CD13/2011

MusicWeb International

“[…] a sinewy and powerful Leonore no 3, Masur extracting every ounce of tone from his band’s ‘bass up’ German sonority. But smaller details are also well attended to … It’s followed by Haydn’s Symphony no 88 in a robustly rewarding reading.”

“[The Dessau is] an intense distillation of Brecht’s art and achievement, rather than a simple memorial piece as such. [In the Mahler, Annelies Burmeister’s] contralto is finely controlled and richly burnished. She’s in good voice and proves a laudable exponent.”

“The recording quality captures both venues with real fidelity, offering a natural audience perspective shorn of spotlighting. It’s a well balanced disc into the bargain.”
—Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International, May 2012

“[T]he performance is lovely and enhanced by the fact that Ms Burmeister does not have her own microphone and is thus balanced within the orchestra and not on her own in front.”

“Geoffrey Terry’s recording reflects the two very different acoustics in which he was working. The Hastings venue sounds clear but dry and rather workaday, whilst the RFH sounds a little more alive. The fact that this is clearly audible in recordings half a century old shows how good they are … I continue to be amazed at how natural it all sounds knowing that Mr Terry used only two microphones, probably because he does! … The entire series continues to be very collectible.”
—Dave Billinge, MusicWeb International, July 2018

International Record Review

“…an enterprising programme … it’s fascinating to hear Dessau’s seldom-heard tribute to his friend Brecht.”
—Nigel Simeone, International Record Review, June 2012