‘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

‘Like a great singer, Hough 'breathes' Chopin’s Belliniesque melodies with the long phrasing beloved of Wagner, yet he avoids any hint of 'Bellini-of-the-Piano' cliché … his lightness of touch, perfectly controlled rubato, and 'endless cantilena' has an improvisatory quality … Hough at his most personal and best’ (The Times)» More

‘First up is Hensel’s String Quartet in E flat which displays the well-balanced artistry of the Takács Quartet … the subsequent Allegretto is performed with propulsive rhythmic energy before arriving at the calmer waters of a deeply expressive Romanze, which is rendered with the eloquent lyricism of a song without words. Last but not least, the rondo finale brings the work to a fiery close with the four musicians battening down the hatches with its driving perpetuum mobile figurations. Also included is Mendelssohn’s deeply heartfelt String Quartet in F minor, Op 80, which was penned in response to Hensel’s death from a stroke in 1847 that preceded his own by a mere few months. The Quartet brings to life its highly dissonant, emotionally charged textures with palpable conviction … the album rounds out with Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in A minor, Op 13, a much earlier piece dated 1827 that provides greater context and ballast for more turbulent works, including its expressive second Adagio movement delivered with molten phrasing and lyrical, songlike quality’ (Winnipeg Free Press, Canada)

‘First up is Hensel’s String Quartet in E flat which displays the well-balanced artistry of the Takács Quartet … the subsequent Allegretto is performed with propulsive rhythmic energy before arriving at the calmer waters of a deeply expressive Romanze, which is rendered with the eloquent lyricism of a song without words. Last but not least, the rondo finale brings the work to a fiery close with the four musicians battening down the hatches with its driving perpetuum mobile figurations. Also included is Mendelssohn’s deeply heartfelt String Quartet in F minor, Op 80, which was penned in response to Hensel’s death from a stroke in 1847 that preceded his own by a mere few months. The Quartet brings to life its highly dissonant, emotionally charged textures with palpable conviction’ (Winnipeg Free Press, Canada)

‘One of those artists who are barely capable of producing a dud note … Hough, to my mind, has succeed brilliantly in harnessing Schumann’s 'multitudes' (Limelight, Australia)» More

‘There are continuities, coincidences, parallels and surprises in store for the inquisitive collector. Isserlis plays beautifully and is splendidly recorded’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘The Nash’s previous Bruch disc on Hyperion—comprising the string quintets and string Octet—was intelligently conceived and magnificently played, making the case for Bruch as the pre-eminent disciple (if not quite the equal) of Schumann and Brahms. I’m delighted to say that this new release only strengthens that impression … these are performances to make you realise that you’ve underestimated Bruch—and to leave you very happily corrected’ (Gramophone)

‘Deploying their familiar finesse (immaculate tuning and ensemble) and care for detail, the Takács do brother and sister proud … [they] create a magical sense of time suspended at the climax of the first movement’s development [in Op 13], while leader Edward Dusinberre is a model of eloquence and restrained pathos in the finale’s recitatives. The cathartic ending is truly cantando e dolce, as Mendelssohn requests. With their whiplash attack and unfailing attention to Mendelssohn’s disruptive inner voices, the Takács are just as impressive in the fevered world of the late F minor Quartet. The second movement … is properly remorseless, the Adagio generously phrased and coloured, enhanced by expressive touches of portamento. At the Takács’s relatively flowing tempo this searching movement, surely a Requiem for Fanny, unfolds against the background of a funeral march. They make the most, too, of the finale’s unnerving juxtapositions of smouldering disquiet and explosive violence, culminating in a final page of barely controlled delirium … if you’re hovering, Hyperion’s superior presentation, with a wide-ranging essay from Mendelssohn scholar Larry Todd, may clinch it’ (Gramophone)

‘None of the usual collection of well-known carols and their many different arrangements here! Instead, a feast of 'sacred treasures' of the 16th and early 17th cenruries … throughout, the tone of the singers, the blend and ensemble of the choir and the attention to the texts are superb, and Charles Cole and Anita Morrison, the voice trainer, are to be congratulated on such a feast of excellent music-making which will easily rival many of our cathedral and collegiate choirs’ (Cathedral Music)» More

‘To Hough, Chopin's Nocturnes are 'some of the finest operatic arias ever written.' He makes us believe it with the bel canto qualities of his playing—the lyrical melodies, the drama, the tenderness, the subtle changes of colour as though we're listening to different voices in each nocturne. Chopin's composed ornamentation is spun with effortless elegance; the rubato, the subtly shifting speeds, feel instinctive’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Their performance of Fanny Mendelssohn's E flat major String Quartet is an eloquent one … this [album] is well worth it for the combination of brother and sister’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Their performance of Fanny Mendelssohn's E flat major String Quartet is an eloquent one … this [album] is well worth it for the combination of brother and sister’ (BBC Record Review)