Dunedin Consort
Winners of the 2008 Midem Baroque Award and the 2007 Classic FM Gramophone Award for Best Baroque Vocal Album for their recording of Handel's Messiah (Dublin Version, 1742) (Linn CKD 285), the Dunedin Consort, under the artistic direction of John Butt, Susan Hamilton and Philip Hobbs, performs throughout Scotland and Europe.
John Butt is Musical Director for all larger projects and under him the group has consolidated its existing strength in the baroque repertoire, with the development of the Dunedin Players, as an ensemble dedicated to performance with period instruments. The group also continues to commission new pieces to contrast the old: William Sweeney, Errollyn Wallen, Peter Nelson and Sally Beamish have recently written or arranged works to complement the era of George Buchanan and Song of Songs settings of Heinrich Schütz, the motets of Bach and the tercentenary of Buxtehude's death.
The Consort has appeared at festivals in Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands as well as at the Edinburgh International Festival. It has worked in collaboration with ensembles including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia 21, Scottish Ensemble, Mr McFall's Chamber, Paragon Ensemble, Florilegium, La Serenissima and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, has appeared on the major BBC television channels, and been broadcast on Radio 3 and BBC Scotland.
Continuing to work with Linn Records, in 2008 the Dunedin Consort & Players released Bach's Matthew Passion (Last Performing Version, c.1742) (Linn CKD 313) and recorded Handel's Acis and Galatea (Linn CKD 319).
For further information -
www.dunedin-consort.org.uk/Philadelphia Inquirer"If there's a state-of-the-art Handel recording, it's this."
more >>6moons"...this recording is a jewel..."
more >>Choral Journal"...they offer a dramatic immediacy of expression that scarcely any choir can match."
more >>Choral Journal"They play with stylish vigor..."
more >>Choral Journal"...the soloists sing with beauty and a genuine understanding..."
more >>High Fidelity (Poland)
An outstanding review from the Polish publication
more >>San Francisco Classical Voice"[Butt's] Handel is fit for paradise."
more >>OpusHDOpus d'Or Award: "...comblera aussi bien les audiophiles que les mélomanes."
more >>OpusHD (translation)Opus d'Or Award: "...will make both audiophile and music lover rejoice."
more >>Rondo
"Dunedin Consort präsentieren eine gelungene, unbedingt hörenswerte Einspielung der 1718er Version..."
more >>Muzyka21An outstanding review from the Polish publication
more >>SvDutförs med fin känsla av ensemble, kör och solister
more >>Klassik.com
"Die Dunedin Consort & Players spielen brillant."
more >>Classical WETA"The recording quality and sound of this Linn disc is, as usual with this audiophile label, stupendous."
more >>Sunday Herald"...this performance radiates life and personality..."
more >>MusicWeb InternationalRecording of the Month: "Already a strong contender for the 2009 Recording of the Year..."
more >>Audiophile Audition"Handel fans rejoice - a definitive Acis and Galatea at last!"
more >>Opus Musica"...cálida expresividad..."
more >>BBC Music Magazine"...sheer magic..."
more >>AudioVideoHD"...un puro gozo."
more >>Financial Times"Such radiant music-making is an ideal hors d'oeuvre for the upcoming Handel year."
more >>GramophoneCD of the Month: "...utterly magical."
more >>Early Music Review"A marvellous performance!"
more >>Classic FM MagazineOpera & Vocal Disc of the Month: "...the freshness with which they sing radiates joy throughout the entire score."
more >>International Record Review[An] outstanding new recording...warmly recommended.
more >>Sunday TimesButt takes advantage of the most up-to-date scholarship
more >>SA-CD.net"...will light up a grey, miserable winters day."
more >>The Guardian"Butt kept the action moving with his customary energy..."
more >>The Herald"...Handel at his most wondrous."
more >>The ObserverCD of the Week: "...wonderfully intimate reading..."
more >>The Scotsman"...genuinely refreshing and revelatory..."
more >>McAlister Matheson"...one of the freshest and most vibrant recordings I have heard."
more >>Fono ForumThe German publication reviews the 3LP set
more >>Opus Musica"...a interpretación es luminosa y clara..."
more >>AudioVideoHD"Unos timbres de excepcional calidad, brillan en toda la obra..."
more >>AudioEnz"How does it sound? Well in one word: Glorious."
more >>Pizzicato'Supersonic Award' for the Dunedin's recording
more >>Hi-Fi News"Superb"
more >>The Absolute Sound"beautifully rendered"
more >>CD Compact"El resultado sonoro es escalofriante, ni débil ni esquelético, ni pobre, sino perfectamente equilibrado..."
