Bach, J S: Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV1004 - SACD

“[The Bach] doesn't quite work, and the sound is uneven, but the experiment is fascinating. Faure's Requiem, sensitively accompanied by the LSO Chamber Ensemble, is warmly performed, at once urgent and serene.” The Observer, 25th November 2012

“This remarkable, moving disc makes ingenious juxtapositions both vertically and horizontally...It is astonishing to hear the chaconne with the beautifully fitting chorale accompaniment Thoene has arranged.” Sunday Times, 16th December 2012

“it is a performance of extreme richness and opulence. Short's marvellously moulded phrases, long-drawn and exquisitely shaped...are vital elements in elevating this performance to the sublime. Not to be downplayed, however, is the exquisite singing of Tenebrae...In short, this is a devastatingly beautiful performance.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2013

“The playing of the London Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble and their leader Gordon Nikolitch and the singing of Tenebrae and the two soloists are all exemplary. The problems here are not mostly of execution but, on two fronts, of conception...Nikolitch's performances of the four dances from the D minor Partita are riveting” BBC Music Magazine, February 2013 ***

“the performance of the Faure Requiem is outstanding, and very well recorded…Tenebrae is such an impressive vocal ensemble, and they avoid all the pitfalls of the cool, clean, clear school of chamber choir – full-blooded, passionate engagement with the dots and the texts, and the soloists are excellent as well. I’m pretty sure it’s a combination you won’t find anywhere else on disc.” CD Review, 5th January 2013

“This disc is a profoundly beautiful and supremely effective meditation on the theme of death and mourning...The singing of Tenebrae is marvellous here. Their blend is nothing short of sensational, and they fit the acoustic of St Giles’ Cripplegate as though it had been tailor made for them...perhaps the finest recorded performance of the Fauré Requiem I have come across...Short’s pacing of the work is masterful throughout” MusicWeb International, April 2013

“It all makes for fascinating listening. Gluzman has an agile technique and tonal range that fit him well for the demands of the D minor Partita’s great chaconne and for the other difficulties in this music, but, more importantly, he projects both a sense of style and an interpretative personality that give his playing a magnetic presence.” The Telegraph, 17th August 2012 ****

“it's good to hear even a little sense of struggle as he conquers Ysaye's demanding writing. The ten short movements of Auerbach's par.ti.ta refract Bach through a contemporary prism and Gluzman finds even more colour and concentration, captured by the in-depth recording.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2012 ***

“Gluzman plays the outer movements [of the Ysaye] with the virtuoso panache that must have been in the composer's mind...Gluzman shows himself to be a fine Bach-player, too. Occasionally I longed for the subtle illumination of phrasing, the sort of light and shade that's much easier to achieve with a Baroque bow...But each movement has a sense of life and poise; the Chaconne is especially impressive” Gramophone Magazine, October 2012

“Yet the minutely stretched rhythms in this exquisitely recorded performance are unmistakably [Bach's]. While the Partitas search for beauty, the Sonatas seem to search for meaning, and it is in the complex arguments of the C major and A minor Sonatas that Beznosiuk excels.” The Independent on Sunday, 14th February 2011

“Beznosiuk plays [the Chaconne] reflectively and with gracefully turned phrasing...There is a degree of self-effacement and self-absorption in his playing that I find appealing: it's as though we are eavesdropping on an intimate and private dialogue...A fine set, beautifully recorded.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2011 ****

“Beznosiuk's authentic Baroque violin, made in Antwerp around 1676, has a straight, dry tone, unflattering in one sense, truthful in another. His mastery of it is total...His double-stopping lacks any sign of effort, even in the Sonata's four part fugues - a tune on every string!” Classic FM Magazine, May 2011

“Articulation, accentuation and phrasing grow naturally out of the music, without any need to impose an interpretative view...Beznosiuk's 17th-century Flemish violin sounds mellow, with a distinctive "stringy" character. His meditative approach is especially persuasive and enthralling in the slower movements.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2011

“This playing seems beyond reproach, with faultless intonation and bow control, all of which ensures that Beznosiuk's sharply defined voicing of each fugal reference, especially when amidst multiple-stopped chording later on, is always convincingly managed.” International Record Review, April 2011

"Her tone is powerful, warm and round, her technique perfect, her musical competency makes her conclusive interpretation of such a complicated piece as Bartòk's sonata for solo violin possible... Baiba Skride has what it takes for a great career" (Rondo)

“…Baiba Skride… is… indeed a magnificent player, with a bold style that puts strong expression foremost, yet without any compromise in tonal quality or accuracy.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2006

“Classic accounts by Milstein and Grumiaux have been usurped by this extraordinarily gifted newcomer” BBC Music Magazine, Proms issue 2005

“This is a masterly achievement from one of the most impressive of the younger generation of violinists.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2005