‘There is something about Angela Hewitt's playing of these three substantial suites which leaves the listener entirely convinced that the piano is as capable as any early 18th-century instrument of realising Rameau's intentions. Indeed, in less extrovert descriptive pieces such as the G minor Suite's gently melancholy Les Triolets, it enhances the music's tender expressiveness without sounding at all anachronistic. On the other hand, the crispness and clarity of Hewitt's tone, the sensitivity of her touch and the exquisite precision of her ornaments mean that the clucking hen in La Poule, and the gloriously spontaneous-sounding efflorescence of birdsong in Le Rappel des oiseaux (from the G minor and E minor Suites respectively) are as characterful as any connoisseur of Baroque keyboard playing could wish for. Dance movements are equally well served, from the nobility and grandeur of the A minor Suite's Courante with its sonorous spread chords, to the E minor's charming pair of lyrical rather than sprightly Gigues. Every piece is the epitome of Parisian elegance’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘Hewitt, performing on a favoured Fazioli piano, is on top form in these three keyboard suites by Rameau … speeds are steady, rhythms crisp and real singing tunes emerge from the harmonic weft … this interpretative level is maintained throughout the CD. The year is off to a flyer’ (The Times)

‘Hewitt clearly relishes the colour and rhythmic energy of these dance sequences; her performances have a wonderfully fluid stylishness, with scrupulous ornamentation that never seems self-consciously correct, and they are founded upon a willingness to use the full tonal resources of a modern concert grand in a way that seems to make utterly irrelevant any question of what is historically or musicologically 'correct' in playing this music’ (The Guardian)

'Crossland here claims Rameau for the piano and her programme is elegantly plotted, though in Les Cyclopes there's no substitute for the harpsichord’s menace' (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Skidmore, a painstaking conductor, breathes boundless energy into his many-coloured orchestra; the group provides faultless support for the exquisite soprano Carolyn Sampson’ (Goldberg)

‘Carolyn Sampson's voice almost inevitably gives pleasure and her singing of this repertoire, strikingly varied in its stylistic and expressive ranges, is well nigh ideal’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘The English soprano's musical intelligence, effervescent communication and richness of sound add up to a compelling package, especially so in this carefully chosen selection of Rameau's operatic love songs’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘Scintillating singing from Carolyn Sampson’ (Music Week)

‘Carolyn Sampson is as dazzling in the vocal pyrotechnics as she is touching in the CD's title song, Règne Amour’ (The Evening Standard)

‘This is a stunning CD. Never before have I heard such fantastic performances of Rameau from an English group. The undoubted star of the show is former choirboy-soundalike Carolyn Sampson, whose voice has (seemingly) been gradually developing velvety tones over the past year or so, and here is showcased in all its spectacular radiance in selections from seven of Rameau's stage works … don't miss this!’ (Early Music Review)

‘To sum up: Sampson is radiant, voluptuous and utterly captivating. This is far and away her finest recording to date, and a more inspiring selection from Rameau's operas would be hard to find … there's a huge audience out there who, if only they knew how ravishing, how life-enhancing this music is, would buy a copy instantly’ (International Record Review)

‘This is an ideal introduction to Rameau's stage music. The songs, drawn from seven operas, range from the joyful to the tempestuous via the poignant and heart-rending … Sampson's fluid, stylish singing is simply lovely … nobody could fail to be seduced by her performances’ (The Sunday Times)