“This is a Senta-centred production, realised as the repressed heroine's dream. On those terms, it is brilliantly carried through, acted with immense conviction. The musical side is good, not outstanding.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2005
‘Seven shorter pieces complete the programme, the best of which are Adoro te and Amen, both of which make
striking use of dynamic and spatial effects. The performances are excellent’ (BBC Music Magazine)
“As digital Falstaffs go, Sir Andrew Davis's 1995 account with the BBC SO remains arguably the front-runner. If both Elgar himself and Barbirolli impart the greater vulnerability and compassion to the illimitably moving closing pages, the irresistible symphonic current coursing through Davis's meticulously observant conception provides ample compensation. The figure. Rodney Macann as the Watergnome tends to steal the show, his dark, incisive bass very characterful. Ann Howard is wonderfully menacing as the Witch, while the fluttering vibrato of Phyllis Cannan as the Foreign Princess adds to the exotic image (in Act 2, when most of the characters are dressed in white, she stands out in a crimson gown). The three Woodsprites are lively, and incidental characters are well taken. Mark Elder draws warm incisive playing from the orchestra, adding to the dramatic impact and underpinning the moving final scene, when the Prince kisses Rusalka, knowing it will mean his death.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010
“While Trevor Pinnock (see above) or Christopher Hogwood might justifiably retain benchmark status, Kevin Mallon and his Canadian period-instrument Aradia Ensemble offer a nicely judged and pleasantly played alternative, vibrantly conveying the difficult blend of dancelike wit and muscular energy in Boyce's music. Apart from the list of participants being wildly incorrect (a choir where none exists, horns overlooked, no organ and uncredited harpsichord) the only mild reservation is that the over-reverberant recorded sound conceals occasional problems with intonation and washes everything in a mushy soup that does not always assist transparency and clarity. However, the acoustic lends an attractive bloom to the horns in Symphony No 4, and the effect of the resonant trumpets and timpani in Symphony No 5 is invigorating. If you are curious about Boyce's orchestral music, then this is an ideal place to start.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010
“…a very clean-cut, airy reading that avoids excessive sweetness and achieves a sense of drama as propulsive as a film score. Järvi's orchestra responds splendidly, with what sounds like a real Hardanger fiddle adding its tangy tone to the solos, and excellent vocal forces.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2005 *****
“Jarvi conducts his Estonian forces in warmly expressive, full-blooded readings...In the Hall of the Mountain King is very exciting, with a wild accelerando and vigorous vocal contributions.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition
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Fantasia
Building a Library
BBC Music Magazine
