Presto Recordings of the Year, Bach, J S (composer)

I expected this to be good; but just how good it was was still a surprise…Ólafsson creates a ravishing musical sequence. Every track has its own allure, and many reflect a virtuosity which is... — BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2018, 5 out of 5 stars More…

As with his previous period-instrument ventures, Schiff opens up a new world and thoroughly adjusts his temperament, his ‘pianism’ and his artistry to it. — Gramophone Magazine, April 2023 More…

Shibe applies the musical and interpretative qualities that characterise its predecessors – energy, reflection, eclecticism, integration and emotional candour – to remind us that Bach might have... — Gramophone Magazine, June 2020 More…

With the exception of the ‘Black Pearl’ variation, which lasts almost ten minutes, this is one of the fastest sets I have ever heard, yet it’s also one of the most enjoyable. Ólafsson draws on... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2023, 5 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 4 out of 5 stars (Recording) More…

A thoughtful assembly of music depicting affliction and repentance on the one hand and joy and desire on the other. The recording finds Sabine Devieilhe on sparkling form. Bach and Handel do... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2022, 5 out of 5 stars More…

the most striking aspects of Podger’s playing throughout this recital (compared to most 20th-century ‘golden-agers’), is her enhanced range of tone and articulation, her vastly more flexible... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2022, 5 out of 5 stars More…

One of the key differences between Vox Luminis and many other such ensembles…is how homogeneity is challenged as the default priority…The strong identities within the ensemble allow for new lyrical... — Gramophone Magazine, August 2019 More…

With the exception of the ‘Black Pearl’ variation, which lasts almost ten minutes, this is one of the fastest sets I have ever heard, yet it’s also one of the most enjoyable. Ólafsson draws on... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2023, 5 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 4 out of 5 stars (Recording) More…

A spellbinding set that is arguably Podger's finest recorded achievement to date...Music that one thinks of instinctively as boldly-etched, deeply (in every sense) introspective and eliciting... — BBC Music Magazine, July 2019 More…

Alina Ibragimova makes a strikingly distinctive contribution, albeit subtle and restrained…she introduces minute expressive emphases and nuances into her solo line, sustaining the hypnotic motoric... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2015 More…