'A good choice for anybody wanting a first taste of Chapelle du Roi's splendid Tallis series … an attractive, coherent musical sequence' (The Daily Telegraph)» More

'Many of these compositions are simple and functional, but that does not mean that they lack charm or an individual voice … the psalm settings from Archbishop Parker's Psalter, in particular, are very sweetly performed, with each representing a different mood, often in interesting ways' (BBC Music Magazine)» More

'Thomas Tallis lived through tempestuous political changes that directly affected how he was allowed to compose. Under Queen Mary he was yoked to Roman Catholic orthodoxy. It must have pleasantly surprised him that on Elizabeth I's accession he was free to continue setting Latin texts, albeit with modifications to his former opulent style. This disc includes 16 works of this second period. The simplicity of a moving penitential piece for Lent, In Ieiunio et Fletu—given in two versions—is balanced by the brilliant double canon of Miserere Mei Nostri and the intense polyphony of the confessional motet Absterge Domine. The climax is Tallis's most celebrated work: the 40-part motet, Spem in Alium. Conductor Alistair Dixon paces and balances the voices of his vocal group Chapelle du Roi beautifully, making the very most of the work's amazing textural and spacial contrasts' (The Evening Standard)

'Listening to it in the context of Tallis' other contemporary settings of Latin texts makes it all the more enjoyable and it provides a breath-taking climax to the present recording, The Tallis complete works is one of the most exciting projects currently underway on any early music label, and Signum are to be warmly congratulated on the inspiring results. Thoroughly recommended' (Early Music Scotland)» More

'The King's Singers have spooned out some sugar in their 35 year existence, though on their new release Christmas (****) they seem determined to prove themselves serious and slim. Signum SIGCD502 begins with plainsong (Veni, veni Emmanuel), immaculately delivered, though nothing beats the sixteenth-century Coventry Carol six tracks later, its passing harmonic abrasions particularly striking in the Singers' unique colouring (six voices, all male). They avoid red-nosed reindeer territory, but sprinkle the familiar with novelties such as a bubbling hymn to the Virgin from Arvo Pärt, and Jeremy Lubbock's arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Crown of Roses, deftly laced with the blues' (The Times)

'In many ways, Praetorius was the most versatile German composer of his period. Whatever he turned his hand to, whether psalms, motets or hymns, the result was always highly imaginative and engaging, even though he wrote over 1000 choral settings. Es ist Ein Ros' entsprungen is sung here by the King's Singers, taken from their new album. The piece also exists as one of 11 chorale preludes written by Brahms in 1896. A great antidote to all those 'Yet more Carols from St Tedious' Cathedral, Dullshire' compilations that flood the market at this time of year. The King's Singers' style is beautifully detailed, and even the most familiar carols sound fresh. The diction isn't always as clear as it might be, but it's hardly a problem with works as popular as these' (Classic FM)

‘If you want non-pareil sound and a stunning performance then this is now the place to go’ (MusicWeb International)

‘Shostakovich’s two piano concertos usually come across as sparkling, riotous, satirical works—which they are. But what makes this disc special is the way that Hamelin, Litton and the trumpeter Mark O’Keeffe, a crucial soloist in the first concerto, uncover so much more. In the hyperactive finales, Hamelin rolls up his sleeves and sets to with absolute glee—yet it is the slow movements that carry the real key’ (Classic FM)» More

'This ongoing project by the excellent British choir Chapelle du Roi to record all of Tallis's music here includes one-word-per-note homophonic anthems and chants for the Anglican church, His best-known tunes are among the 33 tracks Canon (with juicy flattened sevenths in the alto) Ordinal and Why fumeth in fight (of which Vaughan Williams famously made variations) are sung with plaintive simplicity, exquisite balance and clear diction, virtues that characterise the whole estimable disc' (Classic FM)

‘Shostakovich’s two piano concertos usually come across as sparkling, riotous, satirical works—which they are. But what makes this disc special is the way that Hamelin, Litton and the trumpeter Mark O’Keeffe, a crucial soloist in the first concerto, uncover so much more. In the hyperactive finales, Hamelin rolls up his sleeves and sets to with absolute glee—yet it is the slow movements that carry the real key’ (Classic FM)» More

‘If you want non-pareil sound and a stunning performance then this is now the place to go’ (MusicWeb International)

‘If you want non-pareil sound and a stunning performance then this is now the place to go’ (MusicWeb International)