REVIEWS & LIVE RECORDINGS

2022


CD Recording: J.S. Bach - Harpsichord Concertos BWV 1052, 1054, 1055 & 1058
The Hanover Band
Haprsichord & Director: Andrew Arthur

'[…] Bach used only single stringed instruments for each orchestral part, a limitation respected on these recordings. It turns out to be no limitation at all, in fact the intimate and finely-detailed weave of the five string players of the Hanover Band is one of the recording's chief pleasures […] Another is the playing of harpsichordist Andrew Arthur, which always feels alert and responsive to the orchestral parts, and has just enough tempo flexibility and ornamentation to bring Bach’s aural designs to life. The sheer sensuousness of the slow movements, which are taken at a luxuriously slow pace, should win over even hardened harpsichord sceptics. 

★★★★ The Telegraph, July 28, 2022 (Ivan Hewett)
Critic's recommendation: Best Classical CD releases of July 2022

'This fine first CD – the second will include the other three harpsichord concertos and Brandenburg V – was recorded in the admirable acoustic of St Nicholas, Arundel and uses a harpsichord by Andrew Garlick, built in 2009 and after Jean-Claude Goujon, 1748. What is particularly good is the splendid balance between the single strings of the Hanover Band’s A team and the harpsichord – a resonant and singing instrument, well able to hold its own.[...] It is now largely accepted that using single strings is the best way to balance these exquisite concerti, the majority of which had earlier lives as concerti for violin before being re-scored for a six-instrument ensemble for Bach’s concerts in Zimmermann’s coffee-house. [...] what is so beguiling about these performances is the absolute integration of the players with one another. Not one player fails to contribute and the way the first violin and the right hand of the harpsichord play in complete sync – even when negotiating slight inégales in the rhythms – is so elegant and makes for that fluidity which only one-to-a-part can give. Although the excellent performance by Francesco Corti and Shunsuke Sato uses a second harpsichord to play the continuo of BWV 1055 for All-of-Bach, this marvellous performance beats it for natural clarity and for the way all the players – even when they appear to be just filling in the realisation of the continuo – shape their lines to make them sing in response to one other and to the free but perfectly rhythmic playing of Andrew Arthur. This is not only a very ‘correct’ textbook version that I shall enjoy returning to for a long time, but it is fluid, inventive and utterly musical.[...] Andrew Arthur is not a soloist in the modern sense of the word – out to stamp his personality on this music: he is content to help the ensemble to listen to each other and above all, to listen to Bach. There are no grand gestures or extremes of tempi. 

This is the best we are likely to get and I look forward to the second CD immensely.'
Early Music Review (David Stancliffe)

'An enjoyably no-nonsense kind of playing makes the opening movement of Bach's Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052, extremely striking. 
Soloist Andrew Arthur and the one-to-a-part strings of the Hanover Band play with a feisty swing. Like windows flung open after the rain, there's a matter-of-fact muscularity to the performance, and continuo team Henrik Persson and Kate Brooke provide copious flexing. It's fun. 
Incredibly funky playing from Arthur, too, makes this movement - particularly the cadenza-like peroration that drives into the final recapitulation of the main - perhaps the album's highlight. [...] Arthur's ornamentation is interesting yet delicately scented, 
and his trills keep the harpsichord's line singing in the most spectacular fashion.' 
Gramophone, September 2022 (Mark Seow)

 ‘It has a real freshness and excitement to it’ 
BBC Radio 3, In Tune, 15 July, 2022 (Sean Rafferty)

‘[…] a really rich sound, with enjoyable ornamentation - I like the balance as well’ 
BBC Radio 3, Record Review, 30 July 2022 (Andrew McGregor)

2021

Handel - Messiah, King's Place, London

The Hanover Band & Chorus; Director: Andrew Arthur

★★★★ The Guardian, 18 December, 2021
(Fiona Maddocks)

'Maximum Messiah uplift'

'Handel's Messiah, first performed soon after Easter in 1742 but now an Advent tradition, digs deep into the rhtythm of the musical season. The work's grip, for performers and listeners, is tenacious. Think of the 3,600 people who took part, with arduous recording at home, in the Self-Isolation Choir's online Messiah in Mat 2020, repeating the exercise this year. This past week, the Hanover Band, small forces, directed from the harpsichord by Andrew Arthur, bravely scheduled five live performances in 10 days.

