Gramophone Magazine’s Richard Bratby reviews the world premiere recording of Stanford: The Travelling Companion in the November 2019 issue:
“This is a landmark: the first full-length commercial recording of any of Stanford’s nine completed operas. It’s all the more remarkable in having been brought about by the semi-professional New Sussex Opera, who last year revived The Travelling Companion for the first time in decades. … enthusiasts – and the curious – are unlikely to be disappointed. … Newbolt gives Stanford an effective framework to do what he does best: spinning lyrical, luminous melody, interspersed with highly effective choral writing and lit by the occasional flash of orchestral magic. … Kate Valentine’s rich-toned, ardent Princess sounds splendid, too, against Ian Beadle’s Wizard: a ringing, pleasingly dark reading of a role that could easily slip into pantomime. Everyone here is entirely committed… the conductor Toby Purser, who sounds like he’s been conducting Stanford operas for decades, so eloquent is his phrasing, and so naturally does he let the music blossom and soar. A full libretto is included and this recording – a true labour of love – should whet a lot of appetites. Anyone for Shamus O’Brien?”
—Richard Bratby, Gramophone
See the full review in the November 2019 issue or on gramophone.co.uk