‘In the case of Schumann’s first sonata it really didn’t take long for me to fall under the spell of the portentous melancholy of its first movement’s serpentine opening theme, Ibragimova’s violin releasing a shimmering liquidity which is so apt for the strangeness of the material. This is ideally balanced by Tiberghien’s fluid, flexible contribution, oscillating seamlessly between reticence and urgency … the slow movement [of No 2] could not be projected more tenderly—the restraint is both affecting and perfectly judged. Frankly I don’t think I have ever heard this delightful panel played with more grace. Nor is the contrast with the rolling and rising agitation of the finale excessively overwhelming, indeed the playing teases out the subtle, unpredictable modulations at the movement’s core. Ibragimova and Tiberghien’s account of a work which can frequently seem sprawling is outstanding; judiciously measured, beautifully shaded and utterly convincing … Andrew Keener’s production is a model of lucidity, notwithstanding the opacity of certain elements of Schumann’s design. Laura Tunbridge’s splendid note is effortlessly entertaining and musicologically helpful … neither aficionados of late Schumann nor newcomers to its unique allure need hesitate’ (MusicWeb International)

‘In every respect, these are stronger readings than [The Nash Ensemble's earlier] Virgin Classics outing, not least due to the splendid recording in All Saints’ Church, East Finchley, a favoured Hyperion venue, produced by Andrew Keener. The sound is fuller and richer, the microphone placement closer, capturing more detail … I enjoy Gonley’s impetuosity in her finale and Brendel’s introspective brooding. Davies, Power and Wakeford are wonderfully animated in their sonata … aptly, Debussy’s Faune opens Hyperion’s programme in an exquisite arrangement by David Walter for wind quintet, string quartet, double bass, harp and crotales, which loses little from Debussy’s heady orchestral score … Debussy’s sole String Quartet ends the disc … the Nash’s fleet-footed reading is enormously enjoyable, as is this entire disc’ (Gramophone)

‘Stile Antico aim straight for the top of the playlist with [Palestrina's] most famous Mass and some scarcely less famous motets … thanks to their flawless ensemble work, Stile Antico can project whatever they choose, and although their approach to the work is familiar, on their own terms one can hardly imagine it done better’ (Gramophone)

‘Guido Alberto Fano’s Andante e Allegro con fuoco (1900) is an appealing recollection of Romanticism from an earlier era … [Dallapiccola’s Piccolo Concerto displays] an elegance of dialogue or a delicacy of scoring to which Roberto Prosseda and Nir Kabaretti respond with like mind … an absorbing listen’ (Gramophone)

‘Throughout the disc you can hear a committed partnership well at work, and always at the music's service without undue affectation or hauteur’ (Classical Music Sentinel)

‘Written in 1936 but little-known now, the concerto is a giant, Technicolor work that’s a great fit both for Thibaudet’s flamboyant yet precise playing style and for the LA Philharmonic and their conductor Gustavo Dudamel’ (The Guardian)

‘Tremendous panache from the soloist and a play-it-for-all-it's-worth razzmatazz from conductor and orchestra … if a recording of Khachaturian’s concerto is wanted, this live performance makes a clear first choice. Thibaudet adds a selection of the composer’s solo piano pieces, including half a dozen of the Pictures of Childhood and the Masquerade Suite, all appealingly played’ (Financial Times)

‘The level of musical collaboration throughout this disc has remained peerless, the recorded production once more the courtesy of Andrew Keener’ (Audiophile Audition, USA)

‘The sensuous atmosphere of the mythical creature’s summer afternoon among nymphs and naiades [finds] new levels of intimacy in this arrangement by oboist and composer David Walter, and such a sensitive and deliciously coloured performance from The Nash Ensemble. Debussy’s String Quartet is here as well, but the other outstanding performances for me are the three sonatas, especially the contrast between Stephanie Gonley’s silvery sound in the Violin Sonata and the more muscular Adrian Brendel in the Cello Sonata … an excellent way to mark The Nash Ensemble’s sixtieth birthday’ (BBC Record Review)

‘The three sonatas out of a planned set of six that Debussy completed in the last years of his life are among the masterpieces of 20th-century chamber music, and it’s hard to think of a better way for the Nash Ensemble to mark their 60th anniversary than with a recording of these works, alongside Debussy’s String Quartet and an arrangement for 12 players of the Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune … the performances of the three sonatas are all outstanding … great music played with all the warmth and understanding it needs’ (The Guardian)

‘So they did it. The Orlando Consort’s project to record the complete polyphonic chansons and motets is complete with a large measure of monophonic works included to boot … it is an epic achievement and both The Orlando Consort and Hyperion Records deserve hearty praise and thanks … let us be grateful … it is a wonderful legacy’ (MusicWeb International)

‘Under the careful control of its co-founder, Amelia Freedman, the suave and buoyant Nash Ensemble has been enhancing our lives for so many years (60 to be exact) that it’s easy to take the group’s accomplishments for granted. This Debussy album sharply reminds us why we shouldn’t … sixty years have told us that with the Nash Ensemble’s musicians, whatever their repertoire, nothing can ever really go wrong’ (The Times)» More