Ivan Ilic

"This lively set has been around in various incarnations for almost 60 years, but Naxos presents it in better, more forward and unobstructed sound than ever before. It's a big, echt-Italian reading of the score, with Gigli, no teenager at the time (I believe he was 53), still the centerpiece of the work as Riccardo (the Boston, rather than Swedish, names are used)....for the most part he's close to ideal, singing with his customary beautiful tone, personality, and spontaneity, and making us care about the character as probably no other tenor on records does. Fedora Barbieri's Ulrica is likewise effective. She's at the start of her career but already singing with big tone (if less chest-push than later), intelligence, accuracy, and innate style. Gino Bechi's huge voice, too, is caught at its most youthful, but (as later in his career) he always sounds menacing, even when he shouldn't. Still, a big healthy sound like his is to be treasured...The Rome forces play very well under Serafin, and the rest of the cast is idiomatic and interested. The bonus tracks, comprising a bit more than a half-hour of music, offer famous singers of the 1920s and '30s in scenes from the opera. Impressive are Giannina Arangi-Lombardi, gushing verismo temperament as Amelia, and Riccardo Stracciari's big-toned Renato. Tenor Alessandro Bonci sounds very out of sorts....Gigli fans will exult."

"This lively set has been around in various incarnations for almost 60 years, but Naxos presents it in better, more forward and unobstructed sound than ever before. It's a big, echt-Italian reading of the score, with Gigli, no teenager at the time (I believe he was 53), still the centerpiece of the work as Riccardo (the Boston, rather than Swedish, names are used)....for the most part he's close to ideal, singing with his customary beautiful tone, personality, and spontaneity, and making us care about the character as probably no other tenor on records does. Fedora Barbieri's Ulrica is likewise effective. She's at the start of her career but already singing with big tone (if less chest-push than later), intelligence, accuracy, and innate style. Gino Bechi's huge voice, too, is caught at its most youthful, but (as later in his career) he always sounds menacing, even when he shouldn't. Still, a big healthy sound like his is to be treasured...The Rome forces play very well under Serafin, and the rest of the cast is idiomatic and interested. The bonus tracks, comprising a bit more than a half-hour of music, offer famous singers of the 1920s and '30s in scenes from the opera. Impressive are Giannina Arangi-Lombardi, gushing verismo temperament as Amelia, and Riccardo Stracciari's big-toned Renato. Tenor Alessandro Bonci sounds very out of sorts....Gigli fans will exult."

"...[Colin Matthews’ Postludes] has an expressively elegiac nature. There is some virtuoso writing here, especially a dazzling part for oboist Nicholas Daniel, and members of the Britten Sinfonia shine." ****

'Anna Meredith's Tripotage Miniatures are wittily vivacious' 

Classical Album of the Week

“… Bavouzet’s crisp, fortepiano-like articulation and the brilliance of the Camerata in the five overtures make these discs captivatingly fresh.”

“… When composing, Busoni managed to combine the light Italian music with the German text. He wrote the text himself. The first merit of the recording is that it reveals compositional treasures. But it also convinces with fresh, lively orchestral colors that Gerd Albrecht got from the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin. The group of singers is equally good. The voices are clearly put in the foreground by the recording technique. Of course, this makes it easier to understand the text and also makes it possible to hear every nuance…” ****

Pizzicato Supersonic

“… The love and admiration for Tartini’s music is obvious in these captivating performances. Chouchane Siranossian’s playing is characterized by great naturalness – a quality that has become very rare among modern baroque violinists – without ever degenerating into casualness. An important characteristic is the fine shaping of the concertos, the delicate agility of both the solo violin and the ensemble…. As a listener, you feel comfortable throughout the entire program: the Tartini concertos are extremely well served by Chouchane Siranossian, and you can clearly hear that the technically challenging music does not cause her any difficulties. The performances are brilliant and virtuoso, often movingly tender, but also melancholic, mischievous or full of irony in a very inspired and personal style, which clearly stands out from the baroque mainstream, because there is nothing wild in these performances, nor pure design, because Siranossian and Marcon concentrate primarily on making the music expressive.”

“In addition to operas and other works composed for public occasions, there are always those created for a private setting. Salieri created such works for a wedding, a silver wedding or other celebrations. This release combines cantatas with small instrumental pieces, so that a varied collection was created. This is the result of the persistent work of the Salieri scholar Timo Jouko Hermann, who also conducts this overall fine performances.” ****