Stephen Layton MBE

Reviews

Press notices and interviews, by year.

2001

  1. Time OutHandel: MessiahPolyphony met the Age of Enlightenment; they said “Handel’s oratorio ?”, the others said “Stephen Layton…Concert Review
  2. Diapason FranceRutter: Music for Christmas'Les arrangements sont ingénieux’CD Review
  3. The ScotsmanRutter: Music for ChristmasWhen the chirpy Shepherd’s Pipe Carol, the instantly singable Star Carol, or the literal sound effects of the…CD Review
  4. HMV ChoiceRutter: Music for Christmas'Polyphony beautifully continue the English tradition with joyful refinement'CD Review
  5. The Evening StandardRutter: Music for Christmas'[Rutter] could not have asked for better performers'CD Review
  6. American Record GuideRutter: Music for Christmas'A treat for all Rutter fans! … the program is bound to satisfy anyone seeking a balanced program of…CD Review
  7. BBC Music MagazineVarious: Christmas through the ages - Six of the bestIf audience participation muddies the join-in carols in the King’s disc, here’s something cool, poised and…CD Review
  8. Amazon.co.ukRutter: Music for ChristmasIn an introduction to this disc of Christmas music, John Rutter tellingly commends the Christmas carol as one…CD Review
  9. Classics TodayRutter: Music for Christmas"The performances are uniformly excellent; Stephen Layton and his Polyphony vocal ensemble have shown a…CD Review
  10. The Mail on SundayRutter: Music for Christmas'It’s hard to imagine them better performed than by the award-winning British choir Polyphony'CD Review
  11. Gramophone MagazineRutter: Music for Christmas'The performances by both choir and orchestra are ideal in tone, style and accomplishment … A Christmas treat'CD Review
  12. The Sydney Morning HeraldMozart: Requiem - Australian Chamber OrchestraSublime music and a Requiem performance to die for “Less is more”, a phrase coined by Bauhaus architect Mies…Concert Review
  13. International Record ReviewRutter: GloriaThis ample anthology, poignantly dedicated to the memory of the composer's son, opens with a triumphantly…CD Review
  14. BBC Music MagazineRutter: GloriaPerformance: Sound: John Rutter's output of sacred choral works is immense, and these vibrant performances…CD Review
  15. Gramophone MagazineRutter: GloriaThis superb disc contains a balanced cross-section of John Rutter's sacred choral music, spanning over a…CD Review
  16. Amazon.co.ukRutter: GloriaAs demonstrated on Rutter-Gloria and other Sacred Music, John Rutter is what happens when you mix some Fauré…CD Review
  17. The Daily TelegraphBach: St John PassionThe Good Friday performance of Bach's St John Passion at St John's, Smith Square, was distinguished by the…Concert Review
  18. The ObserverBach: St John PassionSt John v St Matthew The stern clarity of Bach's St John Passion makes it as compelling as any straight…Concert Review
  19. The Financial TimesPärt: PassioPassions abound at Easter - chiefly, but not exclusively, Bach's, after the gospel accounts. On Sunday I…Concert Review
  20. The TimesPärt: PassioSt John's is the most direct of the Passions, some would say the most tendentious: a couple of years ago…Concert Review
  21. American Record GuideBritten: Sacred and ProfaneThis collection of some of Britten’s a cappella choral music is wide-ranging, from the Hymn to the Virgin…CD Review
  22. Gramophone MagazineBritten: Sacred and ProfaneAMDG presents as formidable a challenge to its singers as any of Britten's compositions for unaccompanied…CD Review
  23. Diapason FranceBritten: Sacred and ProfaneAprès un formidable récital Cornelius (chez le même éditeur), Stephen Layton revient en Angleterre pour fêter…CD Review
  24. The Evening StandardBritten: Sacred and ProfaneAfter hearing their latest CD of choral works by Britten, nothing will dissuade me from the conclusion that…CD Review
  25. Music Web InternationalBritten: Sacred and ProfaneA crack choir who sing with immaculate intonation and a sure sense of internal balance … I was left wishing…CD Review
  26. The Age, MelbourneBritten: Sacred and ProfanePolyphony’s exceptional energy, technical prowess and expressive flexibility make the most of every word and…CD Review
  27. Cathedral MusicBritten: Sacred and ProfaneA valued possession … highly recommendedCD Review
  28. Fanfare USASchumann: The Complete Songs, Vol. 5This disc by itself is enough to establish [Maltman] as one of the genre’s most important recent exponents…CD Review
  29. Gramophone MagazineSchumann: The Complete Songs, Vol. 5With this superbly executed recital, Maltman leaps in a single bound into the front rank of Lieder…CD Review
  30. International Record ReviewSchumann: The Complete Songs, Vol. 5This is a treasurable issue, generous in quality and quantity alike. As with the Hyperion Schubert Song…CD Review
  31. AmazonSchumann: The Complete Songs, Vol. 5There are so many delights to be found here, and the combination of a beautiful voice, Johnson’s superbly…CD Review
  32. BBC Music MagazineBritten: Sacred and ProfanePerformance Sounds Polyphony’s brand of singing, clean as a whistle, rhythmically wonderfully alive…CD Review
  33. International Record ReviewBritten: Sacred and ProfaneAlmost the only criticism I have of this superb programme is that in Sacred and Profane, Britten's late group…CD Review
  34. Amazon.co.ukBritten: Sacred and ProfaneThis disc containing the major part of Britten's mixed-voice a cappella repertoire (the Hymn to St Cecilia is…CD Review
  35. Fanfare USAVarious: Christmas through the Ages'Other than to assure you that it works for me, need I say more?'CD Review
  36. Classic FM MagazineRutter: Music for ChristmasThose of you who have ever sung in a choir, particularly around Christmas time, will be familiar with John…CD Review