"... He's virtuosic where he needs to be, but it's this last dash of poignant feeling which makes his Brahms cycle unique and valuable. Bright, resonant piano sound."
Huntley Dent - Fanfare - March/April 2016
“... an impressive performance, especially from the spectacular choir. On repeated hearings – which are certainly mandatory-it emerges as a powerful, intensely-felt, gravely, beautiful work, and one that will amply reward any amount of time the listener is willing to invest Predictably, Gianandrea Noseda conducts the music with missionary zeal, while his fine orchestra – undoubtedly seeing this music for the very first time – responds with comparable fervour and attention to detail. As with the conductor’s invaluable Casella, Dallapiccola, and Petrassi series, this one makes you hope for much, much more.”
Jim Svejda – Fanfare – November/December 2015
“… Noseda draws superbly involving readings of his compatriot’s music from his Danish forces… The Danish National Concert Choir aquit themselves with aplomb, as does the pair of soloists. Warmly recommended.” *****
Philip Reed – Choir & Organ magazine – July/August 2015
..This latter work [Salmo XIX] is enhanced by the eloquent contribution of its soloists, along with that of the Danish National Concert Choir. Nor is the Danish National Symphony Orchestra at all fazed by music with which it is unlikely to have been familiar, the musicians clearly relishing the idiosyncrasies of Castiglioni’s thinking. Spaciously recorded with no lack of detail, and with a detailed booklet note, these three works – alternative versions of which are not easily obtainable – constitute a persuasive introduction to a singular compositional voice from the post-war era."
Richard Whitehouse - ClassicalSource.com - August 2015
***** Exceptional
Ettore Napoli – Musica magazine (Italy) – July/August 2015
“… The simplicity of La Buranella presents a sharp contrast to Altisonanza (1990-92), a three-movement, 20 minute work with, at its centre, a Sarabanda pointing to Castiglioni’s predilection for old forms. The music, though, is thoroughly contemporary, rich in energy and vibrancy, rhythmically complex and brilliantly orchestrated, with a hint of Messiaen about it in the suggestions of birdsong but with a creative personality of its own. The setting of Psalm 19 ratchets up interpretative complexity to another level altogether … a powerful, fervent, haunting experience when performed as compellingly as it is here.”
Geoffrey Norris – Gramophone magazine – June 2015
“…Niccolò Castiglioni brought wit, buoyancy and an absolute sureness of touch to the post-1945 Italian avant garde. That joyous airiness is beautifully exemplified in the three works on Gianandrea Noseda’s impressively polished disc… it’s [Salmo XIX]a remarkable piece, a real choral discovery.” ****
Andrew Clements – The Guardian – 24 April 2015
“…Castiglioni preserves the music’s [La Buranella] Baroque elegance, but clothes it in scintillating orchestral colours… Salmo XIX combines calm luminosity with terrifying choral eruptions and stratospheric writing for the sopranos in a work of kaleidoscopic shifts of texture and colour that the performance conveys with pinpoint panache.” ****
Geoffrey Norris – The Telegraph – 28 March 2015