“… a sparkling clean and coherent production.”

**** - Excellent Album

"... excellent two-disc set from Fairfield Halls, Croydon... Sir Andrew conducts a stirring account of Berlioz's R&J with good soloists - Michèle Losier, Samuel Boden, and David Soar giving the stern Friar Laurence summing up - but it's the orchestral panache (terrific brass playing) and musical choral parts that propel this set..."
Sound Quality 90%
 

“... Davis’s performance is all that I could wish for. Pacing and timing seem entirely right all the time, and the music is never static as it dances along...”

“...There is no doubt that Sir Andrew has the measure of the published score and he engenders real passion and propulsion at the start... The Fairfield Hall acoustic as recorded is admirably natural, with good balance ...”  ****

"... Sir Andrew Davis drives this magnificent music with tight rhythmic control and tremendous energy   The French Canadian mezzo Michèle Losier sings beautifully and accurately, and of course her French is perfect. She seems tireless in the extensive passages for Juliet and is really a joy to hear. Samuel Boden is a strong and even-voiced singer with as good a command of the language as one could wish... David Soar puts in as good a performance as Friar Laurence as I can remember, imposing and reproachful by turns. The BBC Chorus are their normal excellent selves and the BBCSO demonstrate once again that they can match any orchestra in the world. The brass get plenty of opportunity to show their worth in the two makeweight items. “Makeweight!” That is no way to describe these famous extracts from The Trojans. They may be tacked on after the main work, on Disc 2, but they deserve hearing separately and being given full attention. The entry of the chorus in the ‘Royal Hunt and Storm’ is absolutely thrilling... This new issue from Chandos, magnificently recorded in the excellent acoustic of the Fairfield Halls Concert Hall, should be considered for purchase no matter how many recordings one already possesses ..."

Choral & Song Choice

Performance *****          Recording *****

“... Davis’s reading is warm and full of subtle atmospheric nuances... Davis takes full advantage of a magnificent SACD recording epically spacious, illuminating the excellent chorus and soloists vocal and instrumental in sharp detail ... This has rapidly become a favourite contemporary version...”