more >>Toccata"Die gesamte Interpretation atmet Fröhlichkeit, Spielfreude und höchstes Musiziervergnügen."
more >>Hi-Fi NewsA recording with 'intimacy and immediacy'
more >>Star Ledger of New Jersey"fresh, fine-tuned voices, a beautifully textured instrumental sound."
more >>High FidelityAn excellent review from the Polish Audiophile publication
more >>MusicWeb International"...this one is very special indeed."
more >>ClassicalSource.comLinn's impressive LP presentation of "Messiah" can truly be described as 'state of the art'
more >>Opus Musica"Excelente..."
more >>Atlanta Audio Society"...a really memorable and persuasive Matthew Passion..."
more >>Audiophile Audition"...this one is tough to beat."
more >>Klassik.com"Sehr gutes Potenzial."
more >>LP Magazin"Die Pressung ist erstklassig, und auch bezüglich des Klangs nimmt dieser "Messias" eine Ausnahmestellung ein."
more >>The Sunday TelegraphA performance of 'disarming emotional and dramatic immediacy'
more >>The GuardianThere's no doubt that this one is the pick of this year's crop...tinglingly vivid.
more >>The Berkshire ReviewSuperb
more >>Financial Timessheer intimacy of musical and dramatic dialogue
more >>The HeraldThey've done it again...the singing is to die for...
more >>Kennis & Cultuur'Deze Deze Matthäus Passion komt uit Edinburgh.....'
more >>Daily MailNicholas Mulroy is an excellent Evangelist
more >>De Gelderlander'Kopers van Bachpassies zitten tegenwoordig met een luxeprobleem...'
more >>classicalsource.comThe musicianship of the youthful Dunedin Players is, quite simply, second to none
more >>BerlingskeAlligevel skal man lede længe efter en flottere indspilning... Musikerne spiller som en drøm.
more >>McAlister Matheson Music Newsletterone of the most dramatically involving and emotionally searing performances of this work to have appeared on disc
more >>PreludeWonderbaarlijk mooie Mattheuspassie
more >>BBC Music MagazineMy new benchmark. Performance ***** / Sound *****
more >>BBC OnlineFrom the word go, the Dunedin Consort draws you in.
more >>GramophoneButt's St Matthew is truly original in spheres resonating beyond established parameters. Gramophone Recommended.
more >>The ScotsmanA highlight of 2008...brilliantly proficient
more >>TrouwVerfrissende ontdekkingsreis door Bachs Matthaus Passion is verrassend.
more >>Classic FM magazineDisc of the Month! Performances of stunning conviction
more >>The ObserverThe playing and the singing is outstanding. Highly recommended.
more >>Independent on Sundayone of the finest available one-voice-per-part Bach performances
more >>SA-CD.netHighly recommended indeed
more >>SA-CD.netHighly recommended - indeed, this version is probably the first choice for this ever popular work.
more >>Hi Fi ChoiceThis is a stunning performance, and a brilliant recording...
more >>Inverness CourierThe Consort deliver a fresh and hugely enjoyable perspective on the music
more >>Classic FM Magazine...nothing but praise
more >>Allmusic.comALBUM OF THE DAY - One of the most compelling and engaging Messiahs on disc.
more >>Atlanta Audio Society NewsletterAn additional plus is the excellent diction of these singers (should that surprise us about the Scots?). This is one time when you don't need to have the booklet firmly in hand in order to understand an oratorio in English!
more >>The Guardianan authoritative bass in Matthew Brook, and a superb contralto (one of three) in Clare Wilkinson, whose heart-stopping delivery of the words "And ye shall find rest unto your souls," sets the tone for the whole performance.
more >>The Timesthe real highlights are the choruses
more >>Bloomberg.com...one of the most intimate "Messiahs" available.
more >>The Sunday TelegraphThe playing of the Dunedin Players under John Butt is admirably crisp, and the singing of the Consort disciplined and clear in enunciation.
more >>Gramophone MagazineThe freshest, most natural, revelatory and transparently joyful Messiah I have heard for a very long time.
more >>BBC Music MagazineStylish, fresh and more intimate.
more >>The ScotsmanA genuine sparkle which lifts Handel's music above the ordinary, and a fresh angle for just about every moment.
more >>The Times[a] most imaginatively planned programme
more >>Daily Telegraphunaccompanied, glowingly sung and recorded
more >>Sunday HeraldCrisp singing and clear diction is matched by outstanding technical ability by the singers
more >>