Felix Mendelssohn

"The performances are robust yet sensitive… and the recorded sound is sumptuous. This is a triumph for Marlow and his Trinity College Choir, for Chandos, and, above all, for Mendelssohn’s reputation as an inventive and deeply rewarding composer of sacred choral pieces." International Record Review

“Abetted by Johnson's lucid pianism, the singers nicely judge the scale and character of their allotted songs. Susan Gritton, her timbre, richer and more flavoursome than a decade ago, is equally admirable in the insouciant trilling of Johann Unger's Die Nachtigall and the dramatic declamation of Reichardt's Monolog der Iphigenie. Gerald Finley is a graphic story-teller in the various Erlkönig settings and a honeyed-toned seducer in Meyerbeer's Komm, while Mark Padmore makes a persuasive case for Zumsteeg's pleasantly rambling ballad Die Erwartung... This enterprising, often revelatory set should intrigue and delight anyone interested in the development of the Lied.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2006

“There’s no question about the calibre of these recordings… It’s a tribute to his outstanding career” Classic FM Magazine

“With its unforgettable opening cello theme, the D minor First has always been the more favoured of the two. But in a performance as subtle and impassioned as the Florestan's, the C minor Second seems at least as fine. The powerful, almost Brahmsian first movement alone should give the lie to the cliché that Mendelssohn's genius declined irredeemably after the brilliance of youth. While always keeping the potentially dense textures lucid (Susan Tomes's refined, singing tone and articulation a constant pleasure), the Florestan play this with a mingled fire and lyrical tenderness that it's hard to imagine bettered.
The flowing barcarolle slow movement has a crucial quality of innocence, and the flickering nocturnal Scherzo is as delicate and pointed as you could wish, at a tempo close to Mendelssohn's optimistically fast marking, while the Chamber Mendelssohn 736 finale drives impulsively towards its triumphant chorale apotheosis, grandly inevitable rather than bombastic.
From the yearning opening, the great cello melody surging across the barlines, the Florestan are equally vivid in the D minor Trio. Scrupulously observant, as ever, of Mendelssohn's detailed dynamic markings, they make you more than usually aware of how much of the music is held down to piano and pianissimo; and the moment at the start of the recapitulation, where Richard Lester's warm cello is counterpoised with violinist Anthony Marwood's fragile, floated descant, is as magical as you will hear.
Again the Florestan favour an easily flowing tempo for the song-without-words slow movement, phrasing in long spans (uncommonly pure, luminous duetting from Marwood and Lester) and finding a touch of playfulness when the main theme returns. Just as fine are the irresistible airborne Scherzo and the finale, where the Florestan, taking note of the qualifying unpoco tranquillo, make the opening march unusually pensive before sweeping forward with an authentically Mendelssohnian mix of restless agitation, grace and lyrical fervour. Pleasure in these superb performances is enhanced by a beautifully natural recording and Robert Philip's detailed, illuminating notes.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“What immediately impresses about these performances by the Florestan Trio is the lightness and clarity of the playing, with Susan Tomes characteristically sparing in her use of pedal. …this well-recorded new disc offers exceptionally fine accounts of these two great works.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2005

“With its unforgettable opening cello theme, the D minor First has always been the more favoured of the two. But in a performance as subtle and impassioned as the Florestan's, the C minor Second seems at least as fine. The powerful, almost Brahmsian first movement alone should give the lie to the cliché that Mendelssohn's genius declined irredeemably after the brilliance of youth. ...the Florestan play this with a mingled fire and lyrical tenderness that I have never heard bettered. From the yearning opening, the great cello melody surging across the barlines, the Florestan are equally vivid in the D minor Trio. Pleasure in these superb performances is enhanced by a beautifully natural recording and Robert Philip's detailed, illuminating notes.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2006

“Dazzling playing from this splendid ensemble puts the Florestan Trio at the very top of the list for these attractive and much-recorded works. The freshness of response and the virtuosity of the pianist, the inimitable Susan Tomes, make this coupling pretty irresistable.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition