‘If the concerto does not ultimately go down as one of the masterpieces of the late twentieth century choral repertoire, I shall be staggered’ (International Record Review)

‘One of the most imposing of all Schnittke's later works … superbly performed’ (The Guardian)

‘A superb and revealing performance of one of Schnittke's most approachable works … the technical skill of the Holst Singers is truly impressive … there is a complete sense of security and enjoyment from the highest floating soprano to the lowest bass rumblings’ (Gramophone)

‘Excellent performances throughout from orchestra, soloists and choruses—rarely have the lush textures of Schoenberg’s late-Romantic cantata sounded this fresh’ (Gramophone)

'How fitting that the opening concert of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Philharmonia series 'City of Dreams: Vienna 1900-1935' should conclude with the mightiest wake-up call in all music … part two’s 'Wild Hunt' rose from muted Wagner tubas (the eeriest sound in music) to the all bones and chain rattling rampage of the undead (Schoenberg’s surreal take on the summoning of the vassals from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung) to vivid effect while the 'Klaus, the Jester' episode—Schoenberg’s scoring at its most fantastical—was despatched with great virtuosity' (The Independent)

'Sometimes less is not more. More is exhilarating … the music-making was superb … and what terrific soloists!' (The Times)

'Vienna—City of Dreams … looks set to be one of the musical highlights of 2009 if Esa-Pekka Salonen’s sensational account of Schoenberg’s seminal Gurrelieder at the Festival Hall last weekend proves typical … it was a brilliant, bold and generous masterstroke to open the festivities with Schoenberg’s song-symphonic epic … Salonen charts Schoenberg’s journey from darkness to light, from Romanticism to modernism, with an unerring command of his vast forces … he achieves an impressionistic transparency in Schoenberg’s lighter-scored pages, suggesting the influence of Debussy' (The Sunday Times)

‘The music, a wonderful discovery, is polyphony of the highest quality, and Cinquecento marries smooth ensemble to marvellous interpretational vision. The recorded sound is excellent, doing full justice to their almost instrumental sonorities’ (Choir & Organ)

‘The voices of Cinquecento produce balanced, tuneful, clear and stylish performances … the quiet tensions of the 'Et incarnatus est' section are beautifully rendered, and the Benedictus is displayed and sustained with perfect poise … the recording deserves credit, too, for lending substance and space to the mere six voices that produce these compelling harmonies’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘[Cinquecento] gives resounding interpretations of the pieces … the ensemble's sonorous tone is based principally on a perfect balance between the voices, taut and intelligent pacing and a supremely confident shaping of musical line. The effect of their performances is enhanced as much by the lucid and warmly resonant recorded sound as the euphonious clarity of Schoendorff's writing’ (International Record Review)

‘Cinquecento's famed flexibility, harmonic blend and impeccable balance are caught perfectly in the stillness of the monastery at Pernegg in Austria. This is a disc to savour’ (Gramophone)

‘Given the fine track record of violin-piano duo Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien, it’s not surprising to find them completely at home—lyrically poised and intimately dynamic—in Schubert’s four sonatas. But this disc is about the composer’s complete works for violin and piano, and how refreshing it is to have the fiery, often whimsical Rondo in B minor reeled off with such élan; to hear the multi-coloured expansiveness of the four-movement Fantasy in C minor, with all its playful pianism to boot; and Schubert’s delightful miniature transcription of his own song Sei mir gegrüsst!, itself the subject of variations in the Fantasy’ (The Scotsman)