‘A Christmas favourite, the cantata St Nicolas, in which Stephen Layton directs an interpretation of subtlety and dramatic thrust’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘Britten's joyous cycle of nine carols is so closely associated with boys' voices that it comes as a surprise to learn that he conceived it for female choir—and very attractive it sounds in this version with the women's voices of Trinity College Choir, whose recessional 'Alleluia' is as vividly captured as the contributions of harpist Sally Pryce. The Saint Nicolas cantata, with the City of London Sinfonia and a chorus including the boys of Temple Church Choir, receives an equally vivid performance. A Christmas disc to savour’ (Financial Times)

‘Ceremony of Carols is pretty much unalloyed inspiration and delight … brilliantly accompanied by Sally Pryce, who delivers a spellbinding performance of the beautiful Interlude’ (International Record Review)

‘An ideal coupling … Layton's sopranos and mezzos affect a purity that sounds 'boyish'. Their intonation in the piquant harmonies of Wolcum Yole impresses … in the cantata, Allan Clayton's Nicolas is more youthful-sounding than his predecessors, but Layton captures the mystery-play-like drama of the saint's life story’ (The Sunday Times)

‘As the Britten centenary looms into view, it is good to be able to offer an enthusiastic welcome to this sparkling release of two of his 1940s 'classic' scores … Allan Clayton makes the role of Nicolas entirely his own. What a glorious voice! … the hearty sailors, Pickled Boys and St Trinian's-like piano duettists are all on top form. This is a beautiful and deeply affecting recording’ (Gramophone)

‘Hugh plays with such clean attack and flawless intonation that the often thorny textures are wonderfully clarified’ (The Guardian)

‘This is a brilliant anthology, wonderfully performed and beautifully recorded’ (TheArtsDesk.com)

‘The listener is struck by the remarkable variety and richness of sound the composer conjures up from a single instrument, rather than any feeling of limitation. Alban Gerhardt's performances underline this impresssion: his tone is gorgeously opulent and he revels in the composer's aural inventiveness … Gerhardt produces a stunning range of colour in 'Bordone' and uncannily transforms his cello into a guitar in 'Serenata' … the brilliance of the cellist's playing, as well as his vision of the work, is more than matched by the outstanding pianism of Steven Osborne. The Cello Symphony is one of Britten's supreme masterpieces’ (International Record Review)

‘This poetic, virtuosic player makes a powerful case for the three unaccompanied Cello Suites’ (The Observer)

‘Here we have Britten at the height of his powers, inspired by the charismatic personality of one of the 20th century's greatest musicians … the Cello Symphony is less frequently performed than the more accessible earlier concertos, but Gerhardt makes one of the strongest cases for it on disc … he truly comes into his own in the solo suites’ (The Sunday Times)

‘Given Gerhardt's fine Britten credentials, this makes a recommendable package: performances are well judged, with clean-cut rhythms and good attention to detail’ (Gramophone)

‘There is every reason to explore this set with Alban Gerhardt. He is fully in command of the technical subtleties, detailed expressive facets and structural scope of the Cello Symphony, and Andrew Manze … has the measure of the music's spectrum of deep reflectiveness and dramatic force. Strongly and sensitively partnered by Steven Osborne, Gerhardt gives a wonderfully vital performance of the Cello Sonata, alert to the cunning interplay between the two instruments and to the rhythmic wiliness that characterises the opening movement … in the solo suites … Gerhardt's playing is supple, richly coloured and articulated with the utmost finesse. These performances demonstrate a mature affinity with Britten's personal style in an important and compelling body of music’ (The Daily Telegraph)