‘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)

'Han har ikke et fjerlet anslag og spiller ikke lynende hurtigt, men der er en tyngde bag klaverspillet, som vidner om stor musikalsk og menneskelig erfaring—og det er vigtigt i Schumanns drømmende fantasistykker op. 16 (‘Kreisleriana’), op. 17 og op. 18 (‘Arabeske’). For Stephen Hough er et sjældent menneske … Hough holder ofte musikken tilbage, som om der skal tænkes mere over det—som er det et talt sprog, og der holdes små tænkepauser mellem sætningerne. Han lægger ikke alt for hurtigt ud. Andre spiller ‘Kreisleriana’s første sats for hurtigt, måske for at vise virtuositet, men får dermed ikke det drømmende med. Det får Hough, ligesom det let svævende element træder bedre frem, når han langsomt accelerer noderne frem mod klimakset. Han vælger nogle kernetoner, som betones og står som pejlemærker gennem satsen og i de hurtige løb … ved Fantasiens sidste toner føler jeg, at jeg er kommet tættere på Schumann og Hough' (Klassisk, Denmark)

‘Nuper rosarum flores, written for the consecration of Florence’s Duomo in 1436, sounds refreshingly lithe and supple in this one-to-a part performance. In the same composer’s Salve flos Tuscae gentis, the consort’s sound is honeyed and mellifluous … throughout the programme, the four voices of The Orlando Consort are beautifully balanced, their intonation and diction nigh flawless’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘The Orlando Consort bring a brisk clarity to the textures [of Nuper rosarum flores] … the result is a beautiful, intimate performance … the lauda performances (religious songs), which Macey explains would have likely been performed by boys and organ to the tunes of known chansons, are here also presented all-vocally: two silky, flowing untexted voices support Matthew Venner’s charismatic countertenor voice in works by Dufay and Binchois. Here, delicacy and intimacy are superbly matched to these more introspective works’ (Gramophone)

‘Every so often a recording comes along which excites, totally satisfies and ticks all the right boxes; this disc is one such … Marc-André Hamelin’s stunning virtuosity, sheer musicality and sense of drama showcase these magnificent works at their best. The bright-sounding Steinway and perfect acoustic all add up to a winning combination. The scholarly booklet notes are the work of Mahan Esfahani, conveniently translated into French and German. This release is already a strong contender for one of my Recordings of the Year’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Hough … wins me over with his liquid, limpid articulation [in Op 27 No 2]. Again, he has thought at every turn about how a human voice would deliver the melody. In the process, he makes you forget that you’re listening to the operation of a complicated machine: the materiality of the instrument disappears. That illusion is augmented by Hyperion’s recording, which was produced by Rachel Smith and engineered by David Hinitt. The piano is a Yamaha CFX, and it sounds warm and clear but never dry … there is no lack of great accounts of the Nocturnes in the catalogue: the robust elegance of the younger Arthur Rubinstein, the grandeur of Claudio Arrau, the fine-spun melancholy of Ivan Moravec, the vibrant lyricism of Maria João Pires, the unaffected poetry of the late Brazilian Nelson Freire. I have no hesitation about placing Hough in that company. On many moonlit nights, his version will be the one I reach for first’ (The New Yorker, USA)