alles wirkt merkwürdig pauschal gegenüber dem bis ins letzte Detail ausformulierten Spiel des russisch-französischen Duos“ (Südkurier, Germany)» More