Sound: 10     Booklet: 10      Repertoire: 9/10      Interpretation: 10

“… this album is a musical success due to the commitment of the strings of the Sinfonia of London under the baton of John Wilson. One must admire the musical commitment and the quality of mutual listening of these musicians who seem to be making chamber music. The sound recording wonderfully renders the curve and the richness of the textures of the music stands. The conductor's direction perfectly captures the particularities of these scores and renders the richness of the individualities of the creators. As for the Concerto for String Orchestra by Grazyna Bacewicz, it is undoubtedly the best interpretation in the catalogue. An album that stands out from the ordinary …”

Recommended

“…The playing here has all the exuberance, polish and precision which we have come to expect from this team. The recording is an SACD; I was listening in ordinary two channel stereo, but that sounded marvellous. There are other recordings of all these works, mostly on single composer discs, but if this combination attracts, there is no need to hesitate.”

“… this is a voyage of discovery that it is well worth making. Her music has seldom been recorded before and is strikingly interpreted by the Sinfonia of London under John Wilson, as are the companion pieces by Enescu and Ysaye.”

“…Bacewicz’s 1948 score comes out by far the most vibrant and vigorous you might start to believe, like me, that Grazyna is a frontline composer who demands to be heard now and forever… it’s the quiet andante that grips the attention but the full 13 minutes is a musical world entire and it’s one you will surely want to explore.” ****

“A typically classy offering from this crack ensemble.”

Performance ****       Recording ****

“… Eugène Ysaÿe’s Harmonies du Soir makes a very welcome appearance … Scored for string quartet and string orchestra, this highly perfumed music receives an exquisite performance.”

“… Perfume wafts over the fin de siècle chromaticism of Ysaÿe’s harmonies du soir … and that suits the SoL’s swooning little glissandos and sepia-toned romance, while some of the withdrawn playing is highly effective. In a very different way, the ensemble also get to the heart of Bacewicz at her most strident and neoclassical in the 1948 Concerto for String Orchestra so admired by her peers…”