“… she [Alder] has a beautifully clean, even and shining lyric soprano that projects with crystalline clarity, as well as a warm and attractive stage presence. More than that, she engages emotionally with what she sings, shaping vocal lines with rare sensitivity and a wide range of colours… Inspired by her mother’s ancestral roots in Odessa, Alder and her marvellously resourceful and imaginative pianist, Joseph Middleton, have devised a strikingly original programme that travels through Russia and Scandinavia with songs both familiar and unfamiliar by Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Medtner and Britten…” *****

Classical Album of the Week

“Here’s a really lovely disc from two of classical song’s brightest artists… Alder is in glorious voice, her soprano fresh and untethered; the assurance of youth and the doubt born of experience come across equally convincingly. Her high notes gleam, and her words are direct and communicative, whether in Russian, Swedish, German or French.  Middleton’s playing fills in everything those words can’t say, perfectly calibrated to support Alder but huge in its expressive scope… a disc you will want to play again right away.” *****

“… I love this recording. It shakes the floor, satisfies the mind, and races the pulse.”  

"... The chorus and orchestra excel under Adrian Partinton's able direction ... Devotees of Stanford and Romantic choral music alike will definitely wish to add this to their collections."

"... this is a pleasant recording, and can be recommended to those who enjoy discovering agreeable new music ..."

"... Without doubt, this is on my Want List of 2019. Fresh, imaginative programming, superb performances, and stimulating documentation all contribute to an unmissable experience."

“…Schornsheim’s performance is excellent, with a good sense of phrasing and tempos. She literally brings this music to life with fine expression and clear technique. This one will appear in my Want List, as it not only demonstrates the talents of composers who wound up in Denmark out of the European mainstream, it also is a sensitive and brilliant rendering of these works. Highly recommended.”

"... An excellent, full piano sound with microphones placed far enough away from the piano to avoid the damper noise and string vibrations that mar so many other recordings is an added bonus. So is Mark Anderson's playing ... it communicates the music so authoritatively that it is hard to imagine it presented any other way."

“… The Saxon Vocal Ensemble has a nicely resonant tone, with the entire vocal ensemble providing a rich texture where needed. They simply work well together, providing a firm foundation for these celebratory works. The four soloists are not required to undergo any special vocal challenges, though bass-baritone Cornelius Uhle has some moments which require strength and power. These he fulfils with ease. Not only do the soloists blend (and offer a nice textual difference with the full chorus), their declamation is clear and precise. Conductor Matthias Jung keeps this moving along, using some nice tempos and a good sense of phrasing. The Batzdorfter Hofkapelle is precise in pitch and never overshadows the choral portions. Its ensemble is likewise excellent. This is a terrific disc, and though one might find a certain stylistic sameness with Ristori’s style in these three works, they do demonstrate that he does not deserve to be sidelined in favour of this better-known colleagues at Dresden. Highly recommended.”

"... the Hermitage Piano Trio's performances are superbly well done, and the extraordinary presence, focus, transparency, and depth of KeithJohnson's state-of-the-art recording makes the players really shine... these three musicians each in his right as a soloist, and as an ensemble, are mighty impressive..."

"... beautifully played, it is more interesting  even involving, than I would have thought possible."