20% off Naxos

“…some of the Sonata's radical harmonic language is present in the elusive left-hand Improvisations written in 1918 for Douglas Fox, who had lost his right arm in the trenches. Wass's deeply felt and finely shaded accounts of these pieces, displaying an admirably wide range of touch and dynamics, are probably the best performances on the disc.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2007 ****

“[Ashley Wass] plays the Piano Sonata with an expressive rubato that indicates complete understanding of the language and phrasing, a teasing glow in the slow movement and a sense of anxious searching in the finale.” The Times

“Frank Bridge's two piano trios make a natural coupling. The 1907 Phantasie Trio is a prime example of the ruggedly mellifluous chamber style of his early years… The much larger Trio No. 2 (1928-29), on the other hand, is an austere, haunted masterpiece in his later idiom... The players on this new disc, including noted Bridge specialist Ashley Wass as pianist, understand these widely divergent idioms perfectly, and display some superb ensemble playing: their account of the Molto allegro of Trio No. 2 - at once feather-light and sinister - is nothing other than a joy to hear.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 *****

“…the masterpiece here is the epic Second Piano Trio of 1929, one of Bridge's most cogent, questing and durable utterances, whose radical language so bamboozled the largely conservative British critics of the period. Wass and company lend it exhilarating advocacy in a realisation of enviable security, unswerving concentration and burning conviction. Tip-top production values from Andrew Walton and exemplary notes by Andrew Burn set the seal on an irresistible bargain.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2009

“These are important and fascinating discs, which anyone interested in 20th-century British music should hear.” The Guardian, 22nd May 2009 ****

“How encouraging to see Ashley Wass branching into Bridge's chamber output – and with such gifted colleagues, too. This Naxos version of the adorable, Cobbett Prize-winning Phantasie Trio is an adroit and boldly characterised affair. The three sets of Miniatures probably date from the following year and comprise nine exquisitely crafted and tuneful morsels originally intended for domestic use. They're best dipped into rather than played at one stretch, but all are dispatched with sizzling panache and evident relish by these elegant performers.
Of course, the masterpiece here is the epic Second Piano Trio of 1929, one of Bridge's most cogent, questing and durable utterances, whose radical language so bamboozled the largely conservative British critics of the period. Wass and company lend it exhilarating advocacy in a realisation of enviable security, unswerving concentration and burning conviction. Tip-top production values and exemplary notes set the seal on an irresistible bargain.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Bridge's glorious Second Quartet, written in 1915 and winner of that year's Cobbett Prize, is arguably his first true chamber masterwork, superbly realised on every level (the finale is a tour de force of motivic integration) and full of the most engagingly fresh invention and invigorating part-writing. The last of his four quartets (completed in 1937) represents more of a challenge, but strong emotions stir beneath its uncompromising surface.
Once again, the finale proves a fitting summation, and Bridge's technical command of the medium is absolute. Leaner and more 'classically' compact than its towering predecessor from 1926, this searching score will afford the patient listener plentiful long-term rewards.
The Brindisi Quartet's coupling has served us handsomely over the past dozen years but must now yield to this Naxos release. These are exemplary, scrupulously prepared readings from the Magginis, who play with unquenchable fire, keen intelligence and immaculate polish throughout. Joined by the admirable Martin Roscoe, they also offer a considerable bonus in the shape of the lovely Phantasy Piano Quartet of 1909-10.
With vividly realistic, beautifully balanced sound from the experienced Walton/Thomason production-team and succinct annotation by Andrew Burn, this is an unmissable disc.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The emotions come across strongly, though without sacrificing either Bridge's subtlety or his intellectual strength. Bridge remains an introvert, but it's still extraordinary how much of his complex musical personality the Maggini persuades him to reveal in these highly recommendable performances.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2005 *****

“Even by the high standards of previous Maggini/ Naxos offerings, this is an exceptionally fine disc.
If you don't know Frank Bridge's First Quartet of 1906, its ardour and melodic fecundity compel investigation. The Maggini Quartet give a performance to match, of sweep, assurance and affection.
At the same time, their rapt concentration and daring range of expression (especially in the slow movement) banish for good any vestige of salon-room cosiness; the return of the opening material at the quartet's close has never seemed more wistfully inevitable.
That the Magginis are no less attuned to the far more challenging sound world of the 1926 Third Quartet is at once evident from the articulate authority and thrust they impart to the introductory bars (which sow the seeds for so much that follows). Both this work and the searching Piano Sonata, completed the previous year, represent the first wholly convincing examples of Bridge's liberating brand of English expressionism.
The Magginis are scrupulously alive to anguished introspection which runs through the work: the ghostly visions that stalk the central Andante conmoto and finale's twilit coda linger long in the memory here. A superb coupling, impeccably captured by the Walton/Thomason production team and well annotated by Andrew Burn.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