The second, in the gratifying acoustic of King's Place, passed, as the text has it, in the twinkling of an eye: not because tempi were fast - though they were - but because the 16 singers, 18 period instrument players and four accomplished soloists (Tara Bungard, Timothy Morgan, Bradley Smith, Edward Price) communicated with such urgency and virtuoisty. As an end to 2021's often bewildering listening year, the concluding fugal "Amen", with celestial trumpet and thunderous drums, was an appropriate revelation.'



CD Recording 'See, see the Word is incarnate'
Choral & Instrumental Music by Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Tomkins & Thomas Weekes
The Chapel Choir of Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Orpheus Britannicus Vocal Consort & Newe Vialles
Director: Andrew Arthur

‘[...] this finely produced disc is an excellent exemplar to modern ears of the musical riches - still too little-known - from the Stuart dynasty. The music has been most intelligently chosen, and the performances - from choir, viol consort and solo organ - are all of a very high standard, as is the consistent recording quality.' ★★★★★ The Organ (James Palmer)

'Despite a long and distinguished history, Trinity Hall, founded as early as 1350, is one of the lesser-known colleges that make up the University of Cambridge. [...] I was well aware of Trinity Hall but am mortified to confess that I knew nothing of its chapel, nor of its chapel choir and its several discs released before the one currently under review here. On the basis of this recording, the state of its music is certainly of a piece with the college’s eminent stature. The mixed Chapel Choir has 23 members (7S 6A 5T 5B) and verses are sung by members of Orpheus Britannicus, the Ensemble in Residence which consists of seven singers who are well kent in early music circles. Accompaniments are provided by the organ scholar, James Grimwood, or the five-strong consort, Newe Vialles, while the several organ solos are played by the college’s Director of Music, Andrew Arthur, who also conducts. [...] nowhere throughout the disc is there a dull moment, half because of the quality of the music and half because of the leisured intensity of the performances.[...] There is a richness about the tone of the choir which suggests a Baroque sensibility rather than the more austere Anglican approach which is often adopted for the music of these composers. Thanks to the slower tempi, individual parts are easily audible while the voices blend beautifully. This is a most impressive recording. For potential purchasers unfamiliar with the repertory but keen to give it a hearing (or just keen to support Trinity Hall), it is a delightful introduction. For those familiar with this music, and who possess recordings of all these pieces, it is well worth buying this disc for the singularly ripe yet penetrating performances.' Early Music Review (Richard Turbet)

'The various musical forces drawn together for this production breathe new life into this music 
from centuries past in the fine performances collected here.' Lark Reviews

'Andrew Arthur sets a pace that is refreshingly unhurried, giving the massed voices a chance for their individual lines to be heard in the generous acoustic. [...] The five-strong viol consort Newe Vialles are most impressive in their three solo tracks. They also join in the large scale opening and closing tracks (This is the record of John & See, see, the Word is incarnate). [...] Andrew Arthur's performance of the Voluntary (in C, MB24) is particularly impressive, with its virtuosic concluding flourish executed perfectly.' Andrew Benson-Wilson: Early Music Reviews+

‘...impresive and warmly resonant' BBC Music Magazine (Anthony Pryer) 



CD Recording 'Mozart Sonatas for Violin & Fortepiano, K. 301, 305-6 & K. 454'
Peter Hanson: Violin
Andrew Arthur: Fortepiano

‘The musicanship is exemplary, the sense of style from Hanson and Arthur perfect. Hesitate not!'  The Classical Explorer (Colin Clarke)

