‘Wonderful stuff … the playing is incredibly classy, and in the second movement [of Op 77 No 1] there’s an improvised, almost operatic feel to the first violin writing, and it’s very hard to make something like that feel natural … it’s so tastefully judged’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Vocal ensemble The Gesualdo Six is known for its Renaissance polyphony, with lucid and hauntingly beautiful performances of Josquin, Gesualdo, Tallis and the like, but with their album Fading—a couple of years ago—they began combining ancient and modern music with themes of darkness and light. Their new recording, Lux aeterna, takes this further: eternal light, an exploration of grief, musical responses to mourning and loss, uncertainty and hope. It’s a strikingly effective sequence … [A Good-Night is] a touching way to end this beautifully sequenced exploration of different sides of mourning and loss … six centuries of music, beautifully recorded’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Since for Esfahani any performance starts from a position where everything is freshly, indeed forensically reconsidered, Clavier-Übung II offers particularly rich pickings. Bach sets out not only to demonstrate how thoroughly he understands the flagship styles of Italy and France, but also how he can bend them to his own purposes. The interpretive possibilities are catnip to the harpsichordist who proves himself stylishly bilingual … the concluding Presto [of the Italian Concerto] goes off like a rocket trailing scarcely-containable energy—the end thundering like Wanda Landowska on steroids … altogether, a challenge to complacency that can’t be ignored’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘One thing is certain about this new recording by the Takács Quartet: you will not hear better string quartet playing anywhere in the world today. The technical perfection can almost be taken for granted, but there is also the warmth and affection of the performances, and the insight into the visionary slow movements, especially the wonderful Adagio of Op 77 No 1. The Decca recording of these pieces by the original all-Hungarian Takács Quartet, now more than 30 years old and long-since deleted, still sounds very well and has perhaps a touch more gypsy exuberance in the finales; but this new version, which throws in the lone small-scale Quartet Op 42 as a bonus, is to be treasured’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘This affecting collection contains music for mourning and remembrance … the great experience and skill of these singers provide perfect tuning in pieces such as Tallis’s In ieiunio (sung at low pitch) and superb phrasal breathing (especially in Morales’s Parce mihi)’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘Mahan Esfahani couldn’t make a routine recital of Bach’s keyboard music if you paid him to … what a great way to end a Bach harpsichord recital … I love that final ‘ping’ as he lifts his hands from the keys. Bach’s Italian Concerto begins the album, leaping into life with irresistible immediacy, bristling with trills and decorations like little fireworks bursting over the left hand’s propulsive leaps, and it’s easy to share the sense of satisfaction at the range of sounds Esfahani’s harpsichord produces under his fingers, recorded in a well-handled church acoustic: there’s a lovely halo around everything with no loss of detail, and the bass of the instrument fully captured. Mahan’s notes are as engaging and communicative as his playing’ (BBC Record Review)

‘It’s the highest quality Haydn; more restrained performances than some contemporary quartets, but with a poise, nobility and elegance that’s hugely rewarding, and a richness of tone that does nothing to undermine the wit of Haydn’s finales. You come away from it wondering once again at Haydn’s imagination and his inventiveness’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Plenty to relish here, music and performance’ (colinscolumn.com)» More

‘Mouton, like so many composers too easily categorised as Josquinian aftershocks, comes to life in the hands of The Brabant Ensemble and the results are eye-opening … the singers bring real excitement to the full sonorities of the six-voice works in particular … there is a lot of variety in [the] Mass and indeed in the selection throughout the programme. From the late-medieval feel of Gaude virgo Katherina to the imitative exuberance of Illuminare, illuminare, Jerusalem, Mouton delivers on many levels, and The Brabant Ensemble perform his works with verve and brilliance’ (Gramophone)

‘Benjamin Frith demonstrates virtuosity in abundance, partnering cellist Adrian Brendel in the Introduction and a Russian Dance and joining the unusual instrumentarium (piano, harp, clarinet, bassoon, horn, double bass) for the Op 142 Sextet’s kaleidoscopic timbral combinations and lively Hungarian finale, all persuasively delivered. The other pianist, Simon Crawford-Phillips, stands out in the Grand Sextet Op 100 … clear, clean recordings’ (The Strad)» More

‘This is a super disc, and the music is impeccably performed throughout. I detect hints of Beethoven, Chopin, Weber, Field and Hummel in the piano and orchestral writing. Both concertos and the Rondeau are well constructed, and are a delight from start to finish. This is the sort of music that will have you humming the tunes for days, so well and logically composed that you can almost predict where will go next. Congratulations to Hyperion, Howard Shelley and the Ulster Orchestra for committing these fine works to disc. They are a delight, and will be frequently played in this household!’ (MusicWeb International)

‘In short, there’s no better Reynaldo Hahn piano collection on the market’ (Classics Today)» More