"...They are splendidly played by the excellent English Northern Philharmonia and are lovingly portrayed by its talented conductor. Naxos moreover offers sound of exceptional clarity, balance, and presence. At its love asking price this is hard to beat and easy to recommend." - American Record Guide(John C Mckelvey) July/August 2001

“With Britten comes the thought of high voices: boys' voices that on this Naxos disc belong to the choir of St. John's College, Cambridge… the St. John's singers roundly capture the elusive tonal qualities of Britten's choral music, and the recording has a proper sense of space and locality.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2000

“As with other recent records from St John's, there's a freshness, almost a feeling of adventure and a sense that all this choral discipline is an easy yoke. These are excellent performances, the opening item setting a standard which is to be maintained throughout. Buoyant rhythms, precise accentuations and well-pointed contrasts are features of the singing; and the playing of Ian Farrington in accompaniments that are often difficult and always demanding of maximum alertness, is outstanding. Outstanding, too, is the contribution of the trebles. In tone they preserve the traditional John's sound, without exaggerating its so-called continental element.
But what impresses most is the sense of imaginative involvement. It's there, for instance, in the Kyrie of the Missa brevis, and most of all in the 'I cannot grow' section of A Hymn to St Cecilia. To this they bring a distinctive excitement, a wideeyed, breathlessly playful feeling of childlike wonder. The programme itself is highly attractive.
The 'hymns' are fully developed compositions, and the canticles are notably independent of tradition (for instance, a quietly meditative note of praise is struck at the start of both Te Deums). The Missa brevis makes inventive use of its forces; and Rejoice in the Lamb, a masterly expression of the liberal spirit, never ceases to amaze with its evocation of the cat Jeoffry, valiant mouse and staff-struck poet. Recorded sound isn't as vivid as the performances, but this remains a very likeable disc.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Vivid as Hickox's traversal of the score for Chandos may be, Bedford's is just that much more alert, crisper. With his long experience of Britten in the theatre, dating back to Death in Venice under the composer's aegis, his timing carries unique authority and, in better sound than the old Decca set can now offer, he even has the edge over the composer's obviously definitive reading. Bedford's players are at least as accomplished as Hickox's, and are caught in a more immediate, less reverberant acoustic.
As for the singers, in almost every case Bedford's are the equal of, or superior to, Hickox's and several surpass Britten's. For instance, Albert was never one of Peter Pears's happiest assumptions; Christopher Gillett makes a more credible mother's boy and does well when he decides to break loose. Where the crucial role of Lady Billows is concerned, Josephine Barstow's commanding performance may not quite be on a par with Sylvia Fisher for Britten, but the difference is small. Susan Gritton gives us a dotty and cleanly sung Miss Wordsworth (Margaret Ritchie, the role's creator, must have sounded like this), Robert Lloyd is a simpleton of a Budd (as well sung as any), and Felicity Palmer makes a wonderfully fussy Florence Pike.
It only remains to laud once again the score's many delights as regards technical mastery and subtle characterisation, and to suggest you hurry off to enjoy a real bargain.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Gillett in the title-tole has a clear, youthful-sounding tenor...What secures the set's success is the way that in the ensembles Bedford secures such crispness, wittily lifting rhythms, making the music swagger. At the Naxos reissue price this is a phenomenal bargain” Penguin Guide, 2010 ***

“This is a fascinating recital of all Britten’s “north of the border” settings, including his final song cycle A Birthday Hansel and familiar folk-songs such as Ca’the Yowes. The mood is mostly bleak, haunted and haunting: this is Britten at his most austerely romantic and melancholy.” The Telegraph, 11th August 2011 *****

“Sensitive harp accompaniment brings to life this setting of poems from Robert Burns and William Soutar” Financial Times, 13th August 2011 ***

“The Scottish tenor has matured into one of our finest artists with time's passing, musically astute, vocally impressive and a generous communicator...the intense beauty of Wilde's lyric voice and the musical wisdom of these interpretations pay handsome compensation for the recital's want of spectacular contrasts.” Classic FM Magazine, October 2011 ****

“[In "A Birthday Hansel"] Wilde takes his time and uses his pliable voice to play with light and shade in atmospheric performances. The Soutar cycle, "Who are these children?", is also unhurried, adding several minutes to the timing of Peter Pears's recording, though Wilde generally uses the time productively. The headlong violence of "Slaughter" is more intelligible at this speed and "The Children" has a properly haunting air.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2011

“Ronald Corp directs bright, refreshing performances of a delightful collection of Britten choral pieces... A splendid bargain.” Penguin Guide