‘From the outset, performing with one voice to a part, the male-voice ensemble The Gesualdo Six brings the intimacy and detail of consort music to these accounts. Josquin’s Marian works ‘O virgo prudentissima’ and ‘Illibata Dei virgo nutrix’ sound aptly radiant, while there’s a sense of hushed reverence in ‘Tu solus qui facis mirabilia’, the singers floating quotations from Ockeghem’s chanson ‘D’ung aultre amer’ as if they were wistful memories … throughout the programme, the singing is beautifully controlled … and the ensemble is finely balanced. Hyperion’s close-recorded perspective gives the words a particular immediacy while the warm acoustic wraps the listener in a velvet shroud’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘The Takács Quartet has sustained an admiring following through its changes of personnel down the years, and their exceptional precision of tuning and ensemble, especially at full-tilt Mendelssohnian pace, remains as impressive as ever’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘The Takács Quartet has sustained an admiring following through its changes of personnel down the years, and their exceptional precision of tuning and ensemble, especially at full-tilt Mendelssohnian pace, remains as impressive as ever’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Be clear about one thing: this is not just another recording of Chopin’s Nocturnes. The roll-call of pianists who have recorded these much-loved pieces is long and prestigious, but in comparisons with a dozen of the best this new recording is immediately distinctive … nobody else creates quite this magic … a memorable recording’ (Financial Times)» More

‘Hough’s playing is always insightful, but here he surpasses himself with performances that transport you to the Paris salons where Chopin presented his Nocturnes for the first time, delighting in their characters and indulging his improvisatory instincts’ (Pianist)» More

‘Inevitably perhaps the towering contribution comes with Britten’s Suite No 3—a masterpiece of solo writing. Isserlis is truly under the skin of this work, providing acute attention to detail with regard to articulation. Beyond that, though, he fathoms the range of emotions so perfectly, with both elegant and raw playing to suit the invention … the recording has both bloom and clarity which is perfect for the solo genre’ (The Strad)» More

‘The decision to take the Ockeghem at an uncharacteristically high pitch is bold, and with a very bright countertenor on the top line the effect is luminous and transparent (dare I say magical?), very different to the chewy, ruminative approach that the piece’s text usually elicits. For this alone I’d recommend the disc unreservedly, but this starts as the ensemble means to go. Theirs is a very English sound, eschewing overtly dramatic interpretative touches, but the sensitivity to contrapuntal details is none the less striking … as a single-disc introduction to the motet of Josquin’s time, this is hard to beat’ (Gramophone)

‘Shelley proves, as ever, to be an evangelical, tireless, thoughtful and technically peerless guide. The London Mozart Players (a 19 strong string group in this case) provide warmly committed, effervescent accompaniment. The Hyperion sonics are characteristically vivid and authentic … all of the music on this generously filled disc is splendidly played and presented. Howard Shelley (who also contributed the idiomatic cadenzas to the three concertos which require them) could surely have done no more on Benda’s behalf. The London Mozart Players respond to his cajolings with style and precision’ (MusicWeb International)

‘Vocal balance, an essential feature, is Cinquecento’s forte, aided here by a wonderfully clear recording. It took place in a beautiful former Carthusian monastery on the outskirts of Vienna. The venue has an ideal acoustic, spacious and intimate, and it allows for clear diction. Erika Supria Honisch’s excellent booklet essay is accompanied by all the texts’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘An album of real spirit and vigor … it’s a mix of the thoughtful and the exciting, all bracingly recorded’ (The Arts Fuse, USA)» More

‘An album of real spirit and vigor … it’s a mix of the thoughtful and the exciting, all bracingly recorded’ (The Arts Fuse, USA)» More

‘One of last year's Top Ten was a magnificent account of chamber works by Elgar and Beach from the Takács Quartet, and they have followed this up with an equally mesmerising performance of string quartets by Felix Mendelssohn and his sister, Fanny … the balance between all four players is ideal, with motifs and themes thrown from one player to the next with ease, and there's a vibrancy to the recorded sound that is thrilling in the more dramatic moments whilst also allowing for more introspective intimacy in the quieter passages … for me this album is a definite winner’ (Presto Classical)» More