‘It’s been a while since a recording devoted to Gerald Finzi’s shorter choral works has appeared, so this superb Hyperion is more than welcome … I cannot imagine performances better than these. This excellently produced release comes with texts and a comprehensive booklet note’ (Classical Source)» More

‘This varied collection of seldom-performed pieces by the Anglo-Irish composer suggests a neglected 'little masterpiece'. The most substantial work here is the cantata Fairy Day for female chorus and orchestra, but Verdun (a transcription of his own Organ Sonata), A Welcome March for Edward VII, and A Song of Agincourt are all worthwhile pieces, played with conviction by Howard Shelley’s Belfast band’ (The Sunday Times)

‘Just listen to the freedom he finds, the invention, the ornamentation, and the sound of quite an unusual instrument … there’s more than a hint of the huge Pleyel instruments Wanda Landowska used to play in the scale and dynamic range of the sound, well captured in this startlingly clear, immersive recording. But Bach comes first and Esfahani’s fearless, improvisatory approach is deeply satisfying, as is his engagement with sources and stylistic ideas that some players might shun’ (BBC Record Review)

‘The choral singing is excellent, soloists are well cast, the recording itself is a beauty, and Brabbins makes perfect sense of everything. This new Caractacus goes to the top of the heap for me’ (BBC Record Review)

‘This soundly made programme is both pleasing and intriguing: Vivaldi’s ‘Nelle mie selve natie’ leaves the voice bravely unaccompanied between ritornellos; Leo’s ‘Quel nome se ascolto’ makes muscular use of syncopation and chromatic slides; and Bononcini’s ‘Deh! lascia o core’ is truly touching. We can’t ever know what these two great singers actually sounded like, of course, but Lucy Crowe plays Cuzzoni as a bright soprano whose technical precision and agile upward-leaping ornaments combine with musicality to impress and move, while Mary Bevan offers a Bordoni with a lower centre of gravity, generally darker and more directly theatrical’ (Gramophone)

‘Along with the rest of the programme, I cannot imagine a better realisation of the arrangement [of the Jupiter Symphony] … given clear recording to complement the performances and a very informative set of notes from David Owen Norris and Mark Everist, this is a fascinating release. I shall certainly be returning to these arrangements of K467 and the Figaro Overture … it’s all very well done’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Esfahani rightly draws contrasts in tempo, register, and character between one section and the next to bring these works to life … these are unquestionably astute and imaginative readings’ (Classical Source)» More

‘Now that we so often hear Bach’s keyboard works played on the piano … returning to performances on the harpsichord can prove a revelation. This is especially true in hands as persuasive as those of the Iranian-American harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani. His new disc of Bach’s Toccatas conveys the spirit and expressive freedom of these seven early works’ (The Guardian)

‘Engaging, entertaining realizations from David Owen Norris on an original 1820s Broadwood piano’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Such a tremendous performance [of the Kabalevsky] … superb’ (BBC Record Review)

„Dem dänischen Dirigenten Thomas Dausgaard gelingt es mit seinem BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra und den Männern von Lunds Studentsångare in jedem Takt wie selbstverständlich eine Atmosphäre von nordischer Archaik zu erzeugen. Chor und die beiden hervorragenden Solisten, Helena Juntunen und Benjamin Appl, bestechen nicht nur durch klare finnische Aussprache, sondern durch die nötige stimmliche Dramatik und Gestaltungskraft. Die Einspielung ist sängerisch und orchestral aus einem Guss und macht deutlich, welch packende Musik der junge Jean Sibelius da komponiert hat. Schließt man kurz die Augen und träumt sich zurück, nach Helsinki 1892, dann kann man die damalige Begeisterung gut nachvollziehen“ (BR Klassik, Germany)

‘Some of the most extroverted Bach I’ve ever heard forms this week’s Recording of the Week, as Iranian-American harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani brings his customary panache to the seven toccatas for keyboard, BWV910-916 … it’s thought that these toccatas were written, in part, as vehicles for Bach to show off his own technical skills at the keyboard; certainly they incorporate some impressive levels of virtuosity. It should come as no surprise that Esfahani is undaunted by such challenges, but what really sets this album apart is not his fingerwork but the way he exploits the capabilities of his instrument to also bring out the drama in these showy works … I have no hesitation in predicting that this recording will scoop award after award’ (Presto Classical)» More