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CD REVIEW - BBC RADIO 3 - ‘Building a Library Recommendation’
Haydn In Love “Their performances were fresh, crisp and heartfelt.”
St. John Passion, Chichester Cathedral 10 April 2009 “…The Hanover Band and Chorus delivered a vibrant and dramatic interpretation of this masterpiece.” GRAHAM HEWITT, CHICHESTER OBSERVER, APRIL 2009
St John Passion, Chichester Cathedral
Those not there missed a treat “From the start, the emotional intensity was captured and exploited by the choir…” “Using period instruments including a lute and viola de gamba, the players delivered a perfectly phrased and beautifully timed accompaniment of the utmost quality itself worth the ticket price.” SIMON ASHALL, SURREY ADVERTISER, MARCH 2007
Chorus, soloists, band in perfect blend of sound “Crucify! Crucify! These stark and dramatic words from a chorus in the St John Passion vividly conveyed the horror of this aspect of the Easter story.” “…The commanding and incisive sound of the Hanover Chorus far excelled what could reasonably be expected of 14 voices. This was choral singing at its very best – sensitive and brilliant.” “…Directing the performance from the organ, Andrew Arthur ensured a perfect blend of sound between chorus, soloists and the Hanover Band.” “…The Hanover Band has rightly achieved an international reputation for its excellence and deserved a far bigger audience for this superb performance.”
Soloists shine in classical concert “…a concert of contrasts, Telemann's music being less complex and intellectually challenging than Bach's, though both composers would surely have been delighted with these performances.” “…superb clarity - the complexity and beauty of Bach's writing were apparent through the crisp, superbly balanced playing.” “…Telemann's concerto for three trumpets, oboes, timpani and strings was given an equally exuberant performance.” “ the leader of the orchestra, Madeleine Easton, played the solo part. Accompanied by just five string players and harpsichord, this was a truly chamber performance, and a fine moment in a superb concert.” ANDREW FETCH, SHROPSHIRE STAR, OCTOBER 2007
Ensemble wow audience with Baroque giants
The Hanover Band, Mark Levy and Elizabeth Kenny, Cheng Yu Mark Levy and Elizabeth Kenny's music seemed subdued in contrast but their performances of Antoine Forqueray's La Regente and a selection from Marin Marais's Couplets De Folies were as exquisite as they were quiet, with Kenny's theorbo solo, Robert de Visee's La Du Vaucel, the highlight of my evening.” PAUL BRAZIER, THE ARGUS, OCTOBER 2006
Exceptional work, brilliantly performed “…the Hanover Band brilliantly accompanied a performance which was quite simply superb, conveying intensity and religious fervour.” “…The accompaniment by the Hanover band on period instruments could not have been more understanding, meticulously balancing the amazing choruses from the choir. The fresh vigour of the choral singing was consistently vivid and spontaneous, holding the attention of the packed audience throughout.”
Uplifting Passion in the Cathedral “The Hanover Band with its lute, wooden flutes and viola da gamba, makes a very distinctive sound and the subtleties of the score came through very well. …the dense weave of harmony was defined and elegantly turned but the acoustic there is famously contrary.” “…The ensemble had good balance and impressive control of light and shade. This was a sensitive, thoughtful and intelligent performance of an intricate and surprisingly adventurous work.”
Those not there missed a treat “From the start, the emotional intensity was captured and exploited by the choir, whose balance was very good.” Good choirs overcome such issues and this is one such choir. The opening was highly sensitive and dramatic, the fugal choruses were precise and the voices were well-timed and clear. Generally the chorales were fresh and phased well and the ending was gently and serene.”
Period band's startling show “The Band was directed from the violin by Adrian Butterfield, who shone in a vertiginous Vivaldi Tempesta, with its eloquent Largo and high-spirited Presto.” “…The enthusiasm of these players for the repertoire, and the instruments they play, is obvious and contagious.“ MICHAEL GRAY, CHELMSFORD WEEKLY NEWS, JANUARY 2006
The Hanover Band at Arundel Parish Church “…And the audience showed their appreciation for the experience of exceptionally consistent vocal purity and quality of tone with a well-deserved ovation.”
