The May 2021 issue of Gramophone Magazine has a wonderful new review for Roderick Williams, James Way, and Andrew West’s recording of Stanford’s Songs of Faith, Love and Nonsense: “Here’s yet another valuable instalment in Somm’s exploration of Charles Villiers Stanford. …the commanding partnership of Roderick Williams and Andrew West distilling a keen dramatic instinct […]

“it’s worth reiterating just what a debt of gratitude lovers of British music owe to SOMM and the Dante Quartet for their commitment to Stanford’s chamber music. Listening to this vibrant new recording, what struck me was… the freshness, the spontaneity, the instinctive ‘rightness’ of Stanford’s writing for strings. This might be the most satisfying […]

The March 2020 Gramophone issue reviews the Dante Quartet’s Stanford: String Quartets, Volume Three recording with a rave for the whole set: “Hats off, folks: the completion of the first full recorded cycle of Stanford’s string quartets deserves a moment of acknowledgment. … the more you listen to this music, the more distinctively Stanford’s own […]

“This double CD is the World Première recording of the last of Charles Villiers Stanford’s nine operas. It contains a narrative element strikingly similar to Puccini’s Turandot. … With the attractive tonal colours of Stanford’s music, in particular his orchestral and choral writing, it provides a fascinating and enjoyable experience. … Performances are excellent, especially […]

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 […]

Gramophone Magazine’s October 2019 issue profiles the Charles Villiers Stanford Musical Revival and features SOMM’s recent and upcoming recordings of his string quartets with the Dante Quartet and the upcoming release of Stanford’s opera “The Travelling Companion”. “The recording of The Travelling Companion gives us a unique opportunity to hear a side of Stanford’s musical […]

Gramophone reviews the Dante Quartet’s recording of Charles Villiers Stanford: String Quartets Nos. 3, 4, & 7 in the October 2018 issue: “All three of the works on this disc are premiere recordings, an astonishing state of affairs for what must surely be the most significant quartet cycle by any British composer before Frank Bridge. […]

James Jolly adds both of our new Charles Villiers Stanford and Elgar releases to his weekly “Listening Room” playlist on Gramophone: “Sir Charles Villiers Stanford’s Seventh String Quartet came as quite a surprise – beautifully constructed (no surprise) but so eloquent and passionate. I’ve always loved Kathryn Rudge’s rich mezzo voice and have long wanted […]