Reviews

'... theirs is an enchantingly off-beat program ... Hannigan is a formidable chanteuse, singing the disc’s four songs with impeccable diction, unobtrusive vibrato, an excellent sense of character, and honeyed tone – not to mention spades of charm.'

'And as in the previous ten recordings on the way to the complete series, with orchestra and conductor there is not a second, not a bar, not a phrase from which Haydn's inexhaustible spirit does not leap out at you.'

'Their reading is as rich in contrasts as it is in nuance ... As close as possible to a music whose depth does not need an excess of gestures to leave an indelible mark.'

'the musicians of the Belcea Quartet form a single, wonderfully blissful, breathing body of sound ... And you don't just listen to them either - you hear them.'

'she also still possesses considerable coloratura flexibility, has virtually effortless access to all registers of her stupendously extensive voice - and she has a wealth of experience in expression and interpretation that she knows how to use brilliantly.'

'The focus with Whelan’s own Ensemble Marsyas is much sharper, the orchestral lines more muscular, the musical grip tighter.'

'The Bach compositions were arranged by Lucile Boulanger from solo works for violin, cello, harpsichord and lute for the viola da gamba, which leads to amazingly beautiful sound effects.'

'One can hardly interpret this music more elegantly and vocally ... an extremely harmonious overall picture.'

'They [Benjamin Appl & James Baillieu] give a coherent, seductive version of Schubert's masterpiece with a high quality of inner drama and poetry.'