‘Reveals Arnold at his most inventive: tuneful, witty and ingenious … the performances by the individual members of the Nash are impeccable. This set may one day be equalled but it is unlikely to be bettered, and it deserves classic status’ (International Record Review)

‘This collection is a marvellous one … superbly played’ (Gramophone)

‘James Bowman’s usual ease of tone is in full evidence here. He gives us meltingly sweet, gorgeous, resonant high notes, and fluidity of vocal line. Meanwhile, David Miller’s lute playing is sensitive and agile. Whether pleading for God’s redemption or wooing a lover, both singer and lutenist capture the word painting which is such a feature and strength of these songs. This is one to savour’ (bbc.co.uk)

‘Every listening experience should be an adventure, and CPE Bach and Hyperion do not disappoint’ (The Times)

‘This 1986 recording is still worth hearing. The 'conversational' trio sonata is an astonishing attempt to prove that music can communicate without the need for words, and there is brilliance in the gamba sonata’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘After hearing the first three notes of Cantata 170 my expectations of this recording were high. I was not disappointed’ (Hi-Fi News)

‘James Bowman is on impressive form and his admirers need not hesitate here’ (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

«D'excellentes interprétations» (EcouterVoir, France)

‘Still by far the best version. The stronger sense of occasion is boosted by Peter Holman’s inspired topping and tailing with sinfonias’ (International Record Review)

‘Still by far the best version. The stronger sense of occasion is boosted by Peter Holman’s inspired topping and tailing with sinfonias’ (International Record Review)

‘Isserlis is a passionate musician, but never thoughtless or frivolous, and the delicacy of his responses on this wonderful set sometimes take the breath away. If your soul fails to quiver in the quiet depths of the fifth suite’s sarabande, then you must be a robot in disguise. Yet he’s not on his knees always worshipping: time and again Isserlis asserts the music’s dance roots, whether through his thrusting accents or by sweeping through with a winning lilt … just listen to Isserlis, Bach and your heart, and the music that never dies’ (The Times)

‘His judicious ornaments sensitively decorate—never distort—Bach’s lines … rhythmically he’s impeccable. The free ‘phantasticus’ style of the first four Preludes is gloriously fluent, capturing the harmonic flow implied within the single cello line. The fifth, a French Overture, is free of bombast and its subsequent quasi-fugue lyrical and unhurried. Isserlis plays the sixth suite, intended for a five-string instrument, on a normal four-string cello, negotiating the stratospheric range with astonishing ease … his sense of style is matched by an outstandingly secure technique. He has no need for those impassioned tenutos behind which others hide the terrors of multiple-stopping … recording quality is excellent—two-channel stereo is all that’s required, and it’s excellently balanced between immediacy and spaciousness. Casals (re-issued on Naxos) started it all in 1936—Beamish’s Catalan folk-song arrangement is a charming tribute to him. Ter Linden (Harmonia Mundi) provides a fine period-instrument account, and Hugh (Kevin Mayhew) a somewhat reverberant but perceptive ‘modern’ option. But for me, Isserlis and Hyperion provide a completely new and inspiring benchmark for this unique tour de force’ (BBC Music Magazine)