1 November 2019

Josquin: Missa Mater Patris; Bauldeweyn: Missa Da pacem
Studio Master: CDGIM052  Download only  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘As one of the most important accounts of Josquin’s Masses in recent decades, Peter Phillips’s albums with The Tallis Scholars continue to sparkle and inform. Already in these pages I have admired the clarity of vision and consistency of sound that this ensemble bring to his works; but with this new album there is a particular sheen to the performance that places it among their recent best.’ (Gramophone)
1 November 2019
Cathedral Music, Simon Lindley
Locus iste
Studio Master: SIGCD567  Download only  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘The choir’s very first chord gives a foretaste of great things to come, for the singers somehow just melt into the music, with no sense of attack, but with sheer loveliness of tone and perfect balance of the voices. I do not often wax so lyrical!’ (Cathedral Music)
1 November 2019
The Europadisc Review
Palestrina: Lamentations
Studio Master: CDA68284  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Hyperion have done a marvellous job of capturing the deep spirituality of this music in the acoustic of the former Carthusian monastery of Mauerbach near Vienna. The voices, including three ‘guest’ singers for the expanded textures of the final lesson on Holy Saturday, are exquisitely blended yet each line retains clarity, while the control of phrasing and finely nuanced dynamics are simply phenomenal … as close to perfection as you’ll ever experience on a single disc’ (The Europadisc Review)» More
1 November 2019

Pfitzner & Braunfels: Piano Concertos
Studio Master: CDA68258  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Volume 79 in Hyperion's remarkable Romantic Piano Concerto series contains two works that were written well into the 20th century. Both works betray something of the ever-changing musical world into which they were born, with ‘an amalgam of late-romantic writing spiced with more modern harmonies’, as the booklet notes say, but though the spice of the harmony is of a darker hue in the Pfitzner, both works are tonally romantic concertos with all the necessary gestures, drama, pathos and devilry … both works richly deserve their place in Hyperion's series. Markus Becker brings both works to life with vital, virtuosic playing and Constantin Trinks and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra capture all the depth and richness of orchestration that is such a large part of these two works’ (MusicWeb International)» More
1 November 2019

Prokofiev: Saxophone Concerto & Bass Drum Concerto
Studio Master: SIGCD584  Download only  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Neither concerto on this enjoyable album departs from inherited concepts of concerto form, or from recognizably classical idioms; while both incorporate elements of jazz, disco, hip-hop and more, their style is distinctly post-minimal with homages to Stravinsky and others—including, as it happens, the composer’s grandfather, Sergei Prokofiev’ (BBC Music Magazine)
PERFORMANCE
RECORDING
1 November 2019

Shostakovich: Preludes & Piano Sonatas
Studio Master: CDA68267  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Enter Andrey Gugnin, of whose piano-playing it’s all but impossible to get enough … Gugnin moves between these vividly delineated miniatures so effortlessly that William Kapell’s 1945 recording of a few of them sounds almost prosaic by comparison … [Gugnin] evokes all the colours of Shostakovich’s mature orchestral palette in this stunning performance [of the Sonata No 2]. Following the desolation of the Largo middle movement, a vast lake of lonely bereavement, the extended finale develops an inexorable momentum and mass that is irresistible. This splendidly recorded disc also contains a superb First Sonata and a tiny excerpt from the ballet The Limpid Stream. I urge you not to miss it. We’re going to be hearing a great deal more from Andrey Gugnin’ (Gramophone)
1 November 2019
Cathedral Music, Simon Lindley
Tavener: Angels & other choral works
Studio Master: CDA68255  Download only  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘A marvellously worthwhile anthology, and a recording that should be in everyone’s collection. Andrew Lumsden’s singers are deserving of the highest approbation. Interpretatively inspirational and technically brilliant’ (Cathedral Music)» More
30 October 2019

Stanford: A Song of Agincourt & other works
Studio Master: CDA68283  Temporarily out of stock  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘In the past Hyperion have put us in their debt by recording much of [Stanford's] output; a glance at their catalogue shows a huge range of works in all forms bar the operatic, and now they do it again with this truly splendid CD. Every piece on it is well worth an extended listen … the entire production is up to Hyperion’s usual exalted standard, with extremely detailed notes by Jeremy Dibble and the full text of the poems. The orchestra play very well, and the female chorus and soloist contribute fetchingly to the three songs. Finally, the recording is impactive and full, making it easy for me to declare that this CD is strongly recommended’ (MusicWeb International)» More
25 October 2019

Brahms: The Complete Songs, Vol. 8 - Harriet Burns
Studio Master: CDJ33128  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘It almost goes without saying that this is a well-planned recital for a recording debutant’s disc, giving her room to show different sides of her musical personality, and yet play to her strengths. Those strengths include an intrinsically appealing basic sound, control of line and tone, and identification with what she is singing about … the recorded sound is exemplary, and this is a strong addition to an invaluable series’ (MusicWeb International)» More
25 October 2019

Chopin: Impromptus, waltzes & mazurkas
Studio Master: CDA68273  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Carefully considered and well-managed, this intelligently planned programme mirrors the sort of thing Kolesnikov does in his recitals … all in all, Chopin playing doesn't get much better than this’ (MusicWeb International)» More
23 October 2019

Chopin: Impromptus, waltzes & mazurkas
Studio Master: CDA68273  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘At last, here we have 18 pieces of Chopin by a pianist whose name is rapidly becoming synonymous with searching originality, rhetorical aptness and kinaesthetic authority, Pavel Kolesnikov … it has seemed a long wait, though happily one more than justified by this extraordinary new disc … if these are carefully considered readings, they nevertheless exude an air of spontaneity. Judicious embellishments and the occasional interpolation are added, convincingly and with taste. Kolesnikov, always eager for the deep dive, here resurfaces with rare pearls of perfect proportion and lustre from the long-picked-over beds of Chopin interpretation’ (Gramophone)
23 October 2019

Haydn: String Quartets Opp 71 & 74
Studio Master: CDA68230  2CDs for the price of 1  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Slow movements have a natural lilt (the Andantino of Op 74 No 1 feels almost like a Mozart serenade), and there’s wit in play too: the elegant strut of Op 71 No 3’s Andante con moto is almost dandyish. Well, after all, Hanover Square isn’t so far from Savile Row. The finale of Op 74 No 2 positively flashes along … the febrile mood swings, dark-hued grandeur and searching intensity of Op 74 No 3, in particular, make it one of the most complex 'Riders' on record. And then, at the last, the LHQ glide into the final G major key-change with such throwaway nonchalance that I simply had to smile. Always a good sign’ (Gramophone)
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