“… this is altogether a great showcase for a remarkable talent, and living proof that serious, substantial music of the tonal and melodic variety can still (mirabile dictu) be found in an original and individual voice.”

Orchestral Choice

Performance *****      Recording *****

“… A Fistful of Fives crackles with energy from the start…”

“…The Violin Concerto is of sweet lyricism and spruce rhythms … Fenella Humphreys plays with warmth, to bring out the score’s rapture, and unstinting music-serving rapture …”

“…The most substantial work on the disc is his 25 minute Violin Concerto (1923) … The solo line soars, Sutton shooting out ideas thick and fast. Fenella Humphreys is a fearless soloist, golden-toned in the lyrical central movement and athletic in the faster sections…”

“…Throughout Michael Seal and the orchestra give performances which do full justice to Sutton's musical language, with its melodic felicities, sense of orchestral colour, clear influence of English composers and innate theatricality. The result is a disc that is engagingly listenable but also rather thought provoking.”

“…Sutton’s music is very English and doesn’t offer gnarly avant-garde edginess, but even with some detectable hints of musical forebears his skill in delivering communicative, tonal and lyrically expressive music without sounding derivative or occupying a kind of homage-mode is quite remarkable.”

“…The BBC Philharmonic is on top form along with the director on this recording, Michael Seal. Fenella Humphreys is a marvellous violinist in the concerto, the music is engaging and the orchestrations are effective and colourful. This is a most enjoyable disc and one well worthy of your attention.”

“… Humphreys, Seal and the BBC Philharmonic have its [Violin Concerto] linguistic number. Humphreys brings her endlessly unfurling violin lines taut, silvery weightlessness. The recording beautifully captures her duets with woodwind, and a tremendous dynamic range…”