‘Bach wrote four cantatas for solo countertenor, two of which, BWV 35 and 169, incorporate magnificent concerto movements. So, they’re the perfect vehicles for the crack team of Iestyn Davies’s extraordinary vocal control and Arcangelo’s nimble-footedness … Schütz’s anguished Erbarm dich, published a century before, and Buxtehude’s equally desolate Klag-Lied (‘Elegy’) of 1674 provide a welcome change in mood, both works again showcasing Arcangelo’s burnished strings and Davies’s natural instinct for drama and heartfelt expression’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘The hallmarks of Hewitt’s artistry are in evidence: finger-work of nimble grace and steely strength; clarity of line; understated pedalling. These are considered readings that bring out the detail of Beethoven’s writing, captured in clear sound by Hyperion … Hewitt’s excellence as a Bach pianist pays dividends in the Baroque grandeur of the first movement [of Op 111] and the easy lilt and rhythmic games of the variations. And she gets to the heart of the Sonata’s existential journey, carrying us from the spiritual depths towards starlight’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘What a joy it is to explore this wonderful music through Stephen Hough's playing. He brings a marvellous flow to the melodies, with speeds generally on the brisker side, happily banishing wayward sentimentality … this goes into my recordings of the year pile. Hough plays with an elegance and suppleness that sounds as natural as breathing, every melodic line played with a weightless touch that belies the percussive nature of the instrument and decorative flourishes very often sounding like a spontaneous creations. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this set’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘This excellent collection of contemporary British choral works is a breath of fresh air, offering a gladly unstuffy vision of church music for the 21st century … beautifully performed and skilfully recorded, this is an altogether rewarding listen that inspires reflection and devotion’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘This is the final instalment of Howard Shelley’s well-received survey of the almost 200 solo piano pieces Mendelssohn somehow managed to scribble in his incredibly busy career … recorded in a full, close acoustic—almost as though one were standing next to the piano in some Victorian drawing-room—the solidity of Shelley’s pianism and his belief in this music comes over convincingly’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘A sense of serene, ethereal joy exuded here [BWV169] by counter-tenor Iestyn Davies—such tonal beauty and clean, clear line amongst the instrumentalists of Arcangelo, directed by Jonathan Cohen. The opening Sinfonia is an exuberant mini organ concerto which you might recognize because Bach also used it in an E major keyboard concerto … the organ sparkles around the alto solo in the first aria, Tom Foster revelling in the decorative curlicues as though he’s painting details on to a serenely beautiful marble sculpture … a lovely recording too, effectively balanced; all the busy instrumental lines framing the solo voice, the whole thing hovering in a church acoustic … it’s my Record of the Week’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Jonathan Dove’s Vast ocean of light makes a superb opener for the recording—the idea of luminescence and spaciousness in Phineas Fletcher’s text so effectively evoked—and it has a thunderous conclusion as well: Matthew Martin’s Behold now, praise the Lord, written in memory of organist John Scott, with an organ part he’d surely have loved, ending with a massive outburst of sound played with the forearm. It’s all been wonderfully captured in the building; all the space and dynamic range you could wish for’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Certain performers seem to find a Being John Malkovich-like secret portal to the brain of every composer they play. Marc-André Hamelin is certainly among them. And when the brain is that of the maverick of the Bach dynasty, Carl Philipp Emanuel, we can expect extraordinary things … Hamelin’s two generously filled discs make a strong case not only for the composer’s historic significance but also for the modern piano’s suitability to his limitless flights of imagination and unsettling juxtapositions … throughout the programme, Hamelin’s delight and relish are highly infectious. The informative booklet essay is by Mahan Esfahani, himself a seasoned CPE Bach exponent on the harpsichord. In short, I cannot think of a better introduction to CPE Bach on the modern piano than these two joyous discs’ (Gramophone)

‘Straddling the transition from the harpsichord to the piano, CPE Bach showed the way forward to a new instrumental sensibility, cultivating a new expressive language in a style which appealed to cognoscenti and amateur alike. Marc-André Hamelin delivers 50 tracks to brilliantly illustrate that argument, in an exploration of the composer’s own exploration of possible effects … at his best CPE wrote some lovely works: try the F sharp minor Fantasie written in his penultimate year, and his farewell to a beloved instrument, Abschied von meinem Silbermannischen Claviere in einem Rondo’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘The emotional core of this album is Dieterich Buxtehude’s Klag-Lied. It’s a sublime performance from Arcangelo under Jonathan Cohen, in particular the purring palpitations from viol players Kinga Gáborjáni and Reiko Ichise … and of course, there’s Davies’s bewilderingly unblemished tone, otherworldly at times … an altogether wonderful album entirely deserving of your time and money’ (Gramophone)

‘Now that Angela Hewitt has concluded her Beethoven sonata cycle with two of its ‘biggest guns’, it appears that she has also saved her best for last, interpretatively speaking … her flexible and fluid exposition [of the first movement of Op 106] abounds with vitality and variety of articulation … a heartfelt, sensitively nuanced Adagio sostenuto gorgeously showcases Hewitt’s refined finger legato technique … to say nothing of the pianist’s rapt concentration, hypnotic continuity and sustaining power [in the second movement of Op 111]. At 21 minutes, Hewitt’s Arietta is longer than most, yet there is not one slack or indulgent moment. Hewitt’s longtime producer Ludger Böckenhoff does full justice to both pianist and her resplendent new Fazioli grand’ (Gramophone)

‘With this sixth volume we reach the end of Howard Shelley’s journey through Mendelssohn’s solo piano music. And what a fascinating experience it has been. He’s the kind of artist … who’s a natural completist, able to reveal inspiration in even the most obscure corners, and as with previous releases, there are some striking discoveries. The care he takes over everything is a Shelley trademark—just sample how, in the opening Albumblatt, Op 117, he colours the move from churning minor to major. The disc is expertly programmed, too, so that there’s plenty of contrast (but not joltingly so) between tracks … the notes are by the Mendelssohn expert of our day, R Larry Todd, and Shelley is beautifully recorded, too’ (Gramophone)