1 January 1900
Le Monde de la Musique, France
Ives: Symphonies Nos 2 & 3
CDA67525 

«Quant à la Symphony nº 4, elle rend plus manifestes le projet spirituel, le savoir-faire musical, la matière sonore grouillante et la nature créatrice du compositeur. Là encore, le travail d'Andrew Litton est à saluer parce qu'il nous place dans le 'laboratoire' passionné de chaque œuvre, il joue chaque pièce pour ce qu'elle est et jamais au nom d'une 'vision' d'interprète qui recouvrait ce corpus décidément extraordinaire» (Le Monde de la Musique, France)
1 January 1900
Fanfare, USA
Ives: Symphonies Nos 2 & 3
CDA67525 

‘Litton and the Dallas Symphony realise very well Symphony No 3 … a powerful sense of community is captured—the hymn singing at camp meetings—the whole finely modulated and pointed, the second movement Scherzo being especially ear catching, and the finale ideally intense’ (Fanfare, USA)
1 January 1900
Classics Today
Ives: Symphonies Nos 2 & 3
CDA67525 

‘What a wonderful surprise it has been, seeing the release of the complete Ives symphonies on Hyperion. I have no doubt that Andrew Litton's cycle will serve as the reference for many years to come … you won't hear a more insouciant account of the finale anywhere, while the second movement has a real spring to its step—its final bars are simply hilarious, less outrageous than the symphony's ending, but no less surprising in their own way … the Third Symphony isn't as easy to play as it sounds, and Litton not only captures the music's flow to perfection, he gives the small wind and brass complement plenty of opportunity to shine, albeit sensitively … finally, the engineering is rich, clear and vibrant. A major achievement, no doubt about it’ (Classics Today)
1 January 1900
Yorkshire Post
Ives: Symphonies Nos 2 & 3
CDA67525 

‘Stunning 'live' performances’ (Yorkshire Post)
1 January 1900

Ives: Symphonies Nos 2 & 3
CDA67525 

‘A truly haunting effect’ (BBC Music Magazine)
1 January 1900

Ives: Symphonies Nos 2 & 3
CDA67525 

‘These performances represent all that's best about American orchestras and conductors’ (MusicWeb International)
1 January 1900

Ives: Symphonies Nos 2 & 3
CDA67525 

‘No other version quite probes or reveals the unique and compelling world of Ives's imagination as does this’ (International Record Review)
1 January 1900
The Times
Ives: Symphonies Nos 2 & 3
CDA67525 

‘Cherish the endearing Third for its alert phrasing; cherish the Fourth for the transcendental finale, beautifully caught by the microphones. Polished performances’ (The Times)
1 January 1900

Jackson (G): A ship with unfurled sails & other choral works
CDA67976 

‘All the music is full of interest and is written with what we’ve come to expect from this composer; namely a highly imaginative ear for choral texture, great empathy for the human voice and tremendous responsiveness to texts. It’s hard—nay, impossible—to imagine these pieces receiving finer advocacy than they receive from the superb Latvian choir, who give one of the most memorable exhibitions of unaccompanied choral singing that I’ve heard for some time. If you factor in also that the recorded sound is splendid and the documentation up to Hyperion’s usual excellent standards then this disc can only be regarded as a pretty compelling proposition’ (MusicWeb International)
1 January 1900

Jackson (G): A ship with unfurled sails & other choral works
CDA67976 

‘Unquestionably the State Choir Latvia is a magnificent body of singers. They encompass a vast dynamic range and deliver words and music with impeccable precision and clarity … they thrill with their rhythmically compelling opening unisons, entice with their delicate chording … and soothe with their lilting harmonic underlay’ (Gramophone)
1 January 1900

Jackson (G): A ship with unfurled sails & other choral works
CDA67976 

‘This disc is, quite simply, full of marvels … any listener will surely react with awe to the sheer splendour and choral daring, both from the composer and from the fabulous choir’ (International Record Review)
1 January 1900

Jackson (G): A ship with unfurled sails & other choral works
CDA67976 

‘In The Voice of the Bard, which opens this Gabriel Jackson collection, the State Choir Latvija manages both a bristling ardour in its delivery of the text and a virtuoso response to the vocal demands of the setting … Jackson's long, soothingly lyrical arcs of melody are sensually shaped and executed with impressive corporate unanimity … an incandescent performance of the 40-part motet Sanctum est verum lumen sets the seal on this magnificent demonstration of the art of choral singing’ (BBC Music Magazine)
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