‘[The] rapport between the two players shows through in a beautifully balanced sequence of Mozart sonatas. The recording venue is the Chapel of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, its wood-lined walls giving the sound a realistic resonance without favouring either instrument unduly. Hanson plays a gut-strung Guadagnini with a 1780s bow, whilst Arthur's keyboard is yet another beautifully voiced fortepiano from the studio of Paul McNulty - a copy of a Walter from around 1805. [...] in music that offers such rewards as Mozart's violin sonatas, the appetite is whetted for further instalments from these players.' Gramophone (David Threasher)

'The renowned period violinist Peter Hanson teams up here with the equally celebrated fortepianist Andrew Arthur in effervescent performances [...] impeccably musical and charmingly involving' Early Music Review (29 Nov 2021)

'I'm a period-instrument fan generally. However, when it comes to Classical-era music I don't always find period renditions terribly convincing, and therefore I tend to prefer stylistically knowledgable performances on modern instruments. Here's a definite exception, however, from two excellent British specialists. [...] Together Hanson and Arthur give you the feeling of being in an 18th-century parlor with performances of intimacy and verve. [...] this is an ideal sampler of Mozart's violin-and-keyboard music on period instruements and will surely make it to my Want List.' Fanfare Magazine, USA (Michael De Sapio)

‘A fine period-instrument recording of these sonatas which are each dedicated to women who supported Mozart in his musical endeavours. The duo of Peter Hanson and Andrew Arthur work well together in the performances here.'  Lark Reviews (June 2021)

'Couldn't be better! Sensitive, lovingly shared. They make Mozart sound simple. What a deception. Not everyone can play Mozart this way.'  
Customer review, Amazon.com 

2019

CD Recording 'Dieterch Buxtehude - Membra Jesu nostri'
The Chapel Choir of Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Orpheus Britannicus & Newe Vialles
Director: Andrew Arthur

‘…a fresh and touching new reading from Andrew Arthur’s Orpheus Britannicus and Trinity Hall Chapel Choir, and the viol consort Newe Vialles. Prepare to enjoy beautiful singing and haunting music in a chapel acoustic as comforting as a blazing log fire.’ 
★★★★ The Times (Geoff Brown)

‘Immediately striking here in Buxtehude’s slow-moving Passion meditation is the quiet, articulate intensity and aching sense of intimacy on display…performances characterised by clarity, precision, nuanced responses to changes of expressive tone and emotional temperature, and an admirably flexible reciprocity between all concerned. The abiding, altogether involving impression is one of utter sincerity and refined, fluid finesse. Excellent booklet notes by [Andrew] Arthur and Franco Basso perfectly complement these fine and valuable performances.’ ★★★★★  Classical Ear (Michael Quinn)

‘a fine performance…emotional and moving…’  BBC Record Review (Andrew McGregor)

'Buxtehude’s cycle of seven cantatas, Membra Jesu nostri, BuxWV 75 is given an intensely intimate performance by the period ensemble Orpheus Britannicus, the Chapel Choir of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and the viol consort Newe Vialles. I found listening to this to be a most moving experience – one that was enhanced by the way in which the Resonus engineers had captured the sound within the accommodating chapel acoustic. The director Andrew Arthur also contributes to the excellent booklet notes that complete a most recommendable package.’ ★★★★1/2  iClassical 

