Daniel Hope

“Pärt's Fratres is more transcendental than celestial but Hope's performance exudes both virtuosity and romanticism, as if drawing inspiration from Paganini and Joachim in equal measure...'Spheres' is, at times, quite literally out of this world.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013

“Provocative? To a degree, though classical purists shouldn’t shriek too loudly...Hope dances a path through a string of otherworldly new pieces, some intriguing, some sweet, some too brief to make much impression. Gabriel Prokofiev’s Spheres, an impressive highwire act for Hope, easily stands out.” The Times, 14th February 2013 ***

“Big-hearted Daniel Hope, backed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under Sakari Oramo, seems equally at home in the wide open spaces of Bruch's violin concerto (which the master totally revised and improved) or the warm intimacy of Joachim's own delightful Romanze” The Observer, 13th March 2011

**** The Telegraph, 18th March 2011

“Hope’s way with the Bruch: Violin Concerto No 1 is lively, burning with gypsy passion. Temperatures calm down for Joachim’s own Romanze and his equally endearing Notturno.” The Times, 26th March 2011 ****

“The major offering here is Bruch's evergreen First Violin Concerto, which Daniel Hope plays with cliche-free, heartfelt intensity. He radiates espressivo allure in Joachim's own Romanza and Notturno...The Joachim connection is fascinating, and Hope plays each piece as a music gem in its own right” Classic FM Magazine, May 2011 ****

“The Bruch is finely and vividly recorded. In Oramo's hands the orchestration acquires a rich glow, with solo lines brought out most expressively. Hope brings to his interpretation glorious, full tone brilliance (in the finale) and expansive phrasing...The pieces with piano are all beautifully played” Gramophone Magazine, May 2011

“[The Bruch] receives a warmly committed account from the soloist and the hugely responsive Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under Sakari Oramo. As in his recording of the Mendelssohn, Hope never takes this over-familiar score for granted and has imaginative things to say at every juncture.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2011 ****

“This performance [of the Bruch] overflows with incident and rich musical detailing...[Oramo], as a fiddler himself, knows this piece inside out...The finale dazzles, rounding out a captivating and insightful reading” International Record Review, May 2011

“In all, here's a striking demonstration of the sheer variety and invention of Baroque violin composers… Although by no means 'period' performances… they are admirably stylish. Hope uses vibrato as a colour and there are some delightful hues in the five continuo options, plucked and keyed.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2009 ****

“…this is an exciting disc with a heady, pied-piper power over the listener that comes from realising that the bright sense of discovery once felt by these composers is being experienced just as much by their modern-day interpreters.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2009

“…Dukes and his colleagues… present an attractive, rounded (and clearly recorded) portrait of a composer whose music is well worth getting to know.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2007 ****

“Clarke's Viola Sonata is arguably the greatest work in that genre written in the twentieth century...superbly performed by Philip Dukes with Sofia [sic] Rahman, [it] is well complemented by Clarke's other works for viola and piano...all of them fresh and inventive.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“Hope and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe play… with the clarity and ensemble precision of a top-class Baroque orchestra… Hope's obviously relish for Vivaldi's stiller moments brings memorable results… guest soloist Anne Sofie von Otter catches the mood superbly.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2008

“In these concertos Daniel Hope reveals himself as an ardent Vivaldian. …with dynamic playing that pays more than lip-service to the example provided by historically informed performances.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2009 ****

“The performance has plenty of passion and sensitivity, the slow introduction to the Finale sounding particularly magical.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2007 ****

“Hope is minutely responsive to every phrase of this music, making you wonder anew at its brilliance of invention. The outer movements dance, and his Andante has all the depth and subtlety of a great operatic aria, with remarkable richness in the alto register... The Octet is on a similarly elevated level, with Hope clearly the guiding light among his COE colleagues, but never becoming overbearing.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2007

“Daniel Hope – frighteningly gifted!” The Washington Post

“…penetrating and intense performances. In the First Concerto he draws the listener into the atmosphere of each movement from the very outset - the bleak landscape of the Nocturne, the savage mockery of the Scherzo, the combination of nobility and world-weariness in the Passacaglia and the manic abandon of the Burlesque. ...in the emotionally elusive Second it's Hope who seems to probe further beneath the surface of this dark and desolate music... The slightly deliberate tempo taken by Hope and Maxim Shostakovich in the Finale serves to accentuate its anger and brutality. A very desirable release indeed.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2006 *****

“The British violinist Daniel Hope has the measure of the darkness at the heart of this concerto, and his playing is almost conversational...Maxim Shostakovich guides the players of the BBC Symphony Orchestra through his father's concerto with understanding, and respect...The integrity and introverted intensity of the reading makes this a special performance for me.” Andrew McGregor, bbc.co.uk, 16th May 2006