‘Jansen’s take on Bach is both fresh and comfortingly familiar … she achieves a rare combination of old-school glamorous sound and the outdoorsy briskness of period playing. Gorgeous’ (The New York Times)

'Throughout these pieces Despax is finely accompanied by Carroll and the Orpheus Sinfonia. They get to show their serious metal in the Franck, their joie de vivre in the Saint-Saens and their sheer technical brilliance in Goss's magical but tricky textures. In each they shine' (Planet Hugill)» More

‘The superb quartet of soloists yields not a demisemiquaver to the competition. In a work incontestably smitten with the alto voice, Iestyn Davies triumphs, dependably warm and expressively supple. Matthew Brook's resplendent all-guns-blazing 'Grosser Herr' is gilded by David Blackadder's nimble trumpet and, throughout, James Gilchrist's relaxed and lyrical Evangelist maintains the narrative flow … crisp choral singing and exquisite accompaniment, this is a decidedly welcome addition to anyone's Christmas stocking’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘The soloist line-up is in general superior both technically and interpretatively, especially the ever-incisive James Gilchrist … the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment sounds thoroughly at home and Stephen Layton conducts with care and expertise’ (Gramophone)

‘Hough, Wigglesworth and the Salzburgers construct a towering edifice, conjuring waves of power and tapping veins of poetry from the depths of this perhaps least guarded of Brahms's creations [Concerto No 1] … there's nothing to argue with in either the conception or execution of these stimulating, heartfelt performances. The engineers did a tremendous job of capturing a fully dimensional, sensual sounds that is rich in detail, while providing a welcome true-to-life balance between piano and orchestra’ (International Record Review)» More

‘Works where Busoni found his truest voice … Hamelin, playing with unfaltering lucidity and authority, achieves an astonishing triumph even by his exalted standards. As always, Hyperion has done him proud … an album that could never be bettered’ (Gramophone)

‘These new performances prove to be everything that one would wish for in these taxing and often elusive works … a valuable release’ (International Record Review)» More

‘The finale of the D major sonata is a real treat, especially in Tanja Becker-Bender's superb account … the final C major is one of the jewels in Hindemith's sonata crown and draws superb playing from Becker-Bender and Nagy. Indeed, they are superb throughout’ (Gramophone)

‘Who else has ever captured the elusive, evanescent magic of early Debussy … to this extent; or relished Poulenc's delight in the quirky and urbane …? … his Brahms and Ravel may come in an unseemly and convoluted rush but his Mozart is a marvel of immaculate and nuanced virtuosity, and so, too is his Grieg’ (Gramophone)

‘Few pianists have the time and technique to devote to music that is so little-known. Marc-André Hamelin is the shining exception. He demonstrated his Busoni credentials more than a decade ago with an outstanding account of the Piano Concerto … Hamelin handles all with great intelligence. There's a swagger when the music demands it, a fabulously refined sense of sonority and transparency when required. The technical challenges are surmounted so effortlessly that you begin to take the confidence of his playing for granted, when in fact it's a remarkable achievement’ (The Guardian)» More

‘Worth hearing for Jansen’s driving speeds, nimble ornamentation, energy and elegant sense of Baroque style. The textures are spruce, and a particular success is the C minor Double Concerto with the delectable tone of oboist Ramón Ortega Quero’ (The Times)

‘There are some outstanding performances: Christopher Maltman's account of Miroirs brûlants and La fraîcheur et le feu (both based on Eluard), and the Calligrammes (on Apollinaire's texts) are worth the price on their own, while Sarah Fox is just as persuasive in Les chemins de l'amour as she is in Tel jour telle nuit. There are telling contributions, too, from Ailish Tynan, Susan Bickley and Ben Johnson, and a brief appearance in the Quatre chansons pour enfants by the English grande dame of French song Felicity Lott. Touchingly, one work also features the voice of baritone Pierre Bernac, Poulenc's recital partner, for whom many of the songs were composed; he's the narrator in a 1977 recording of L'histoire de Babar and the whole set is dedicated to his memory. It's a gorgeous collection, and for sometime Poulenc sceptics like me, a real revelation’ (The Guardian)» More