'It is often the context of the music-making that distinguishes its character, and the near ideal conditions of a choir of young singers together with a quintet of singers who share that background and the strings, lute and keyboard of Orpheus Britannicus, joined by the Newe Vialles viol consort in the subdued Part 6 (Ad Cor) provide a very coherent group of musicians for this tense, yet restrained masterpiece of early German Baroque oratorio. I admire the overall sound – there are no prima donnas here, nor the sense that this is just another routine performance. The intensity of it all is maintained by the experienced and capable direction of Andrew Arthur, as is the sense of the different chori – well laid out in the structure of the work as it is in the performance. His scholarly and helpful essay is a key element in the liner notes, revealing where and how Anders von Düben transcribed this work from its tablature original of 1680 into staff notation. This is complemented by a revealing note on the Latin text by Franco Basso, which is then given with an English translation. Details of pitch, instruments and tuning complete a model booklet…The choir sings with conviction and clarity  and they reflect their director’s precision and their regular experience of singing in the small Chapel at Trinity Hall...There is such wonderful variety of mood and expression in this pioneering work, and we should be glad that it has received such skilled and musical a treatment. If you want a recording to complement a [one-to-a-part] performance, I recommend this CD wholeheartedly; and in its own right it is a fine advertisement for this director and his college choir.  
Early Music Review (David Stancliffe)

'..seductive and ravishing…' ★★★★  BBC Music Magazine (Paul Riley)

'This is an outstanding work that is given an excellent performance here’  MusicWeb-Internation (Stuart Sillitoe)

’This substantial composition gets a stunning new presentation in this release combining period instrument with the well disciplined voices of Trinity Hall’  Lark Reviews

’Supplementing the same vocal and instrumental forces he used on his 2017 Priory disc devoted to the sacred music of Purcell with the newly formed period-instrument ensemble Newe Vialles, Andrew Arthur has assembled a substantial body of performers. Yet he uses them most effectively, drawing from them an intimacy and directness of expression which gets right to the core of the work. Interpretatively, the most impressive thing is Arthur’s pacing and sense of deep repose. Time seems to stand still with the orchestral Sonata which opens the fourth cantata (‘To the Side’) before gently moving on into a decidedly Monteverdian setting of a text derived from the Song of Solomon. At no time do you feel that Andrew Arthur is in any sort of hurry to get through the work, and a sense that at every corner and turn he is content to linger contemplatively imbues this performance with a rare sense of ease.’  Gramophone (Marc Rochester)

2018

Handel - Messiah, King's Place, London

The Hanover Band & Chorus; Director: Andrew Arthur

★★★★★ www.planethugill.com 17 December, 2018
(Anthony Evans)

'A triumphal Messiah'

'[...] from the first bars of the Sinfony it was plain that The Hanover Hand's idea of 'authentic' would be anything but dull. To say their performance was a breath of fresh air would be to do them a disservice. This was the full steam clean with pressure washers, and what emerged was a work that sparkled like new...dramatically vivid, dynamic and beautiful. Phrasing was elegant with ornamentation that was finely turned and stylish rather than ostentatious and some exquisitely judged dynamics [...] I really don't remember Messiah being so spine-tingling [...] a triumph.'



CD Recording 'A Courtly Garland for Baroque Trumpet'
Baroque Trumpet: Robert Farley; Director: Andrew Arthur

'...it’s hard to imagine these pieces being played better.' Gramophone

'As Gottfied Reiche's solo Abblasen sounds the opening fanfare on a disc that explores the trumpet's assimilation into the 17th century Baroque, Robert Farley's laser precision and unflappable ebullience take the phrase 'clarion call' to the next level. And although, during his first decade in Leipzig, J.S. Bach was a conspicuous beneficiary of Reiche's celebrated dexterity, Farley is on a mission to show the trumpet's earlier evolution from something of emblemtaic of parade ground and battlefield to an instrument capable of chamber music subtlelty - Italy at the heart of a seismic shift...But Italy doesn't have the field to itself. Biber, Schmelzer and Gottfried Finger supply welcome contrast, especially when a dash of stylus phantasticus lessens the danger of so many short movements blurring one into another. It's a danger evidently recognised in the careful programming which rings the textural changes from trumpet plus solo accompaniment to richly layered five-part sonatas including the ear-grabbing interpolation of bassoon in Schmelzer's Sonata in C. Incisive, rhythmically taut in fast movements, eloquently expressive in slow ones, Farley's artistry is perfectly complimented by the suave sophisication of Orpheus Britannicus. And buttressed by vivid recorded sound, there's an alchemy at work that turns not-so-base metal into trumpet gold!' 
Paul Riley, BBC Music Magazine ★★★★

