Christopher Maltman

“M is for Mozart, Mackerras and magic. The Australian conductor - surely the world’s most illuminating and rewarding Mozartian - conjures sounds of mercurial brilliance and heart-stopping beauty from the OAE and his all-British cast in this vernacular version of Mozart’s most enigmatic comedy.” Sunday Times, 4th May 2008 ****

“Charles Mackerras, always a rewarding Mozart conductor, directs a taut, urgent account of the opera. Recitatives tumble inevitably into arias. Yet, despite his penchant for mobile tempos, Mackerras is fully alive to Così 's uniquely voluptuous, nostalgic tinta. Crucially in an opera of ensembles, the cast works well as a close-knit team, whether in the concerted numbers or in the recitatives, taken at a natural, conversational pace.” The Telegraph, 3rd May 2008

“This recording lacks an underlying dramatic conviction, despite punchy playing from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Mackerras. It's a shame, because Toby Spence, Christopher Maltman, Janice Watson and Diana Montague are nicely matched fair-weather lovers. But the direction seems moot. Lesley Garrett's devilsome maid Despina hams too much to the absent crowd, tonally rather too music-hall for the rest of the recording.” The Times, 12th April 2008 ***

“This is an account of Così which seems to put momentum first. The opening chord, more ferocious than one would expect, gives way to a rattling overture, and tension and pace never let up.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2008 ***

“He was wonderful in French songs, too, where his dark voice is often strangely disturbing. In Duparc, he avoids the breathy, overtly sexy approach adopted by many, hinting at deeper ambivalences within the music. Listening to him sing L'Invitation au Voyage, you end up wondering just exactly what the nature of the relationship is between the narrator and a beloved whom he calls "my child, my sister". La Vague et la Cloche, meanwhile, was a tour de force of baleful intensity, in which Maltman was superbly aided by his pianist Julius Drake. That one encore, meanwhile, was Flanders and Swann's Misalliance - funny, bitingly satirical, and faultlessly done” (The Guardian review of concert)

“Paul Daniel’s performance with the Bournemouth forces is one of the most successful to reach CD: it has spaciousness, drive and power in all the right places. The orchestral playing is refined, the choral singing robust and the ensemble tight.” The Daily Telegraph