‘Throughout this recording, The Elysian Singers under Sam Laughton are excellent, rising to every challenge that James MacMillan poses and coming out shining. They set a very high standard in their earlier recording of his music, but here they surpass it. The acoustic is very good indeed and this helps the Elysian’s perfect diction come through clear and bright, while the beautiful sound of Alexandra Caldon’s violin is perfectly balanced so that it does not detract from the vocal line and is never itself overpowered. The brief introductions to the music in the booklet are very good; full texts are given in English and, where applicable, Latin. This is a very fine disc and a must for any follower of the music of James MacMillan’ (MusicWeb International)

‘I admired the Leonore Trio’s first Parry CD very much and this follow-up release is just as good. In saying that I’m referring both to the interest, accomplishment and value in the music itself and also to the excellent performances. Parry’s music could not be in better hands. The recordings themselves come from the same source as the first disc and the sound quality is excellent. As ever, Jeremy Dibble’s notes provide a thorough and reliable introduction to the music’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Phibbs (born 1974), writing especially for van de Wiel, has created a four-movement work of considerable appeal. A lyrical opening might be heard as dawn breaking, with some enchanted chords suggesting glints of sunrise, before a slinky dance emerges (as if Malcolm Arnold had visited America wearing a blue suit) … once again Warren-Green conducts with attention to detail (he is a former concertmaster of the Philharmonia Orchestra) and van de Wiel’s colleagues offer complete support to the unflagging clarinettist, Hatch again capturing the distinction of the music and this performance’ (Classical Source)» More

‘The secret to performing Howells’s music … is to catch its very English way of expressing deep feeling, which works by repression and hints rather than direct statement. Guy Johnston does this especially well in his performance of the Cello Concerto, which emerges as a substantial piece. And it’s not all repression; with the surprisingly joyful and energetic Finale he really seizes the moment’ (The Telegraph)» More

‘Scottish tenor Nicky Spence brings thrilling ardour and emotional angst to Janáček’s passionate outpourings; Czech mezzo Václava Housková joins him as the gypsy girl; Julius Drake handles the piano writing wonderfully, by turns tender and poignant, urgent and explosive as Janáček takes us from the first flush of young love to self-hatred, doubt and a tortured destiny … the Diary burns with anguish, passion … I love it, which is why it's my Record of the Week’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Hugo Ticciati clearly delights in the elusive … so put on the kettle, give this disc a spin, and maybe in under an hour you'll also be booking flights to Kathmandu: whatever Ticciati's drinking, I want some too’ (Gramophone)

«De son Yamaha (« l'un des plus fins instruments que j'aie joué »), Cédric Tiberghien tire des sonorités d'une grande variété, sans chercher à rendre cette musique plus aimable qu'elle ne l'est—Sunt lacrymae rerum et les deux Cyprès baignent dans une humeur auprès de laquelle l'ébène serait couleur de rose … le large ambitus dynamique fait de Sursum corda une apothéose qui est aussi libération» (Classica, France)» More

‘Esfahani is, for many people, the greatest living harpsichordist, a musician of rare sensitivity and taste. This fine artist has considerable technique but he never flaunts it and all his gifts are here devoted to the service of Bach in performances of remarkably committed quality. Hyperion has given him a recording of first-class quality, and there is not a soiled note anywhere. A rare and, in its way, a thrilling and moving set of unbeatable performances’ (Musical Opinion)

‘Clarity is the key quality of the recording as much as of these performances … Angela Hewitt evidently works hard to make every detail, however tiny, tell, while at the same time striving for perfection of overall form … Hewitt also has an ability to relish surprise, while making sure that the thing we're led to expect makes more sense than what was anticipated’ (BBC Music Magazine)

'Het BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is een van Hyperions favoriete huisorkesten (vaak zijn radio-uitzendingen gekoppeld aan de cd-releases). Linus Roth en Antony Hermus zijn nieuw in de serie, maar maken zich al meteen volledig waar. De Duitser Roth speelt vaker onbekend repertoire en zet zijn Dancla-Stradivarius met hartstocht en een lyrische mooie toon in voor deze muziek alsof het om meesterwerken gaat. En dat worden ze dan vanzelf. Even idiomatisch, met hoorbare toewijding, wordt er gedirigeerd door ‘onze' Antony Hermus en daarmee wordt deze cd een feest om naar te luisteren. Ik heb het vaker gezegd: provinciaalsheid werkt in zo'n geval averechts, topuitvoeringen moeten het zijn. Kopen!' (Opus Klassiek, Netherlands)» More

‘In the beguiling slow movement [of the Scharwenka] he soars most affectingly above the stave and makes the most of the delightful finale, a movement that I can see becoming popular in its own right’ (Gramophone)

‘But restraint is only part of the picture. It’s when the pedal goes down (literally and metaphorically) that this disc really soars, startling the ear into ecstasy with the sudden release of Rachmaninov’s Cherubic Hymn, the ‘bright Seraphim’ of Parry’s Blest pair of sirens and the ‘triumphant shout’ of Finzi’s God is gone up, trumpet calls courtesy of Glen Dempsey and the chapel’s mighty Mander organ. Hopefully it’s a fanfare that will continue to sound for another 150 years’ (Gramophone)