Vaughan Williams: Linden Lea

“Bejun Mehta certainly can't be faulted on his eclecticism in his whistle-stop tour of English song...Mehta's singing is so heart-stoppingly beautiful and musically perceptive that you wish he had recorded whole cycles rather than just representative songs.” The Guardian, 1st September 2011 ****

“Mehta's gift for mood and atmosphere is heard in the light beauty of Quilter's "It was a lover and his lass", the sweet melancholy of Gurney's "Down by the Salley Gardens" or the veiled mystery of Lennox Berkeley's "The Horseman". Pianist Julius Drake provides customary alert, expressive accompaniment.” The Observer, 11th September 2011

“Mehta is a technically excellent singer; with a firm well-supported line; an unusually resonant lower range; and fine expressive diction, well equal to Julius Drake's sturdy accompaniment. And he's hardly more bloodless than genteel English tenors of the era...he exploits his thinner tone deftly for unusual, even eerie effects, especially in Stanford's chilling La belle dame snas merci” BBC Music Magazine, November 2011 *****

“Any suspicion that these songs might sound lukewarm or tentative in the hands of a countertenor is soon dispelled by Mehta's invigorating singing of Quilter's 'Blow, blow, thou winter wind' and the keen way he dramatises Stanford's 'La Belle Dame sans merci'. The verbal point he brings to a handful of Purcell songs in arrangements by Britten and Tippett is also appreciated.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2011

“Mehta may not possess the most extensive of vocal paintboxes but he does gradate the shades at his disposal to good effect: pastels rather than oils. In Drake he has a partner who draws suitable sounds from the piano.” International Record Review, November 2011

“A splendidly vigorous performance by Roderick Williams of the superb Songs of Travel cycle, ideally suited to the clear, clean tone of this exceptional baritone.” The Guardian

“The recital begins with Keats and ends with Shakespeare: that can't be bad. But it also begins with Stanford and ends with Parry; what would the modernists of their time have thought about that? They would probably not have believed that those two pillars of the old musical establishment would still be standing by in 1999. And in fact how well very nearly all these composers stand! Quilter's mild drawing–room manners might have been expected to doom him, but the three songs here – the affectionate, easy grace of his Tennyson setting, the restrained passion of his 'Come away, death' and the infectious zest of 'I will go with my father a–ploughing' – endear him afresh and demonstrate once again the wisdom of artists who recognise their own small area of 'personal truth' and refuse to betray it in exchange for a more fashionable 'originality'.
Likewise Finzi, whose feeling for Hardy's poems is so modestly affirmed in 'The dance continued'.
Does that song, incidentally, make deliberate reference, at 'those songs we sang when we went gipsying', to Jillian of Berry by Warlock (whose originality speaks for itself)? Jillian of Berry itself perhaps calls for more full–bodied, less refined tones than Bostridge's. One could do with a ruddier glow and more rotund fruitiness in the voice. Yet for most of the programme he isn't merely a well–suited singer but an artist who brings complete responsiveness to words and music. The haunted desolation of Delius's Twilight Fancies is perfectly caught in the pale hue of the voice which can nevertheless give body and intensity to the frank cry of desire, calming then to pianissimo for the last phrase amid the dim echoes of hunting horns in the piano part. Julius Drake plays with strength of imagination and technical control to match Bostridge's own.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“In all these sea-faring songs Michaels-Moore's voice is richly unfurled. Stanford's settings are great fun, especially when sung and played as enthusiastically as here. As his songs do not receive the attention that they deserve, these selections fill a gap.” International Record Review, May 2013

“a baritone with pithy, but warm, rounded, never hard intonation, a piano accompanist who follows suit perfectly, music full of temperament, plus a accompanying personal note from the singer...Most impressive perhaps are the fresh and lively interpretations that make one forget that this is a studio production.” 16vor.de, 8th January 2013

“a rising young baritone with a powerfully operatic voice. Supported by Isabelle Trüb's acommpaniments, often rather more assertive and colourful than reticent Brits expect, he gives the Songs of Travel a distinctively dramatic edge...It's already had the good word from Sir Thomas Allen, and no wonder.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2013 *****

“[Pike] has a powerful, generous and malleable voice, that he puts to use with rare sensitivity...Trüb shows great sensitivity and admirable flexibility in the colours of her piano accompaniment, never ceasing to explore all the psychological finesses.” Luxemburger Wort, 22nd December 2012

“It is a real pleasure to make the acquaintance of David John Pike on this quite superb recording. The singer has all the qualities that one looks for in this repertoire: a well-focused and steady delivery, imaginative response to the text, and a real sense of legato.” MusicWeb International, 29th April 2013

“With the congenial accompaniment of pianist Isabelle Trüb he achieves a degree of emotional penetration not necessarily obvious with this repertoire. Pike finds the right voice, the right tone, for every song. A further strength is the warmth of his pleasantly nutty, powerful voice, calm breath control, a beautiful legato and good mastery of the mezzovoce.” Pizzicato Magazine