‘I have to say that I have enjoyed this cycle a lot. The same concept of combining the symphonies with unusual and interesting ‘fillers’, the same creative team of conductor, orchestra and producer and (mainly) the same recording venue of the Watford Colosseum has seen commendable continuity across the cycle … this performance [of No 8] by Martyn Brabbins and the BBC SO is the equal of any recent performance I have heard. In part this is due to the sophistication and clarity of the recording which allows so many of the attractive details of the score to register. But also Brabbins is very good at allowing the music to unfold in an unforced and good-natured way. The second movement for wind and brass alone is especially bucolic but then the third movement for strings is beautifully lyrical and sustained without sounding at all forced …this cycle of the Vaughan Williams symphonies goes from strength to strength. Collectors who have already purchased earlier volumes can do so again with confidence. Everything about this Hyperion release is admirable … the final release is eagerly awaited’ (MusicWeb International)

‘One of the things that makes Osborne’s interpretations so appealing is the spontaneous ease with which they meet the ear. I can’t think of another reading of the Suite bergamasque that sounds so fresh, as though it were improvised on the spot. And what a happy solution to revivifying these well-trodden pages of the repertory, recapturing their inspiration: tempos tend towards the brisk, indulging the playful, yet always remain perfectly characterised and articulate. When, following the insouciant glissando that ends the ‘Menuet’ and arriving in the silvery light of ‘Claire de lune’, we discover a clean, masculine account, full of sentiment but far from sentimental, reminding us why this is one of the most beloved expressions ever confided to a piano. Once again we have the opportunity of hearing both a superb pianist in top form and a deep and perceptive musician at work. Don’t miss this one’ (Gramophone)

‘Horsch harnesses no less than nine different instruments, bringing a kaleidoscopic range of colours to the repertoire … the transcriptions, including several by Horsch herself, are an enchanting reminder of the fluidity of musical works, inviting us to recalibrate our listening’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Alina Ibragimova brings us an excellent, eloquent interpretation of Telemann’s Fantasias for solo violin. The sound of Henry Wood Hall is gorgeously captured by Hyperion … the Allegro that closes the Fantasia in G is full of punch and flair. The outer movements of the Fantasia in D are similarly athletic. Ibragimova’s playing is efficient yet resonant, and the balance between cultivated, high-art gigue and rustic energy achieved in the Allegro is a thing of genius. The Spirituoso from the Fantasia in E is exactly what it says on the tin. The playing is nimble, and Ibragimova’s subtle syncopations and sparkling filigree are a delight … overall a superb recording’ (Gramophone)

‘Alina Ibragimova [uses] her silky skills as a player to show us what magical pieces they are, dancing playfully and singing soulfully in these artful miniatures. It’s a lovely recording as well, a subtle framing of the solo violin that somehow emphasizes the player’s isolation and the intimacy of the music’ (BBC Record Review)

‘It was the sixth symphony that immediately grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and wouldn’t let go. Well, it always should with its opening howl of orchestral anguish … such a perfectly paced performance from the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martyn Brabbins and the sheer detail and shimmering beauty of the recording itself means that you don’t miss a thing … this has become an unmissable Vaughan Williams cycle for the Hyperion label: just one volume to come, this penultimate one’s my Record of the Week’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Alina Ibragimova’s new recording of the set’s 41 movements runs to 65 minutes, and she is always judicious in choosing not to probe the music for Bachian profundities that it doesn’t have to offer. Her 'less is more' approach is highly appealing, bringing an attractive dancing lilt to many of the faster movements in a set where actual dance designations are rare indeed. Her eschewal of vibrato even in the slow movements, and her light-fingered dexterity in the fast ones, make the most of the music’s contrasts. So forget Bach: think instead of a sequence of delectable morsels, exquisitely presented’ (The Irish Times)» More

‘Everything about this recording of Schubert’s great cycle is distinguished. Producer Mark Brown and engineer Ben Connellan have recorded the performers most sympathetically. Richard Wigmore brings his expert knowledge to the booklet essay. But, above all, it’s the two musicians on whom the focus falls. Gerald Finley’s singing is superb from start to finish. The sheer sound of his evenly-produced voice is a great pleasure in itself but it’s the perceptive way in which he uses the voice that sets the performance apart. He’s absolutely convincing in the Schubertian idiom and he seems to penetrate unerringly to the expressive heart of song after song. In Julius Drake he has a wonderfully supportive and perceptive partner. Between them, these two musicians offer an outstanding performance of the cycle which draws you in and doesn’t let you go. I have many versions of Die schöne Müllerin in my collection. This one takes a place of honour on the shelves’ (MusicWeb International)

‘Marc-André Hamelin is of course celebrated not only for his astonishing technique—he has some of the fleetest fingers in the business—but also for his championing of lesser-known composers, which certainly includes Bolcom as far as we on this this side of the pond are concerned. He brings his usual precision, verve and sensitivity to these delightful pieces, which seem to me, as a collection, to be even finer than Joplin’s. indeed, I can’t wait to get hold of the sheet music and have a go at some of them myself. The recording is impeccable. Strongly recommended’ (MusicWeb International)

‘Incapable of giving a dull performance in any repertoire, Ibragimova gives every phrase its own colour and character and brings out all the invention and fun in music that effortlessly enlivens old-word procedures with 18th-century elegance and wit. Ibragimova rocks, and Telemann does too’ (The Times)

‘Osborne [is] not only a sympathetic and insightful interpreter but one who looks beyond the impressionistic tag that Debussy was less than chuffed with. So, while there is plenty of tenderness, painterly descriptions, and intimacies, fine-line sketches, luminosity, enchantment, there can also be louder and harder touches, or less sentiment, than expected, all in the name of extending the music’s possibilities, and a listener’s rethink, Osborne being very persuasive with his decision’ (colinscolumn.com)» More

‘Steven Osborne find[s] such limpid but perfectly focused tone and range of colours. This isn’t ‘impressionistic’ Debussy in that mistake sense that there’s a wash of sound or smears of paint—detail, delicacy, refinement, full dynamic range in early and late Debussy, from the Bohemian dance that’s his first piano piece in 1880 through to the relatively recently rediscovered thank-you for a coal delivery during the First World War. I was transfixed by the beauty and clarity of this recital’ (BBC Record Review)