‘I need hardly add that, this being a Hyperion release, the recording is very good, the texts and translations are provided, the latter in meaningful English, and the notes are thorough and informative, helping to understand the music as well as giving its context … those who have heard the Gesualdo Six’s earlier recordings will need no urging to go for this new release. Everyone else should seriously consider buying both this survey of music across the centuries and the English Motets album, with their Christmas recording on CDA68299 saved on your calendar for later in the year’ (MusicWeb International)

‘Prepare yourself for a deliciously scintillating potpourri of choice delicacies, full of character and charm, the sort that has virtually disappeared from concert life today but which, in the early decades of the 20th century, held audiences in thrall … Gugnin approaches these works on their own terms so that, far from seeming dated or brittle, they emerge fresh and full of vitality and charm. So for listeners suffering Beethoven fatigue, or those nostalgic for bygone days before the planet was doomed—or those who would simply like to hear some incredibly good piano-playing—this is the album for you’ (Gramophone)

‘If you don’t know Howells’ music, this splendid new recording of one of his most powerful works is likely to win new friends’ (MusicWeb International)

‘The Danish horn player Ursula Paludan Monberg, thoroughly in command of her instrument, produces a miraculously smooth and agile line with secure tuning. She forms euphonious partnerships with oboe d’amore player Katharina Spreckelsen, violinist Michael Gurevich and recorder player Sarah Humphrys, while the continuo section of Arcangelo, led by Jonathan Cohen’s harpsichord, provides firm support. The recording convincingly places the listener in the room with the players, tying down the notoriously elusive horn to a precise spot on the soundstage. Excellent notes by Monberg’s former teacher Andrew Clark enhance the appeal of this disc.’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘This is a deeply rewarding and distinguished set of the Beethoven piano concertos. Stephen Hough, Hannu Lintu and the excellent FRSO are perceptive and stylish interpreters of the music … the performances have been captured in lovely clean and clear sound with just the right amount of hall ambience. The balance between the Bösendorfer piano and the orchestra is excellent as, indeed, is the internal orchestral balance. The booklet includes valuable notes by Beethoven expert Barry Cooper … we’re less than half-way through 2020 but I suspect that this set will be high on my list when the MusicWeb International reviewers are asked to nominate Recordings of the Year’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Spanish music from this period requires a particularly intense tone and, often, a dark hue and the twenty-two voices, no matter what the combination, achieve this every time … the recording was made in a church on the outskirts of Cambridge which I know well and I think has one of the very best acoustics for choral works as proven here. I feel sure that this could well be a disc that will achieve awards’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Hough’s phrasing brings out the improvisational nature of many of these pieces, and his skill at clarifying what are frequently highly complex textures is quite exemplary. The breadth of his approach can be gauged by listening to the second and third pieces of the Op 118 set. The Intermezzo is marked to be played tenderly; it would be a challenge to find a pianist who responds to that indication more readily than does Hough here. The playing is, in many respects, straightforward and communicative, but the difference between the piano of the opening and the pianissimo of the repeat of the theme at the eighth bar is very affecting indeed. The opening of the following Ballade is marked energico. Hough’s brilliant staccato touch is just what is required … Hough’s playing has been beautifully recorded in two different venues. In addition to the pianist’s own short introduction, the booklet also contains an excellent listening guide by Misha Donat’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Gugnin’s jaw-dropping, transcendental technique makes light of bravura showpieces by Blumenfeld, Friedman, the English composer Joseph Holbrooke and Moszkowski—catnip for pianophiles’ (The Sunday Times)

‘There's an amazing warmth to Esquivel's writing which I feel that De Profundis exhibit absolutely perfectly … they're well-named; a men's voice ensemble with a sound that feels as though it's built from the bottom up … a really well-integrated sound … I really enjoyed this recording’ (BBC Record Review)

‘The Gesualdo Six and Owain Park are just incredible at this ingenious programming: there's this melding of Renaissance polyphony with contemporary choral music, and one of the things I really love about this disc is it's a really classy way to look at music by female composers that people might not know … it's just extremely good music, all woven together … a beautiful recording as well’ (BBC Record Review)

‘A joyful experience … it's all very beautiful and well sung—and well-recorded as well’ (BBC Record Review)

‘Perhaps the most joyful and characterful traversal of the score I've heard on record: it's light on its feet, it casts spells in all the right places, the solo set pieces are splendidly sung. But it's the sense of ensemble that carries it along so successfully; also a very well-made recording’ (BBC Record Review)