Liszt: O quand je dors (Hugo), S282

“Schwanewilms's voice is an acquired taste; those who crave full-bodied Italianate lushness of tone will not 'get' the singing of this gifted German jugendlich dramatisch soprano...The words invariably come across in a refreshingly direct, unfussy manner...this is a highly pleasurable programme that can be warmly welcomed by those who crave beautifully vocalized, unusually thoughtful Lieder performances.” International Record Review, February 2013

“Evidence of her artistry is everywhere apparent. Her phrasing is seamless, with none of the audible words-versus-music negotiations noticeable even in fine singers. Her vocal quality is not merely pure but powerful, though in her case that powers stays mostly in reserve until summoned by the music...Schwanewilms coaxes the listener into her realm with the subtlety of a whisper.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013

“Schwanewilms's interpretations are regularly imaginative, her singing musicianly, though not all of her vocalism matches her good intentions. There's sometimes...an edge to her tone that combines with a lack of vocal substance higher up...Elsewhere her wide-ranging instrument is used with artistic insight...she brings depth and command to Mahler's 'Das himmlische Leben', nicely capturing its blend of innocence and sophistication.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 ***

“This pair of discs shows the impressive range of Hendricks's repertoire” BBC Music Magazine, December 2010 ***

“A rich ripe peach of a recital, and in case that suggests something altogether too sweet and lush to satisfy a fastidious taste it should immediately be added that the soprano's tone is fresh, her responsiveness to words keen, the pianist's touch very evidently guided by a refined, lively intelligence, and the programme a delight in the variety as well as the generous melodic appeal of its contents” Gramophone Magazine

“Berger's grainy baritone is pleasing more than awe-inspiring...But he communicates with keen enthusiasm, and his word-lively Mozart Abendempfindung immediately draws the listener in to this artfully selected and ordered programme. With Iain Burnside as accompanist, there are light-filled starry nights aplenty” BBC Music Magazine, February 2013 ***

“Berger has a warm, resonant baritone and an hour spent in its company is a pleasurable experience … the partnership between Berger and Iain Burnside yields some fine performances.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2012

“Much in this recital gives satisfaction and pleasure. First of all comes the sound of the voice, warm, full, smoothly emitted and steady. One notes too the use of legato, enabling lines and notes to flow” International Record Review, December 2012

“Berger is a gem of a singer” Los Angeles Times

“[Burnside] is unfailingly sensitive and powerfully communicative throughout. The dreamy undulations of Mandoline are a knockout, as is the gently suggestive accompaniment to Wolf’s Um Mitternacht, to name but two examples.” MusicWeb International, October 2012

“Burnside handles everything with aplomb and insight'” Sunday Times

“You’ll be beguiled by Berger’s voice and entranced by the more left-field musical choices...Songs by Wolf and Liszt dominate post-midnight, and after Morgen we get a couple of encores, including a tiny Gounod number sufficiently breezy to banish the introspective mood and leave one feeling invigorated, not depressed.” The Arts Desk, 8th September 2012

“His tone is beautiful, his technique immaculate. He does extraordinary things with breath control in Oh! Quand Je Dors and Wolf's Um Mitternacht, and his sense of line is exceptional...Iain Burnside is wonderfully responsive to his shifts in mood and style. An idiosyncratic disc, but very fine.” The Guardian, 9th August 2012 ****

“[the programme] plays out its chronological narrative – songs depicting specific hours of a sleepless night – with logical and psychological inevitability...Berger sustains a magnetic affection throughout the varied sequence, aided by Iain Burnside’s deft pianism.” The Scotsman, 30th July 2012 ****

“In a programme that moves, as in dreams, from land to land without seeming to notice, this delicately attuned soprano and her ever-wakeful pianist drift wherever Morpheus calls most beguilingly. The lullabies, serenades, evocations of moonlight and invocations to sleep are sweetly voiced and extended to include the tender observations of a lover's repose or (in Fauré's "Notre amour") the lively appreciation of love itself. The "exquisite hour" is not so drowsy as to become merely soporific, and the expressive range is perhaps surprisingly wide.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2010

“This is a recital to treasure, one that I’ve been playing repeatedly...Everything she sings is radiated by an instinctive musicality, breadth of phrasing and generosity of spirit: here is someone evidently singing for love not money and she has the gift of making the music glow.” The Telegraph, 23rd April 2010 *****

“The 20 songs recorded here cover a vast range of language and expression… Burnside is a faultless guide along this journey, exhibiting power when required but never forcing either tone or pace; and his pianissimo playing reminds me of Gerald Moore's… The singing too is exemplary, with Rebecca Evans's floated high notes things of exquisite beauty.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2009 *****

“The Three Sonnets are sung by Rebecca Evans - surprisingly, perhaps, but very beautifully. …her soft high tones, as in the last phrase of the first sonnet, are magically poised. Kennedy, too, is at his best, masterly indeed in "Die Loreley". Burnside himself, presiding spirit throughout, accompanies expertly.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2009