Stephen Layton MBE

Reviews

Press notices and interviews, by year.

2002

  1. Classic FM MagazineWalton: Coronation Te DeumEvery generation delivers an outstanding talent with the vision and commitment necessary to produce…CD Review
  2. BBC Music MagazineWalton: Coronation Te DeumPerformance Sounds This collection of Walton's smaller choral works includes the four carols omitted from the…CD Review
  3. ABC Classic FM MagazineWalton: Coronation Te DeumWilliam Walton made his reputation in the first instance with his film scores, of which he wrote very many…CD Review
  4. HMVWalton: Coronation Te DeumThis disc is a tribute to two anniversaries, the centenary of English composer William Walton's birth and the…CD Review
  5. HMV ChoiceWalton: Coronation Te DeumWhen it came to pomp and circumstance, Oldham's William Walton was a kind of Elgar with attitude, perfectly…CD Review
  6. The Sunday TelegraphWalton: Coronation Te DeumWhat a splendid work it is, especially when sung with the verve brought to it by Stephen Layton’s choir…CD Review
  7. Organists ReviewWalton: Coronation Te Deum'From fanfare to finale this is a very fine and fitting centenary compilation indeed'CD Review
  8. The ObserverWalton: Coronation Te Deum'a wonderfully refreshing interpretation'CD Review
  9. The ScotsmanBach: St John PassionReal Passion on display Bach's St John Passion is often considered to be the poor relation of the later and…Concert Review
  10. The Daily TelegraphBach: St John PassionAPTLY contemplative for Good Friday, this performance of Bach's St John Passion had a similar cast of singers…Concert Review
  11. Music Web InternationalBach: St John PassionThis production is typical of the styles of both the ENO and the director, Deborah Warner, in that it…Concert Review
  12. The TimesBach: St John PassionDeborah Warner's work in the lyric theatre divides audiences like that of no other director. She has provoked…Concert Review
  13. The OrganBach: St John PassionThe revival of Deborah Warner’s English National Opera production of J S Bach’s St John Passion on 15 March…Concert Review
  14. Classical MusicSchnittke: Choir Concerto & MinnesangThose who know Schnittke as a master of the grotesque, the trashy or the avant garde would be as surprised to…CD Review
  15. The Evening StandardSchnittke: Choir Concerto & MinnesangAlthough technically the Holst Singers are amateurs, it would be wrong to think they were in any way second…CD Review
  16. Gramophone MagazineSchnittke: Choir Concerto & MinnesangA superb and revealing performance of one of Schnittke’s most approachable works The rather anodyne name…CD Review
  17. BBC NewsSchnittke: Choir Concerto & MinnesangThe death of Alfred Schnittke in 1998 robbed the world of one of its most distinctive symphonists. But as…CD Review
  18. Rough GuideSchnittke: Choir Concerto & MinnesangIf in some of his choral music Schnittke sounds a little ‘unlike himself’, this disc reveals a less…CD Review
  19. Amazon.co.ukSchnittke: Choir Concerto & MinnesangIf the idea of an unaccompanied choral work, sung in Russian, lasting more than 40 minutes sounds like hard…CD Review
  20. International Record ReviewSchnittke: Choir Concerto & Minnesang'if the concerto does not ultimately go down as one of the masterpieces of the late twentieth century choral…CD Review
  21. The Irish TimesSchnittke: Choir Concerto & Minnesang'the music, direct in manner and imposing in effect, should appeal to anyone who already loves the sacred…CD Review
  22. The ObserverSchnittke: Choir Concerto & Minnesang'high vocal standards … A fine introduction to some rare and satisfying repertoire'CD Review
  23. Classics TodaySchnittke: Choir Concerto & Minnesang'Stephen Layton’s Holst Singers really show their mettle … Schnittke fans will want to hear this; and anyone…CD Review
  24. Music Web InternationalSchnittke: Choir Concerto & Minnesang'The Holst Singers have done an excellent job … They have a beautiful, cool sound in the best British…CD Review
  25. Cathedral MusicWalton: Coronation Te Deum'A great collection and an absolute winner'CD Review
  26. The GuardianSchnittke: Choir Concerto & MinnesangFrom its very opening the Choir Concerto proclaims its affiliations to the Russian choral tradition…CD Review
  27. The TimesSchnittke: Choir Concerto & MinnesangNone of the music ... gets the spine tingling as much as the Schnittke choral music sung by the Holst…CD Review
  28. Classica Répertoire FranceWalton: Coronation Te Deum'On trouve chez Layton, avec des chœurs d’une beauté et d’une précision étonnantes, un surcroît de chaleur et…CD Review
  29. Music WeekWalton: Coronation Te DeumGramophone Award-winning choir Polyphony and their inspired conductor Stephen Layton appear set for further…CD Review
  30. Music WeekSchnittke: Choir Concerto & MinnesangSchnittke: Choir Concerto; Minnesang; Voices of Nature. Holst Singers/Layton (Hyperion CDA67297). Stephen…CD Review
  31. American Record GuideWalton: Coronation Te Deum'This sterling collection should win Walton’s choral music many new fans'CD Review
  32. BBC Music MagazineSchnittke: Choir Concerto & MinnesangPerformance Sounds No longer need Alfred Schnittke's daunting and often overwhelming Choir Concerto be seen…CD Review