‘Robert Farley’s trumpet playing is most impressive...the sound of the trumpet is balanced by the occasional organ solo, including a Toccata by Pasquini and two Canzonas by Frescobaldi, attractively played by Andrew Arthur [and] there are some excellent contributions from the period instrumentalists of Orpheus Britannicus, notably Theresa Caudle, violin….’ Andrew Benson-Wilson, Early Music Reviews +

'...Farley and the ensemble Orpheus Britannicus are impressive.' MusicWeb International

‘While trumpeter Robert Farley assumes a starring role, this is a collegial effort in which the Orpheus Britannicus (playing period instruments) and its director, organist Andrew Arthur, are also both afforded chances to shine on their own. The playing is spirited and stylish…Farley is an exquisite trumpeter with impeccable technique and finely varied tonal timbre. The performers are well recorded in a rich ambience; detailed booklet notes are provided…and, as the timing indicates, the disc is generously filled to the brim. Definitely recommended’ 
James A. Altena, Fanfare USA

 

2017

CD Recording 'The English Orpheus'

★★★★★ Organists' Review, December 2017
(Andrew Fletcher) 

‘What a glorious CD. I was riveted from the first bar. There is no attempt to gild the lily. Andrew Arthur allows the music to speak for itself, which it does most eloquently. Ensemble is paramount. Solos are provided ‘in choir’ with no ego. Do buy this wonderful disc, and enjoy the relaxed freshness from these consummate musicians.' 

®️Gramophone, August 2017 (Jonathan Freeman-Attwood) 

'A considered exposé of Purcell’s still woefully under-exposed genius is always welcome, especially one as varied and intelligent as
Andrew Arthur’s, with his aptly named ensemble, Orpheus Britannicus, supporting his young mixed Choir of Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
The lingua franca here for Arthur is the composer’s church music – although Gallic influence is mere surface finery compared
to Purcell’s extraordinarily expressive and indigenous canvas – with a representative selection of anthems and canticles neatly offset
against stylishly delivered instrumental contributions.

Making the most of Purcell’s deeply elegant music requires a particular sensitivity to linear shape, lyrical articulation and clarity of texture,
not least in order to draw upon the pungency of the harmonic language. Arthur finds a remarkably atmospheric palette throughout, evident from the sprightly opening strains of O sing unto the Lord to the colourful and noble projections of the Te Deum, a grandiloquent conceit which translated easily from the panegyrics of William and Mary to influence Handel’s Georgian fare.

Alongside these pleasingly idiomatic features, the correlation between solo verses, string interludes and the full group in these pieces makes for a profoundly consequential experience, each section organically emerging from the last. Arthur never forces the pace or engages in quick-win mannerisms. The Bell Anthem is a case in point, where its lightly cascading opening (an almost Newtonian musical metaphor) sets the scene with an easy nonchalance, gradually injected with its delicious blend of inward reflection and balletic fervour...

...Of the other pieces, relish Arthur’s own playing of the mesmerising Voluntary and the bittersweet pearls of the great G minor Chacony.
Jehova, quam multi sunt, that most exquisite creation by a teenager, is afforded just the right balance between abstract wonder and rhetorical purpose. With this kind of expert control and youthful responsiveness, the poignancy of the music should penetrate the hardest of hearts.
The recorded sound is outstanding.'


Cathedral Music, March 2018

'...music-making of the highest professional standard...I have no hessitation in giving it my warmest recommendation.'


Lark Reviews, July 2017'

'Delightful' 

CD Recording ' The Young J.S. Bach'

★★★★★ The Organ, November 2016 - January 2017

'Andrew Arthur is a very fine musician and his registration and tempos throughout this truly fascinating selection has educational as well as musically satistying aspects to make this one of the most significant issues of Bach's organ music to have come my way for a long time.'