Musical wizardry at Band concert “Bach was the chosen composer and the event was a memorable experience in many ways. I doubt if I have witnessed instrumental chemistry reaching such wizardry before. The interpretation of another Brandenburg Concerto, the No.5 in D, was outstanding, etched into memory by the work of flautist Rachel Brown, playing an 18th Century version of the instrument, the mastery of the harpsichordist Andrew Arthur, and the compelling voice in the aria of Elizabeth Cragg (soprano), who soared to new heights for another aria in the final Concerto 209.” SHROPSHIRE STAR, NOVEMBER 2004
Sensitive Touch “The Fifth Brandenburg Concerto contains one of the most stunning solo parts in keyboard literature, and Andrew Arthur proved a match for its demands. In this large venue the small ensemble of eight performers could not deliver rich sonorities in the fully-scored passages, but here – as in the Trio Sonata which completed the programme – there was much sensitive playing.”
St. John's, Smith Square, London October 26 2004 ANNA PICARD, THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2004
A magnificent evening of Mozart “…the band delivered Mozart’s Prague Symphony and Haydn’s Surprise Symphony with passion and aplomb.”
Sound Start to the Season “…Played with infectious wit and good humour, this work had a distinctly rustic feel to it, with unusual phrase lengths and a number of dances that were based on the use of a ground bass. “ “…the seven members who have been assembled of this concert therefore formed a small chamber ensemble of rare and outstanding ability.”
Festival Goes Bach to its Roots
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Ensemble Shows Mastery
The Hanover Band, St George’s Chapel, Kemp Town, Brighton, 22 May 2003
“…a dazzling evening devoted to the master of that style, JS Bach, in the shape of the Brandenburg Concertos.”
“What is of interest here is how different familiar favourites sound when played this way. It was like a breath of fresh air to hear music played on instruments conterminous with its writing, and the delicious skittishness of the horn was so different from the smoother and rather more manufactured sound a modern instrument would make (and all the better for that).
“…The dazzling speed of the first and third movements were especially impressive. Here was real pace and vigour. Although the interpretation was fast and lively, the music never lost its diction.”
“…This was a masterly performance by an ensemble at the peak of its powers in a perfect setting.”
ANDY HAIR, WEST SUSSEX GAZETTE, 12 JUNE 2003
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The Hanover Band, St George’s Chapel, St George’s Road,
Kemp Town, Brighton, 22 May 2003
“A tuneful return” - The Hanover Band has been absent from its Brighton home for far too long but on Thursday evening it came back with a vengeance. The band, primarily a period instrument orchestra – the Hanover in its title refers to the historical period of the music it prefers to play – is a national institution.
It featured a popular programme of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, three of his Brandenburg Concertos and his Concerto for Oboe. The playing was tight and beautifully disciplined. Gail Hennessy on oboe gave a vibrant reading of the concerto and there was fine work from flautist Katy Bircher, harpsichordist Andrew Arthur and trumpet player Robert Farley.”
MIKE HOWARD THE ARGUS, 26 MAY 2003
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The Hanover Band and Brighton Festival Chorus, Arundel Cathedral
18 November 2001
"I heard both (Mozart's) Great Mass in C minor and his final work, the Requiem, performed in as fine a way as, perhaps, I've ever heard them done. Whether it was the acoustics of the Cathedral or the superb conducting of Sir Charles Mackerras, I don't know, but something special was happening, something that was completely breathtaking. This was fantastic, magical, life-enhancing stuff.”
“If I have a soul, it was mightily stirred. If you could capture, bottle and sell this magic, you would make a fortune. Every note of the music breathed life, not just into the works but into the audience too."
THE ARGUS, 21 NOVEMBER 2001
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Handel in Rome - St.Mary's Church, Warwick
6 July 2001
"Here, vivacity and joviality were the order of the day, as with Richard Egarr at the helm, The Hanover Band made a potentially dry all-Handel programme into an electrifying affair. Undoubtedly, this was largely due to such a fine ensemble's flair and consistent enthusiasm which exuded all the joys that great music has to offer."
THE BIRMINGHAM POST, 9 JULY 2001
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Handel in Rome - Amsterdam Concertgebouw
4 July 2001
"The Hanover Band, with its warm glowing sound of original instruments, showed an intelligent balance between solo winds and strings."
TELEGRAAF, 6 JULY 2001
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Thames Concerts Society, Kingston upon Thames Parish Church, Surrey - 10 February 2001
"The concert was deservedly well received by the audience."
JAMES ADLAM, RICHMOND AND TWICKENHAM TIMES, 3 MARCH 2000
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Brahms - Bridgewater Hall, Manchester 22 January 2000
"Few English conductors are better equipped than Anthony Halstead to interpret the music of Brahms. His expertise with period-instrument orchestras helped to create an evening of sheer delight when the Sussex-based Hanover Band gave a memorable all-Brahms concert on Saturday."
