8.557624 Stainer: The Crucifixion

“Now Timothy Brown and the choir of Clare College, Cambridge turn their attention to The Crucifixion, masterpiece of the 19^th-century English composer John Stainer, lending a terrifying intensity to the mob shouts of ‘Crucify him’ and exquisite beauty to the meditation at the work’s heart, ‘God so loved the world’.” Anthony Holden, The Observer, 08/05/05

“The choral singing, from Clare College Cambridge Choir, is exceptionally beautiful. And the recording, made in Guildford Cathedral, is very atmospheric.” Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 13/05/05

“Featuring as soloist one of today’s leading tenors, James Gilchrist, the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, is now riding high after its recent chart topping success. Add Naxos’ excellent sound quality, and they are sure to have another top-selling international success.” David Denton, Yorkshire Post, 06/05/05

“Thanks to Clare College Choir’s persuasive advocacy, it is easy to understand why the piece has kept its place in music lists. It is the singers’ meticulous observation of these [dynamic effects] that makes this excellent performance so convincing and enjoyable, especially their hushed pianissimos and thrilling crescendos, together with their precise control of pace and timing.” Elizabeth Roche, The Daily Telegraph, 28/05/05

8.557433 Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin

“Marin Alsop’s Miraculous Mandarin can claim amongst its virtues stealth, colour and energy. Good sound too…and viewed overall this is a worthy introduction to some great music.” Rob Cowan, The Gramophone, June 2005

“Alsop’s structural command of Bartok’s brutal ballet is absolute, her transitions confident and dramatic. The Dance Suite and Hungarian Pictures complete a persuasive budget alternative to Ivan Fischer’s full price Mandarin with the Budapest Festival Orchestra.” Anna Picard, The Independent on Sunday, 1/05/05

“…there is some distinguished playing here, not least from the solo clarinet, which personifies the prostitute’s seductions. Marin Alsop finds an ideal balance between the music’s facets of showpiece and dance, with its lurid storytelling never giving way to pure display. Alsop captures the rhythms and textural detail with an innate sense of the music’s style.” Matthew Rye, The Daily Telegraph, 07/05/05

“Marin Alsop enters flamboyantly into the baleful spirit of the ballet, with rhythms sharp as a whiplash and a recording that makes beautifully audible each louche glissando, hysterical tremolando or feverish piano arpeggio. The Bournemouth orchestra covers itself in glory by the sheer colourfulness and intensity of its playing.” Calum MacDonald, BBC Music Magazine, June 2005

8.557644 Finzi: I Said To Love

“Williams’s performances with pianist Iain Burnside catch that balance between affirmation and pessimism exactly. They show a wonderful understanding of how a little can be made to express so much in a Finzi song and how, in songs like The Self-unseeing and Channel Firing, the unexpected twists of harmony and vocal colour take on such a massive expressive load.” Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 06/05/05

“You would have to look hard for a better introduction to Finzi – and at budget price, too. The songs are the core of his achievement, and this well-chosen selection reveals that he was fully as sensitive to word setting as his more widely-feted compatriot Benjamin Britten, while being perhaps the more natural melodist of the two. Roderick Williams’s elegant and delicate performances reveal the heart of this music without forcing anything – and mercifully without the coyness that mars Finzi performances. Warm-toned, nicely balanced recordings, too.” Stephen Johnson, BBC Music Magazine, June 2005

“The baritone Roderick Williams enunciates Shakespeare’s words with telling sensitivity, his round, burnished tone a joy in itself, while the pianist-broadcaster Iain Burnside frames the vocal line as something rather more than a mere “accompaniment”. Anyone wishing to sample Finzi’s art songs should certainly start here.” Rob Cowan, The Independent, 31/05/05