MusicWeb International, March 2017

'...astute and authoritative musicianship...this production takes a special place in the Bach discography. 
For many listeners, Bach's chorale settings on these discs will be new, given their relatively recent discovery. With Andrew Arthur's impeccable touch and grace, they could be no better advocated than they are here.' 

2016

CD Recording ' The Young J.S. Bach'

★★★★ Choir & Organ, November / December 2016

'...an organ of rarified conceptual coherence. Andrew Arthur, Director of Music at Trinity Hall, plays with a rhetorical subtlety and grace, and with a touch vocabulary always appropriate for challenging and revealing acoustics....this is a release of admirable quality.'

★★★★★ The Organ, November 2016 - January 2017

'Andrew Arthur is a very fine musician and his registration and tempos throughout this truly fascinating selection has educational as well as musically satistying aspects to make this one of the most significant issues of Bach's organ music to have come my way for a long time.'

MusicWeb International, March 2017

'...astute and authoritative musicianship...this production takes a special place in the Bach discography.
For many listeners, Bach's chorale settings on these discs will be new, given their relatively recent discovery. With Andrew Arthur's impeccable touch and grace, they could be no better advocated than they are here.'

Lark Reviews, October 2016

'This welcome release presents the ‘Neumeister chorales’ in lovely performances to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of this organ. Providing added variety this well-structured 2 CD release places a number of other contrasting works to punctuate the collection.'

J.S. Bach - Harpsichord Concerto in D minor, Sunset Center, Carmel, California, 2016

Peninsula Reviews, July 19, 2016

'[Andrew Arthur's] performance was, as usual, on a very high level of technical and musical mastery.'



2015

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Sunset Center, Carmel, California, 2015

Peninsula Reviews, July 29, 2015

'...the brilliant and seamless performance of Andrew Arthur on the harpsichord...one of the highlights of the concert'


J.S. Bach - St John Passion, Good Friday, Church of St Nicholas, Arundel

The Hanover Band & Chorus, Director: Andrew Arthur

West Sussex County Times, April 9, 2015

'Andrew Arthur very skilfully directed this performance from the chamber organ...
a sublime blend of voices...immaculate in every way...technically and emotionally outstanding'

 

2014

CD Recording ' The Trinity Hall Harpichord'

Early Music, November 2014

'An invigorating full chorus and superb buff stop add panache to a programme of Bach, Böhm, Purcell, François Couperin, Handel and Maurice Greene. Much credit goes to Trinity Hall Music Director Andrew Arthur, whose relationship with time is loose in the best way, as heard in the stylus phantasticus opening and plaintive recitative of Bach’s massive Toccata in D minor, BWV 913 that precedes the fireworks finale. The three Grounds of Purcell are enthralling in their inviting sense of dance, cantabile melodic freedom, and spotless, tasteful ornamentation, the lattermost pervading this thrilling inaugural recording on a lovely instrument.' 

Solo Organ Recital, Carmel Mission Basilica, Carmel Bach Festival, 2014

Peninsula Reviews, July 21, 2014

'Arthur's understanding shone through the whole program, demonstrating his mastery of virtuosic display and his perceptive intellect as he explored the labyrinths of Baroque polyphony for a highly appreciative audience.'


2013

CD Recording: 'The Trinity Hall Harpsichord' 

Early Music Review, August 2012 (Noel O'Regan)

Bach - Mass in B minor

Sunset Cultural Center, Carmel Bach Festival, 2012

Peninsular Reviews, July 15, 2012

'...wonderful solo and ensemble performances by orchestra members, and by the excellent continuo organist Andrew Arthur.'

Handel - Organ Concerto in Bb Major, Op. 4

Sunset Cultural Center, Carmel Bach Festival, 2012

Peninsula Reviews, July 18. 2011

‘powerful playing’

Solo Spotlight, Church of All Saints, Carmel Bach Festival, 2011

Peninsula Reviews, July 201, 2011

Toccata in D Minor for Solo Harpsichord, BWV 913

CD Recording: 'J.S. Bach - Organ Chorales from the Leipzig Manuscript, Vol. 1

Early Music Review, April 2006 (Andrew Benson-Wilson)

‘…impressive...a musical rhetorical style of playing that avoids all excesses...clear articulation and a good sense of phrasing.'

