‘There is no doubting Howard Shelley’s superbly stylish and dynamic playing, his score-serving virtuosity and sensitivity a marvel on its own terms; and his direction of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra brings tight-knit ensemble and much responsiveness, admirably recorded’ (Classical Source)» More

‘We’re treated to lively tempos, exemplified in the Cum Sancto Spiritu, … unusually transparent textures (you hear every voice, every instrumental line in the opening Kyrie, for example), first-rate soloists, and one of the more articulate and singer-sensitive orchestras you’ll hear in this music … as one who’s revisited more than a dozen recorded versions of the B minor Mass while preparing this review, my conclusion is that this one offers stylistically sound, true-to-Bach performances that are both modern yet historically informed, whose interpretive point of view and technical details will stand the test of time—and whose choral vocalism is a marvel’ (Classics Today)

‘Layton’s Bach is rightly prized for its clear-headed vision and lack of eccentricity. He has a fine team of soloists: Katherine Watson and Helen Charlston’s bright voices blend ideally in the Christe eleison, and Gwilym Bowen and Neal Davies are both stalwarts in their solos. But it is Iestyn Davies’s singing of Qui sedes that takes this release into the realms of greatness. The OAE, with trumpets and drums in full cry in the Gloria, Osanna and Dona nobis pacem, make a splendid sound. Highly recommended’ (The Sunday Times)» More

‘Is there more gladdening, life-enhancing piano music than that of those later 19th-century Spaniards Albéniz, Granados and Falla? Ohlsson’s lovely, spirited accounts of a judicious selection from Falla’s output for the instrument make for a seductive disc. Opening with the unforgettably characterised Cuatro piezas españolas, and closing with the brilliantly terse Fantasia Baetica, the album also has the compelling Homenaje 'Pour le tombeau de Claude Debussy'’ (The Sunday Times)

‘If you needed an aural demonstration of how the musical tectonic plates were shifting in the years spanning JS Bach’s arrival in Leipzig and the emergence of the young Mozart you would be hard pressed to find a more illuminating disc than this latest offering from Arcangelo … Cohen plays the theatricality of the JC Bach to the hilt, while acknowledging the homage to JS in the opening of CPE’s setting’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘Katherine Watson, already a busy soloist, has a delightful baroque soprano voice … but it is Iestyn Davies who serves up this recording’s jewel in his first recorded Agnus Dei, a masterclass in technique, vocal beauty and moving musicality that it is hard to imagine surpassed … this is a fresh and attractive B minor Mass, with plenty in it to enjoy’ (Gramophone)

‘The Third Concerto was admired by both Mendelssohn and Schumann. I’ll admit it’s difficult not to be enticed by the mysteriously atmospheric Romanza, with its delicate pizzicato accompaniment and folksy melodic accent. But this concerto is also the most frankly flamboyant of the three, and what impresses me most in Shelley’s interpretation is how he makes the ornamental sound meaningfully expressive. Truth be told, I approached this release with muted enthusiasm, believing the music to be of sturdy but slender charm. I’m delighted to stand corrected. This generously packed, beautifully recorded disc is—like so many in Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series—simply revelatory’ (Gramophone)

‘It’s good to hear Bernstein’s original design of the solo for a countertenor being respected for once. Allsopp makes much more of the words than most trebles, and there is an arresting immediacy to both performance and recording: try the vertigo-inducing violins at the outset of the third movement [of the Chichester Psalms] … a remarkably assured account of Friede auf Erden’ (Gramophone)

‘British soprano Lucy Crowe seems versatile enough to tackle anything from Baroque to the present day … Crowe’s bright, pure tone suits the music well: she is extremely precise and can spin out the lightest of silken vocal lines without any extraneous fuss. Her delicacy is admirable, supported throughout by Malcolm Martineau’s sensitivity at the piano’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘In wonderful voice throughout, Crowe very much makes this repertory her own. Ascents into the stratospheres are all beautifully and securely accomplished, and those long melismas are tautly controlled and always expressive, never vacuous … Martineau, who has been the series’ presiding genius, is a flawless Debussy interpreter, meanwhile, playing with infinite subtlety, nuance and colour. Exceptional’ (Gramophone)

‘Garrick Ohlsson seems to be on a roll lately. He’s recording more prolifically than ever and is constantly expanding his recorded repertoire … he embraces the idiom with ease and fluidity, and leaves few small details unnoticed … Roger Nichols provides scholarly and informative annotations, and the engineering is first-class’ (Gramophone)

‘O’Donnell encourages really graceful long-arced phrases from his trebles and maintains an overall more consistent tone [in the Mass]. The finest singing on this disc, however, is undoubtedly Ave Maria, ancilla Trinitatis: an exceptional work and a superb performance. The choir are heard at their finest in the more impassioned moments, of which this votive antiphon offers many’ (Gramophone)