SOMM
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Britten's last quartet has been lucky in its recordings… With the Coull there's a sense of searching and effort, which suits the pain of the music more than the complete technical assurance... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, October 2007, Editor's Choice
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Schubert: Stimme der Liebe (The Voice of Love')
Ian Partridge (tenor), Jennifer Partridge, Ernest Lush
Both singer and pianist refined the art of simplicity...A more subtle virtue is the Partridges’ sensitivity to Schubert’s art of the unexpected. —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, August 2023, Reissue/Archive Issue of the Month
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The Beecham Collection
Dennis Noble (baritone)
Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic Society, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Beecham Opera Chorus, Sir Thomas Beecham
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The main work here is the grim and haunted Sonata (1921-24), Bridge's painful and profound response to the Great War. This is an epic performance, making the most of the work's mingled violence... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, September 2006, Instrumental Choice
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The grand scale and imposing architecture of the Reminiscenza, Romantica and Minacciosa sonatas…are superbly grasped by the Italian Alessandro Taverna…this first class recording, with its thought-provoking... —
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A Bad Night in Los Angeles
Piano Music of Robert Matthew-Walker
Mark Bebbington (piano), Rebeca Omordia (piano)
Mark Bebbington is a capable, expressive pianist with nimble fingers, a wide dynamic range, and a good ear for Matthew-Walker’s approach to sonority. —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, February 2023
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…would Mendelssohn have approved of Jennifer Bate's performances? If he wasn't impressed by the easy fluency of her technique or her highly articulate and intelligent interpretations… then... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, April 2006, Editor's Choice
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Elgar - The Fringes of the Fleet
RecommendedRoderick Williams (solo baritone), Nicholas Lester, Duncan Rock, Laurence Meikle (baritones)
Guildford Philharmonic, Tom Higgins
The admirable Roderick Williams is entrusted with the lion's share of duties and he is ably abetted by his three vocal colleagues; the Guildford PO, too, is on its toes under Tom Higgins's watchful... —
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Presto Recording of the Week, 9th November 2009
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Charles Villiers Stanford: Children's Songs
including first recordings
Kitty Whately (mezzo-soprano), Gareth Brynmor John (baritone), Susie Allan (piano)
This charming and generously filled disc, including several first recordings, should help to rectify the neglect of these attractive vignettes since the composer’s death. —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, August 2022
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Concertos for Piano and Strings: Mark Bebbington
Mark Bebbington (piano)
Innovation Chamber Ensemble (CBSO Players), Richard Jenkinson
Jacobs's compact Concerto No. 1 of 1927 starts us off with a tinkle, a crash, neo-classical fingerwork, and a sprinkling of slightly crunched harmonies...In its first recording, British devotee... —
