‘An attractive disc, offering satisfying variety. It wins my whole-hearted recommendation’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘You barely miss the orchestration at all in the first published version of The Rite for piano four-hands (as played by Stravinsky and Debussy in the summer of 1912), thanks to the marvellous range of colours conjured from the keyboard by Andsnes and Hamelin, and the clarity which they bring to even the most thickly-textured passages is a revelation. Their reading of the Circus Polka ‘for a young elephant’ has galumphing charm in spades’ (Presto Classical)

‘There is much to enjoy from portions of the Missa Salve sancta parens—forward momentum and earthy singing contrasting with welcome restraint, intimacy, and refinement … this account [of Ascendens Christus in altum] is an excellent reason to look out for Févin, and this generous forty-two-track release is supplied with Stephen Rice’s comprehensive booklet note and texts and translations’ (Classical Source)

‘Clayton is on communicative form, essaying the many moods with a beguiling sense of spontaneity and with every word telling. His ability to sing ethereally and lightly is a distinct asset as is the capacity to darken the tone and bring a sense of wild urgency to passages. The programming is clever, too, in presenting different versions of the same verse’ (Classical Source)

‘The way those voices move—the way a chorus of multiple voices can suddenly diverge into a duet between soprano and alto or tenor and bass, and the way everything weaves together in a common sense of belief and purpose—is as fascinating as it is beautiful. Beauty also seems a byword for the 20-year old Brabant Ensemble. Recorded in All Saints' Church, East Finchley, London near the start of 2018, the 12-voice ensemble sounds ideally smooth and well-balanced. The sopranos, whose high range exhibits a luminous purity characteristic of English Renaissance vocal ensembles, and whose basses plumb the depths without sounding as though Hades has any chance of overwhelming God's kingdom, blend perfectly with the other voices. Thanks to recording engineer David Hinitt, the balance between vocal clarity and acoustic reverberation is near-ideal’ (Stereophile)

‘Downright glorious … the colourful, jazz-infused score evokes a lively and quixotic city that never sleeps. It is of course pure Bernstein; the tunes are oh-so-memorable and the performances are wide-eyed and big-hearted, which is just as it should be’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Emmanuel Despax convinces that a resurrection [of the Bronsart] is in order: the rousing—and just a little gaudy—first movement is countered by a gorgeous Adagio; Despax is dolce throughout. The energetic Tarantella finale sees pianist and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra share frothy melodies.’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Here's that increasing rarity: a Baroque disc with no conceptual axe to grind, no over-arching theme—save for giving members of The English Concert a concerto moment in the sun—and seemingly out to do little more than delight (which it does so in spades) … galvanised, buoyant, everything is moulded with scrupulous good taste and sparkle’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘The Brabant Ensemble sing with an unfussy elegance, keeping textures clear and unhurried; I particularly like the simplicity with which they approach the most emotional moments such as the Credo’s ‘Crucifixus etiam pro nobis’ and ‘Et resurrexit tertia die’ … the real jewel on this disc is the motet Ascendens Christus in altum. Fuller and richer than one might expect from Févin, a recent discovery has firmed up his attribution. This motet in particular suits The Brabant Ensemble extremely well, showcasing their wonderfully bright sopranos in a ravishing trio, ‘Elevatis manibus ferebatur in caelum’ (‘Lifting his hands, he was carried up to heaven’). These larger motets with cascading upper voices are what this ensemble does best, and this particular one is especially gorgeous’ (Gramophone)

‘From the start, the qualities of the playing are as good as ever … with the sweet, fibrous sound of gut strings, limited application of vibrato, unanimity of phrasing and articulation, and an unerring instinct for tempos: slow movements that sing, soulfully; swift finales, but nothing unmusically fast; and well-pointed minuets and trios. Intimately recorded … but with warmth around that grain and detail’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Reviewing the LHQ’s Op 50 set in 2016 I found their performances ‘civilised, carefully prepared and spacious to a T’, and nothing here makes me revise that … finales are crisply articulated with plenty of dancelike bounce—the final Prestos of Nos 1 and 6 being wonderfully buoyant cases in point. So there’s plenty of character here (the performance of the undervalued No 3 in B flat is particularly coherent and engaging) … Hyperion’s recorded sound captures that small-room acoustic persuasively while still letting Jonathan Manson’s cello glow, and you do get the sense (more vital to Op 64 than the quartets that succeeded it) of this music being something understood between friends’ (Gramophone)

‘How does Leslie Howard keep finding these pieces? The most substantial here is the original Hungarian Rhapsody No 23, which already sounds like a polished work. With his rounded, penetrating tone, Howard always underlines the beauty of the music, playing the Rhapsody as a fully fledged masterpiece.’ (Pianist)