Fauré: Élégie in C minor, Op. 24

“Rysanov has previously demonstrated that there is far more to the instrument than Romantic brooding, but this disc finds him exploring that cliche...and the playing is utterly sublime, especially Rysanov's delicacy in upper registers and gossamer-like harmonics...The sense throughout is more of fine dark chocolate than sugar, and what (only just) prevents this becoming too sickly is the inclusion of Richard Dubugnon's Lied and, especially, Incanto.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2013 ****

“Rysanov is a remarkable string player; in his hands the viola's distinctive voice is explored throughout its range, with consistently beautiful variations of intensity and tone colour. And he and Wass show great sensitivity in finding the appropriate tempo and character for each item.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013

“I can congratulate Rysanov for his excellent playing, Dubugnon for at least one really excellent piece, and BIS for once again creating an exciting program blending old and new...[Wass's] contributions are simply phenomenal, with a softness of touch which makes one forget the piano is percussive.” MusicWeb International, April 2013

“Jaroussky, breathtakingly angelic in what Saint-Saëns considered the only "Pie Jesu" worth performing. But it's Järvi's uncanny knack to somehow derive spiritual uplift from the gloomiest of subjects that most impresses here, a talent tailored to fit such needs.” The Independent, 9th September 2011 ****

“On this showing, Jaroussky might more accurately be described as a countermezzo, since his fine high Fs (top line of the treble stave) are delivered with no sense of strain. Most of the time, he fits the historical bill in sounding more like a boy than a mezzo...Eric Picard plays the Elegie stylishly, supported by some lovely woodwind solos.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2011 ***

“Järvi proves a surprisingly effective interpreter of the Requiem. His French orchestra and chorus lend the ‘Sanctus’ and ‘In Paradisum’ an appropriate air of mystic transcendence, and Matthias Goerne dignifies the ‘Libera me’. A countertenor may not be everyone’s choice for the ‘Pie Jesu’, but you can’t fault Philippe Jaroussky for purity.” Financial Times, 8th October 2011 ****

“However admirable Paavo Järvi's performance of Fauré's Requiem may be, it's the motet Super Flumina Babylonis that provides the main focus on this disc... The choral singing is magnificent throughout...It's a nicely balanced recording, allowing us to appreciate the immense subtlety of Fauré's orchestration. The performance of the Cantique de Jean Racine is one of the most beautiful I know.” The Guardian, 13th October 2011 ****

“Järvi's live recording packs a punch, the X-factor within its beautifully warm, full sound being a core strength that colours both timbre and interpretation and underpins even the light-textured, soprano-led In Paradisum. The vocal tones of both soloists slot into this sound world perfectly, with the casting of countertenor Philippe Jaroussky in the soprano role feeling surprisingly natural from the outset.” bbc.co.uk, 26th October 2011

“the real shock is just how well suited Jaroussky's countertenor turns out to be for the Pie Jesu. There is astonishing purity even in the very highest register and a level of restrained drama that transforms this into something of quite extraordinary impact...The real interest in this new disc is a rare outing for Faure's very first choral piece, Super flumina Babylonis...a remarkably serious and quite operatic utterance from an 18-year-old student” Gramophone Magazine, November 2011

“front-rank Faure. Emotional and cerebral intelligence are harnessed by Paavo Jarvi, a musician clearly dedicated to Faure's cause. Even the composer's familiar Pavane, done here with optional chorus and stripped of false sentiment, sounds fresh and new in its classical elegance.” Classic FM Magazine, December 2011 ****

“The surprise in Paavo Järvi’s live recording of the full orchestral version is countertenor Philippe Jaroussky’s solo in the Pie Jesu, a gamble which comes off beautifully; Jaroussky’s otherworldly vocal perfect for this work...Järvi’s large choir make a pleasingly rich sound and the overall effect is more sincere and less cloying than it can be.” The Arts Desk, 5th November 2011

“[The] shorter pieces come off rather better than the Requiem, in which Järvi does not always sound very interested. This work does contain some very good things, however, particularly from the soloists, and certainly never falls below an acceptable level...Järvi injects a welcome touch of drama into the mid-section.” MusicWeb International, January 2012

“ Masques et bergamasques, which takes its title from Verlaine's sad, mysterious poem Clair delune, is a late stage work that the composer himself described as melancholy and nostalgic, but it's hardly romantic, being instead pointedly neo-classical in character and shape. The playing here under Yan Pascal Tortelier is very satisfying, as are the elegant flute solos of the exquisitely delicate Pavane, performed here without the optional chorus, and in Dolly. The rarely heard Overture to the opera Pénélope is also effectively presented here.
The biggest concertante work here, the Ballade of 1881, is Fauré's orchestration of his piano piece of the same name; it's gentle music that persuades and cajoles in a very Gallic way.
Though not an overtly virtuoso utterance, it makes its own exacting technical demands on the soloist, among them being complete control of touch and pedalling. The highly regarded Fauréan Kathryn Stott meets these with consistent success.
There's little rhetoric and no bombast in Fauré's art, but how civilised he was, and what sympathetic interpreters serve him here! The recording is warm yet also delicate.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“What is most striking about this perofrmance [of the Britten] is that, thanks to the brilliance of Simon Lane at the piano, the virtuosity of the piano-writing is thrillingly brought out...The three Frank Bridge pieces are well contrasted between easy lyricism and dazzling virtuosity in dashing triplets, while the duo are just as understanding in the French pieces” Gramophone Magazine, December 2012