8.557273 Elgar: Marches

“James Judd – for long a dedicated Elgarian – and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra have already established their Elgar credentials in their excellent Naxos disc of the two Wand of Youth Suites and the Nursery Suite, and ideal coupling. Here they reinforce that success in a splendid collection of Elgar marches. Warm, clear, well-balanced recordings to make one look forward to more Elgar from this source.” Edward Greenfield, The Gramophone, June 2005

“For lovers of ceremonial English music this bite-sized Elgar collection will give great pleasure as, in addition to the five Pomp and Circumstance Marches (although we hardly ever hear Nos. 3 and 5 in the concert hall), it contains nearly every march Elgar composed. Recorded with excellent definition, and just the right amount of resonance, this hugely enjoyable CD is a defining and definitive addition to the catalogue, especially at budget price.” David Hart, Birmingham Post, 5/05/05

8.557397 Maxwell Davies: Naxos Quartets Nos. 3 & 4

“Davies’s immaculately judged part-writing displays a bracing mastery of the idiom and, needless to say, the Magginis once again play with superlative poise and intelligence. Both sound and balance are first-rate. I impatiently await the next instalment.” Andrew Achenbach, The Gramophone, June 2005

“The compositional tricks may be familiar, but the harmonic ideas continue to flow.” Anthony Holden, The Observer, 1/05/05

“Two more, the third and fourth [quartets], have just emerged, played by the Maggini Quartet with the passion and fluency essential if listeners are to persevere.” Geoff Brown, The Times, 06/05/05

8.557495 Quilter: Complete Folk-Song Arrangements

“Top of the bill, performer-wise, are the tenor Philip Langridge, the baritone David Wilson-Johnson and the pianist David Owen Norris.” Rob Cowan, The Independent, 31/05/05

8.557592 Bax: Piano Music Vol. 2

“A super disc, this, recorded with striking realism. Roll on Volume 3!” Andrew Achenbach, The Gramophone, June 2005

“They both require stamina and a fantastic technique, allowing Wass to flex his strong hands with stunning virtuosity and a dynamic range that is quite remarkable. At this price it’s a gift.” David Denton, Yorkshire Post, 6/05/05“Wass plays all this music straight and honestly, with a sure instinct for all its idioms, without surrendering to the more self-indulgent aspects of Bax’s chromaticism.” Calum MacDonald, BBC Music Magazine, June 2005

8.557380-81 Haydn: The Creation

“Recorded in Cologne in July 2003 by German Radio, this issue offers a first-rate performance of Haydn’s masterpiece, lively and well sung. Since other issues of Die Schöpfung in the super-budget category use modern instruments it fills an important gap, particularly as the digital sound is so clear and transparent. An outstanding bargain.” Edward Greenfield, The Gramophone, June 2005

8.557720 Dyson: Symphony

“David Lloyd-Jones, founder music director of Opera North, obtains stunning performances from the Bournemouth Symphony with punchy sound quality to match.” David Denton, Yorkshire Post, 6/05/05

8.557746 Cavalli: Opera Highlights

“The excerpts are well chosen, the performances stylish. Care is taken over text and authenticity of instrumentation and pitch” John Steane, The Gramophone, June 2005

8.559249 Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and Experience

“The forces involved make it a work for special occasions – Leonard Slatkin also conducted the British premiere with the BBCSO nine years ago – and while it’s not a piece anyone will want to sit through too often, this set is worth exploring piecemeal.” Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 29/04/05

8.110979 Szigeti: Bach Violin Concertos

“Best on this particular programme is Tartini’s D minor Concerto, so persuasively warm, and a transcribed “arioso” from Bach’s Fifth keyboard concerto, possibly the loveliest example we have of Szigeti’s highly personal sound-world.” Rob Cowan, The Independent, 3/05/05

8.110308-10 Wagner: Lohengrin

“The remastering by Mark Obert-Thorn is characteristically faithful to the original. The performance as a whole is a forceful reminder of what a fine conductor Joseph Keilberth was. He maintains intensity and drama at a high degree and secures some splendid playing.” Michael Kennedy, The Sunday Telegraph, 15/05/05