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“Hooray for the Berkeley centenary if it wins us a bonus like this !V a rare collection of the settings of W.H. Auden's poems by Lennox B and, more to the point, Benjamin Britten.” The Observer

“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

“Adrian Thompson sings throughout with the musicality and intelligence we expect from a lifelong advocate of the composer's music. His phrasing is consistently sensitive and subtle to the smallest details of Britten's writing...Lloyd-Jones and the Bournemouth Sinfonietta provide alert, beautifully balanced support throughout” Gramophone Magazine, June 1998

“Langridge adopts an appropriately ghostly voice for the Dirge - dramatic and dark...The English Chamber Orchestra, who have been brilliant throughout, really show their colours in the Sonnet, creating a beautifully translucent sound, while Langridge is aptly dramatic. Frank Lloyd is mysterious, unrushed and moving in the Epilogue and has the edge on his competitors” MusicWeb International

“Steuart Bedford elicits great detail and character from the Simple Symphony, but most valuable is his account of the English Folk Tunes Suite, a late and strangely haunting composition. Unmissable value.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2005 ****

“Bedford, who worked with Britten, digs deep into the works psyche and dynamically shapes its dramatic sweep…crisp and impressively clear.” Classic FM Magazine