Daniel Taylor

“Emma Kirkby at her most serene is matched by Taylor as if they were two faces of a single musical entity. With first-rate surround-sound recording and a warm ambience, this is a disc not to be missed.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2009 *****

“There are at least half a dozen recordings of Vivaldi's Stabat mater that I wouldn’t want to be without but this profoundly beautiful version leaps straight into their ranks. The Theatre of Early Music band is small (just single strings and simple continuo) but its playing never feels underweight, and rhetorical qualities in the music are clear yet unforced. ...Taylor's intelligent and stylish singing belongs in a select class alongside a few of the finest and sweetest voices of its type. ...the well chosen programme is rounded off by Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden (Bach's creative yet respectful adaptation of Pergolesi's Stabat mater, using the text of Psalm 51), in which Emma Kirkby's delicate singing elegantly blends with Taylor's.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2009

“Anyone looking for a musical and sensitive reading of the Vivaldi, or an interesting variation on the Pergolesi; any fan of either of the two soloists; or any audiophile should get hold of this wonderful disc as soon as possible.” Opera Britannia, 28th September 2009 ****/*****

“…Bernius's interpretation has irreproachable integrity and displays outstanding musical quality. The quartet of Anglo-Canadian soloists is near-perfect. Carolyn Sampson's coloratura, occasional embellishments and trills in "Rejoice greatly" are marvellous, and she combines with Taylor to heart-rendingly beautiful effect in a gorgeous account of "He shall feed his flock". The Stuttgart Chamber Choir could almost pass for a native British early music group: the counterpoint is purely blended and the inner parts are shaped with refinement. The Stuttgart Baroque Orchestra plays with captivating spontaneity while never forcing the issue, and the trumpets in "Glory to God" are ideally distant.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2009

“Taylor Bowman…complement each other as perfectly as coffee and cream. A close-recorded perspective ensure the words cut through with compelling detail.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2008 ****

“James Bowman has been around for decades, whereas Daniel Taylor is a comparative newcomer; despite the age difference, they are equals in all respects. They are heard together in "Sound the trumpet" and "In vain the am'rous flute", the fullness of Bowman's voice nicely offset by Taylor's leaner tones.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2008

“The Amsterdam Baroque Choir and Orchestra provide well rounded choral contributions and lithe playing, each aspect performed with tangible engagement. …Koopman… directs proceedings judiciously, and fields a stronger team of soloists than has sometimes been the case in his past projects.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2007

“Frieder Bernius gives us a B minor Mass which neither sits obediently in the groove of seasoned reverence nor resorts to well-worn and predictable period reflexes. It is a reading whose invigorating momentum is underpinned by a confident bass presence and an immediacy which resolutely ignores the heavy burden of posterity from which performances regularly suffer.
To say that the buoyant, syncopated concertante- like second Kyrie heralds an iconoclastic journey would be an exaggeration but Bernius knowingly approaches the Latin text as a means of liberating the abstract brilliance and lyricism inherent in Bach's great edifice. The 'Et in terra pax' is exquisitely judged with every one of those aspiring figures each yielding a little more ambition, as is the case in the urgent 'Gratias agimus' – though perhaps too driven for some. The same is true in both the 'Qui sedes' and Agnus Dei (despite the introduction being alarmingly faster than the initial vocal strains), sung by the refined Daniel Taylor, where both are approached with an easy and open-ended fluidity which avoids the obvious pit-falls of 'stop-start' between solo movements and the virtuoso ensemble 'concerti'.
Bernius repeatedly seeks a close alliance between his singers and instrumentalists with eloquent arched lines and yet without an obsession for homogeneity at the expense of individual character in the ensemble. The 'Crucifixus' is given an unselfconscious and gently accentuated reading, the chromatic ground and the flute and string 'pointings' instinctively realised. If the 'Confiteor' falls slightly short, the large choruses are open-breathed and thrilling. The Stuttgart Chamber Choir are full of vim and alertness and the trumpet playing is cataclysmically brilliant throughout. Of the solo singers, special mention must be made of the bass, Raimund Nolte, whose soft-grained 'Et in Spiritum Sanctum' stands out, though it is the effect of the combined ingredients which makes this the most striking and satisfying Mass in B minor to have appeared in years.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Countertenor Daniel Taylor - the ensemble's artistic director - has a sweet, supple voice which complements James Bowman's darker, plangent sound. Lute, viol and harp are sensitively played by Elizabeth Kenny, Mark Levy and Frances Kelly, providing aptly soft voiced accompaniments for this most intimate of repertoires. ...if this beguiling music is not enough to seduce the ear, Ralph Fiennes's measured, thoughtful recitations surely will. A haunting collection...” BBC Music Magazine, February 2006 *****