The Raphael Ensemble

Bridge was a star student at the RCM, and his E minor String Quintet from 1901, one of four chamber offerings he wrote at that time, reveals a burgeoning talent. Cast in four movements and lasting... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Fine, stylish performances of both these wonderful works — BBC Music Magazine More…

This is quite glorious … one senses right from the opening of Bruckner’s Quintet—surely one of the finest quintets ever written, for any combination— an intensity that matches its ambitious... — CD Review More…

Completed after the First Piano Concerto, but still comparatively early works, the Sextets are typified by lush textures, ardent emotion, and wonderfully memorable melodic lines. The first is... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

A rarity of great charm and sincerity … a fine disc in excellent sound — Classic CD More…

The Raphael Ensemble are superb in every respect; their performances have blazing commitment and integrity, and Hyperion's recording is in the demonstration category — BBC Music Magazine More…

Their playing is unerringly distinguished, and Hyperion’s sonics defy criticism—a glorious offering — BBC Music Magazine More…

Warmly effusive playing, captured in exquisite sound — American Record Guide More…

The performance of the Quintet throws the serenity of the Adagio into relief by emphasising the drama elsewhere. In the trio movement there's playfulness. Both works are beautifully recorded. — BBC Music Magazine, May 2007, 3 out of 5 stars More…

A communist Jew in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, Schulhoff died in a Nazi concentration camp. The heart of his String Sextet, the slow movement, is superlatively played as are Martinu's two... — BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2008, 5 out of 5 stars More…