„Ibragimovas stets leichtes, luftig klingendes Spiel ist fern aller Kraft- und Showgeigerei, sodass 'ihr' Paganini gleichsam nie vordergründig posiert oder banal mit leerer Technik protzt. Vielmehr entsteht so etwas wie Intimität zwischen der Spielerin und ihrem Instrument im Geiste des Ausreizens, Zuspitzens, Pointierens und präzise Konturierens. Da hilft Ibragimovas Erfahrung mit alter Musik ebenso wie ihr souveräner Umgang mit neuesten Kreationen … die Unverwechselbarkeit dessen, was das Wesen der Geige als einzigartigem Klangereignis ausmacht in allen Facetten, das hat Paganini exemplarisch entfaltet. Alina Ibragimova verdeutlicht das so leichtfüßig wie unmissverständlich“ (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany)

‘Mr Esfahani does not slavishly follow historical performance practice creeds. Bach’s six keyboard partitas are essentially suites of 18th-century dance forms with distinctive rhythms, each preceded by an introduction. Mr Esfahani renders them with super-charged technical flair and a point of view. In the opening Toccata of the sixth partita, his tempo is slower than most, but the momentum never sags, and his playing is expressive. His jubilant take on the Capriccio of the second partita captures the maniacal quality in much of Bach’s most virtuosic writing. The harpsichordist’s performance of the third partita goes from strength to strength: touchingly wistful in the Allemande, stately in the Sarabande and vibrant in the Burlesca, where imaginative registration choices for some chords accent the section’s jaunty, humorous character … [Esfahani] invariably proves stimulating’ (Wall Street Journal)

‘The six pan-European singers of Cinquecento spin Isaac's lines with real beauty and subtlety of phrasing, bringing a lustrous glow to the polyphony … the recording places them perfectly in the acoustic as well. Timeless polyphony’ (BBC Record Review)» More

„Fast anderthalb Jahrzehnte schon setzt sich das London Haydn Quartet mit den Werkes des Namensgebers auf Tonträger auseinander. Dies geschieht auf eine Weise, die immer wieder verblüfft: Statt das Bewährte auf die mit Darmsaiten bespannten Instrumente zu übertragen, werden die Originalitäten der Kompositionen hervorgeholt. Dabei mutet der Klang des Ensembles offener, aber eben weniger abgerundet an; gewonnen wird dadurch eine weitaus stärkere Charakterisierung des Individuellen … Emotionen werden hier dennoch nicht unter einer gepuderten Perücke versteckt; sie werden eben beherrscht und lassen dann auch Kontraste im Detail zu, bis hin zu nahe liegenden volksmusikalischen Allusionen (Nr. 3) oder eigenartigen Farbwirkungen unterschiedlicher Harmonien (Nr. 4)“ (HörBar, Germany)» More

‘The ideal introduction to Isaac’s music. Not only is the Wohlauff Mass one of his most imposing and sonically splendid settings, as David J Burn notes in the booklet—itself well up to Hyperion’s high standards—the shorter works also add to the value of this very welcome release. As for the performances, I need add little to the praise of Cinquecento—see Dominy Clements’ review of their Palestrina [CDA68284]—while the recording, which I downloaded in 24/96 format, is equally first-rate’ (MusicWeb International)

«Le Québécois nous en offre une interprétation comme décantée: sa technique surnaturelle envoûte avant d'intimi der, suggère au lieu d'impressionner, animée par un esprit d'improvisation—à moins qu'il ne s'agisse d'une illusion supplémentaire?—octroyant à ces grappes de notes, clinquantes sous d'autres doigts, la valeur d'un métal précieux. Hamelin n'a pas une palette à chaque main, mais une palette par doigt: écoutez ces trémolos à fleur de touche (Don Pasquale), ces sons filés à la Caballé (mort de Norma), ces flots de mélodies (Moïse) et autres tempêtes d'octaves (Ernani)!» (Classica, France)

‘Released to celebrate the British composer’s 70th birthday, this recording surveys Cecilia McDowall’s substantial choral output, most of it written in the past two decades. She could scarcely have a better group to sing it than Stephen Layton’s Trinity College Choir’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘A typically meticulous recording by Layton and The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, sensitive to every nuance of phrasing and articulation—a glossy account of a sequence of well-crafted anthems, with a bonus in the form of Alexander Hamilton’s account of McDowall’s O Antiphons for solo organ’ (Gramophone)

‘Howard Shelley has been on a winning streak with his Mendelssohn odyssey and the penultimate volume lives up to previous ones in every respect. There are a directness, selflessness and unaffected authority to the playing that place the bar high for all future Mendelssohn intégrales … Hyperion’s recording quality is warm yet clear, and it would be hard to imagine more informative or authoritative notes than those supplied by R Larry Todd. The final volume is eagerly anticipated’ (Gramophone)

‘Vivid interpretations from Lev and an assortment of different pianists. In contrast to the gladiatorial contest between famous soloists often encountered on other recordings, the performers in this long-established group place the greatest emphasis on achieving a well-nigh perfect unanimity of articulation in the brilliant passagework. But they also produce some lovely fluid cantabile playing in the slow movements. A small-sized ECO delivers crisp orchestral tuttis’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘In an interesting appendage to the main booklet note (an excellent essay on the Caprices by Jeremy Nicholas that has taught me a great deal), recording producer Andrew Keener reminisces about ‘Paganini in lockdown’, the sessions having taken place in London’s Henry Wood Hall during May and June last year. Keener reports how Alina Ibragimova pledged to take the opportunity to do ‘some serious work’ on these widely variegated Caprices. And believe me, neither he nor she were joking … Ibragimova’s principal strength, aside from an all-facilitating technique, is her amazing imagination, an ability to turn each individual piece into a vivid narrative. Her mastery of tone and texture, fantasy and at times wit will enthral, but because she packs each piece with so much incident, following her for more than, say, half a dozen pieces at a time is (pleasantly) exhausting’ (Gramophone)

‘Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978) was a Bulgarian Rachmaninov—or Szymanowski, as Francis Pott’s first-class booklet essay suggests—in full command of a Lisztian performing and composing technique which wasn’t quite yet anachronistic in these two opulently registered cycles of tone-pictures from the 1920s. Pott nails the ‘picturesque escapism’ of Vladigerov’s three-stave writing while pressing the case for its weightless and surprisingly cosmopolitan intricacies as persuasively as Nadejda Vlaeva’s native advocacy. The ‘exotic’ nature of the Preludes extends to little more than hand-me-down Spanishry and hints of modal middle-Eastern harmonies; the slightly sparer, more allusive style of the Impressions should beguile anyone wondering ‘What next?’ after late Debussy and Scriabin. Rich fare in one sitting; utterly charming in small helpings, thanks largely, I fancy, to Vlaeva’s dexterity and less-is-more sensitivity in music already soaked in rum and tears.’ (Pianist)