‘Looking for spiritual consolation in troubled times? Look no further. The Choir of Westminster Abbey could hardly have timed this release any better, coming at a time of lockdown when many of us are considering what really matters in life and looking for something deeper … the sound of the recording is part of what makes it special. For one thing, using boys' voices makes a massive difference—you definitely wouldn’t mistake these for adult females—and James O’Donnell’s shaping of the sound shows his familiarity with both the music’s shape and the tradition in which the composers were writing. Furthermore, the quality of the recording gives the music and more ethereal, slightly distanced feel. This is contemplation of the divine from a reverent distance, giving the music a spirituality that I found really compelling … it’s hard to imagine any ecclesiastical choir singing this music any better’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Ibragimova’s is a fabulous performance [of No 1] … Jurowski draws wonderfully dark, stark sonorities from his Moscow players: sample the great passacaglia’s opening and flinch, the basses and cellos really digging in. It’s one of the greatest movements in any 20th-century concerto, Ibragimova commanding and consoling by turns. Terrific … Ibragimova is superb in the last movement cadenza [of No 2], the lopsided dash to the finishing line as chilling as it is funny (listen to what she does 7’ 25” in, seconds before the final bars). You’ll need a sit down afterwards’ (TheArtsDesk.com)» More

‘Mahan Esfahani—he’s just such an amazing force and a polemicist for the harpsichord … because although he’s brilliant at Bach he refuses to let the harpsichord remain in an ‘Early Music’ box, and he’s a great commissioner and performer of new music … really good recorded sound as well … it’s brilliantly done’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Scintillating, no holds barred performances of both concertos by a Russian violinist, Russian conductor, and Russian orchestra … in every way, these accounts of two great Shostakovich concertos share in supplying a new library choice with those of Oistrakh and Vengerov. They are indeed a cause for celebration’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘The versions by Sitkovetsky and Vignoles … form a notable addition to the catalogue and represent a remarkable achievement by an artist making her debut on disc’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘The Hyperion disc is a clear winner, especially when you appreciate the quality of their playing of the Elgar Quintet, which is the best recording I have. In fact, both works featured here are treated to the best performances I have heard on disc, the strongly figured and articulated playing bringing out the best of both works. This is aided by the excellent recorded sound achieved by the Hyperion engineers which really brings out the sparkle in performances by Ohlsson and the Takács Quartet. Nigel Simeone’s notes only serve to heighten the enjoyment of the music and the performance; this is a disc which will give great pleasure’ (MusicWeb International)

‘An invigorating set, one that balances the best qualities of the historically informed movement—quick tempos, lean textures—with the full-bodied intensity of modern-orchestra Beethoven … throughout, Lintu and the FRSO supply accompaniments that are the model of expressive and technical precision. Woodwind solos, in particular, are spotless; balances between piano and orchestra flawless; tempos smart; attention to phrasings, dynamics, and articulative details pristine. The result is a captivating cycle of the Beethoven piano concertos that sounds and feels distinctly vital’ (The Arts Fuse, USA)» More

‘A delightful intermezzo [Bax's Morning Song] between the piano concertos by Rubbra and Bliss, and they're quite different animals—the Bliss extrovert and virtuosic, the Rubbra more of a reflection on English pastoral tradition. Piers Lane's a fluent and engaging guide to both of them’ (BBC Record Review)

‘It’s not often that a Schumann-Mendelssohn release packs many surprises. Then again, it’s really not often that a Schumann-Mendelssohn release focuses on the music of Clara and Fanny (rather than Robert and Felix). To judge from the Nash Ensemble’s recent entry in Hyperion’s catalogue, maybe there should be more of these? … indeed, for all three of these works, the Nash’s are, arguably, definitive performances’ (The Arts Fuse, USA)» More

‘Hough’s individualities of phrasing and subtleties of pedalling are all contained within a relatively Classical sense of order. He brings splendour to the greater grandiosity of the Emperor Concerto, but never seems tempted to inflate it into a prototypical Rachmaninov as some of his eminent predecessors have. Lintu steers a judicious course between Romantic indulgence and ‘authentic’ briskness in his choice of tempos and draws crisp, bright textures from what sounds like relatively modest orchestral forces’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘It took more than a century, but Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet has finally got the recording it deserves, courtesy of Garrick Ohlsson and the Tákacs Quartet … a terrific release, wholly satisfying’ (The Arts Fuse, USA)» More

‘This excellent release celebrates two glorious pieces for piano quintet with performances of unabashed élan. The Takács Quartet are renowned for the warmth and drama of their playing and could not be a better fit for such full-blooded works, while Garrick Ohlsson, a noted Chopin exponent, proves a similarly fine match in this generous, lyrical interpretation … with excellent recording quality throughout, this is in every respect an outstanding disc’ (BBC Music Magazine)