“The five composers represented on this fine solo piano recital by Nathan Williamson all come from a period in British music when tonality was being explored to its outermost limits. … ‘Twelve Preludes’ by William Alwyn range from the gentle transparent simplicity of the first, through the second whose opening flourish reminded me of ‘The […]
“[This] is an important addition to Ferrier’s discography, and she is indeed marvellous in it, singing ‘Esurientes implevit bonis’ with that unique, indescribable tone and expressive sincerity that characterises her finest work. She also, one notices, exercises a steadying effect on some of her colleagues. … This is grand-manner Bach…Playing and choral singing are both enthusiastic… […]
In 2014, Krysia Osostowicz and I were working on the cycle of 10 Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano, on that kind of musical high that comes from immersion in the depths of fathomless art. We began talking about what we could do to mark out our cycle from the many that have come before; […]
“[Carwithen’s Quartet No. 1]’s technical fluidity suggest a much more mature composer…Quartet No. 2 dates from five years later, and the emotional intensity has heightened. … It’s a compelling piece of musical argument, played with bold incisiveness by the Tippett Quartet. Alwyn’s Quartet No. 3…It’s tautly argumentative opening gives way to an Adagio whose generous, […]
“…the lava tumbles out with astonishing force from Mark Bebbington, who plays with tremendous authority, supported by a vivid recording with an appropriately wide dynamic range. In its orchestrated symphonic form…the music writhes with a tumult of colours; but Bebbington proves that Bax’s first thoughts, testing piano and pianist to the limit, have their own […]
“once upon a time the songs of Eric Coates were sung and recorded by the world’s most prominent artists…which is one reason why this interesting new anthology is welcome. Another is the warm, empathetic advocacy of…Kathryn Rudge. Her creamy, generous mezzo-soprano affectionately cossets the languorous melody of ‘In a Sleepy Lagoon’ and caresses the delicate […]
“’Songs of Renewal’ are songs of rebirth. That is to be understood in two senses of the word: On the one hand, the album documents the occupation of contemporary British choral music in the sense of a rejuvenation of a tradition, on the other, the music deals with the spiritual question of what awaits us […]
“[The] Three Winter Poems trilogy of 1948 provides an unusual example of [William Alwyn’s] flair for pictorialism (which he had learnt through his composition for the big screen) combined with the sparer textures of the quartet. … The Tippett Quartet should be congratulated for their sympathetic interpretations of a neglected repertoire, though one that should […]
“Every one of the seven choral composers on this CD is represented by their most fascinating and attractive music. Well-known names like Judith Weir whose opera background comes through in her piece ‘a blue true dream of sky’, or Cecilia McDowall’s instantly attractive ‘Standing as I do before God’, use soprano soloist Elizabeth Cragg soaring […]
“First recordings of two sets of piano pieces by Arnold Bax and Harriet Cohen (his charismatic muse and lover) adorn this latest helping of home-grown fare from the excellent Mark Bebbington. Cohen’s four Russian Impressions prove a charming find, the first two especially winning Bax’s approval. Bebbington lends them atmospheric and deftly affectionate advocacy, as he […]
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