‘These are enthralling performances. Esfahani’s playing feels free and spontaneous without losing the underlying pulse of the music. The toccatas display their brilliance proudly. One can imagine the young Bach showing off his prowess just like this’ (Financial Times)

‘The handpicked musicians beaver through happily, led by the prancing and dynamic David Owen Norris, armed with an 1826 Broadwood piano. Familiar music, delightfully played, viewed from a novel perspective; in a word, irresistible’ (The Times)

‘Impeccably judged sound and balance throughout; authoritative annotations, too, from Paul Spicer and Jonathan Clinch. All told, a hugely rewarding issue, and absolutely not be missed’ (Gramophone)

‘[Nicky Spence] sings with sensitivity and intelligence, projects the words with consistent clarity and covers this wonderful cycle’s broad emotional range movingly and convincingly … the couplings are hardly less fine … Drake offers vividly etched playing once more (listen to his way with the cimbalom-like strums and melismas that accompany the vocal line in ‘Rosemary’), while Voice join in for a rip-roaring account of the final song, ‘Musicians’. It’s a fitting conclusion to an album that offers much to celebrate: a superb achievement by Spence and Drake, in particular, and as persuasive an introduction to Janáček’s songs as you’ll find. Excellent engineering and presentation from Hyperion crown an outstanding release—highly recommended’ (Gramophone)

‘Large-scale choral works by James MacMillan, such as his early Seven Last Words from the Cross or the more recent Stabat mater, have received plenty of critical attention in the past, so it’s good at last to see a disc featuring the composer’s shorter, a cappella pieces … MacMillan’s strength lies in his ability to fuse sacred polyphonic, secular popular, folk and modernist elements into a musical language that remains distinct and immediately identifiable … this is an impressive recording overall’ (Gramophone)

‘Director Andrew Kirkman characterises Midlands alabaster as 'easily malleable and beautifully luminous', a description that could readily be applied not only to the programme he's artfully assembled, but equally to the Binchois's performance of it. Theirs is a music-making with all sense of ‘self' expunged’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘Possibly the biggest takeaway of this release, however, is the superb artistry of Simon Callaghan. Already represented by two discs in Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series, it is a pleasure to encounter his solo work. Clearly a musician of curiosity and discernment, Callaghan’s robust piano-playing is also thoughtful, subtle and refined. I look forward to hearing whatever he does next’ (Gramophone)

‘Altogether, this is an album to spend time with and relish as one's familiarity with this music grows in performances which capture the genial warmth as well as the seriousness of this great but gently spoken composer’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘The Leonores sound like they’ve lived with and loved these pieces for years: they surf the ebb and flow of Parry’s surging, often tempestuous lyricism with the same grace and style that they bring to the radiant sunset codas that close the first movements of each work … even had there been a century-long tradition of recording Parry’s chamber music, I suspect this would still shoot straight to the top of the heap’ (Gramophone)

‘Set down hard on the heels of an acclaimed concert performance in Glasgow during May 2018, Thomas Dausgaard’s new recording of Kullervo has lots in its favour. Not the least of its many virtues is the enthusiastic, scrupulously prepared and rhythmically spry contribution of the BBC Scottish SO (a shout-out to their crisply articulate strings and irresistibly ‘vocal’ woodwinds in particular). Plaudits, too, for Dausgaard’s purposeful, keen-eared direction, some shrewdly chosen tempos ensuring that Sibelius’s daringly ambitious scheme unfolds with impressive cumulative power; certainly, his lithe, red-blooded handling of the remarkable central scena (‘Kullervo and his sister’) plunges the listener into the thick of the action—an impression reinforced by the comparatively upfront balance afforded to soloists Helena Juntunen and Benjamin Appl (both of whom cover themselves in glory) … all told, a hearty welcome to this fresh-faced newcomer’ (Gramophone)

‘Barley's restraint [in The Protecting Veil] proves perfectly judged and a performance of great tenderness and eloquence unfolds, well matched by the excellent Sinfonietta Rīga’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Graced with a plush-sounding recording, the Leonore Piano Trio with Rachel Roberts offer incandescent readings which will win over many to these captivating scores’ (MusicWeb International)» More