TOM WAGHORN - MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
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Acis and Galatea - St. John's Smith Square, London
"The playing (The Hanover Band) was lively: nimble string articulation, oboes quacking away like ducks on the wing (I mean that as a compliment) and sweetly chirruping recorders"
RODNEY MILNES, CHIEF OPERA CRITIC, THE TIMES, MARCH 1999
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Wigmore Hall, London
"The Hanover Band's concert of chamber works for oboe, horn and basset clarinet brought us closer to Mozart's mellifluous and often exotic sound world"
ANDREW BENSON-WILSON, EARLY MUSIC REVIEW, MARCH 1999
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Warwick and Leamington Festival, St Mary's Church, Warwick
"Last night's concert from Warwick, broadcast by Radio 3, was an all-Bach affair, undoubtedly one of the highlights of the fortnight."
"Catherine Bott must be one of the best performers of music of the period, perhaps in the world, and last night she rose to even greater heights. "
"A truly memorable performance."
JOHN BRADSHAW, THE BIRMINGHAM POST, 9 JULY 1999
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Guildford Cathedral, Guildford, 11 December 1999
Bach's Christmas Oratorio -
" . . . the quality of music-making was superb."
JANE GARRETT - SURREY ADVERTISER
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Manchester, Bridgewater Hall, 7 March 1998
"Since 1980, The Hanover Band has established an unrivalled reputation for the excellence of its period-instrument sounds. Not least among the evening's marvels was the artistry and versatility of the Band's guest director, Anthony Halstead, one moment conducting the players with lively incisive movements, the next playing the harpsichord ... The orchestra responded with near flawless timing."
MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 9 March 1998
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Thames Concerts Society Season final concert
"The highlight of the concert was Mozart's fourth horn concerto. Anthony Halstead left the audience enraptured."
JAMES ADLAM, RICHMOND & TWICKENHAM TIMES, 24 APRIL 1998
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The Hanover Harmonie, Tonbridge Music Club
"Its programme was suitable aristocratic and polished."
"The ensemble's playing was fine and well balanced, with exquisitely turned phrases with a special togetherness demonstrated most conspicuously in the first half."
DAVID WILLIAMS, KENT & SUSSEX COURIER, 22 MAY 1998
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Aldeburgh, Snape Proms - 7 August 1998
"Here was Johann Sebastian Bach being played at his very best and how he would have originally been heard. There were delightful innovations, first in his overture suite No.1 in C (sic), later in the Concerto in C and finally in a both fresh and poignant reading of the second Brandenburg concerto. Nothing hackneyed here."
" …Andrew Manze shone with his enthusiastic, expressive playing - caressing his singing violin in the gentle Adagio of Bach's Concerto in E."
"A glorious performance."
GILLIAN FORESTIER-WALKER,
EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES, AUGUST 1998
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Edinburgh Festival, Usher Hall, 17 August 1997
"The Hanover Band's gutsy playing stripped decades of varnish from the score with sound that was full-blooded ... This riveting interpretation has already been recorded for Sony Classical - roll on the release date....The Audience was wildly delighted."
THE TIMES 20 August 1997
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Avery Fisher Hall, New York, 27 April 1997
"These performances were never nervous or tense, which can be a problem with conductors who favour faster tempos. The playing he drew from The Hanover Band was lithe but relaxed."
NEW YORK TIMES 29 April 1997
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“Blazing horns, in a bubbling account of Beethoven’s Prometheus Overture signalled the way for Schumann’s rare and virtuosic Konzerstück for Four Horns.”
BIRMINGHAM POST, OCTOBER 1993
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“English group makes stunning debut…Special kudos to the first winds, including bassoonist Julia Plaut, clarinettist Gary Brodi, oboist Frank de Bruine and flautist Rachel Brown, as well as to horn players Raul Diaz, Gavin Edwards and Martin Lawrence.”
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, TORONTO, 24 OCTOBER 1994
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“The playing of The Hanover Band is immaculate, the rhythms buoyant, the articulation incisive and the tempos lively without being rushed. The versatile Anthony Halstead not only directs the ensemble but also plays horn…”
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE, MARCH 1993
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“Uneven in texture, spectacularly treacherous in execution yet capable of a wonderful whole grain beauty when on its best behaviour, the natural horn on public display proved once again an adventure.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES, 16 NOVEMBER 1993