The Amercan Organist, February 2007

Organists' Review, May 2006

'This CD is from a performer who has certainly thought about the music at an intellectual level...Andrew Arthur's attention to detail and particularly his harmonic awareness are impressive. Tempos are carefully chosen, eschewing the temptation to race - a tendency in the performance of Baroque music that has continued far too long. [He] allows pieces such as the second setting of 'Komm Heiliger Geist' to flow naturally and spontaneously; the articulation does not advertise itself, though if you attend to that aspect, it is extremely skilled. The interspersed free organ works receive fine performances...'

The Gramophone, October 2006

'...clean and precise playing which follows the letter of the score with scholarly precision and does so with well judged and highly sensible tempi. Students of Bach's organ music may find a valuable source of reference here.'

2005

The Hanover Band - Bach Cantatas & Concerti, Arundel Festival

The Littlehampton Gazette, September 1, 2005

HANOVERIAN CONCERT TREAT

'Sunday's capacity audience obviously hoped for perfection from the highly anticipated two-hour all-Bach programme. And they were not let down...The performances were presented with typical exuberance, controlled in masterly fashion from the keyboards by director Andrew Arthur.'

Organ Recital, Carmel Mission Basilica, Carmel Bach Festival, 2005

The Herald, July 20, 2005

'As a grand finale to an exemplary and highly enjoyable recital, the "Toccata and Fugue in D minor", BWV 565 was delievered with a highly intelligent and impelling sense of purpose. The combination of intensity and exuberance and the strength, majesty and conviction that demonstrated the full organ's resources were all handled with consumate skill by Arthur.'

J.S. Bach - The Six Brandenburg Concerti, Director: Andrew Arthur

Sunset Cultural Center, Carmel Bach Festival, 2005

Peninsula Reviews, July 21, 2005

'How often do we have an opportunity to hear all six Brandenburg Concerti in one evening? Well, not too often, but on Thursday evening at the Carmel Bach Festival we had precisely such an opportunity, and it was a dazzling and moving experience.'

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5

'...the soloists, Andrew Arthur, harpsichord, Naomi Guy, violin and Kimberly Reighley, flute, delivered some brilliant playing. As always, when we hear this concerto, we marvel at the long and intense first movement keyboard cadenza. Andrew Arthur is the complete keyboard virtuoso and, not surprisingly, he whipped up the cadenza to a high point of excitement...his playing represents the cutting edge of our current understanding of Baroque keyboard performance practice...richly detailed and impressive indeed.' 

2004

CD Recording 'Organ Music for Passiontide'

The Gramophone

'THIS SCEPTR'D ISLE'

'...Equally cohesive is Andrew Arthur's Passiontide selection from All Saints, Margaret Street, London. The recording has no trouble in capturing the full glow of the newly restored 1910 Harrison organ. A largely French and German programme is divided by a centrally placed Howells's Psalm Prelude (Set 2, No. 1) in a performance of incandescent sensitivity. The longest work is Bach's Partita on Sei gegrüsset, for which Arthur produces a bevy of beautiful tonal Baroquetteries, proving once again that a Romantic English specification can adopt several foreign accents.'

Music in the Round - UK Bach Tour 2004

Principal Players of the Hanover Band

Shropshire Star

'The interpretation of Brandenburg Concerto No.5 was outstanding, etched into memory by the work of flautist Rachel Brown, and the mastery of harpsichordist Andrew Arthur.'

Shrewsbury Chronicle

'The Fifth Brandenburg, which closed the first half, provided a counterweight to the opening cantata…The players throughout showed enthusiasm tempered with brilliant ensemble technique, ably led from the harpsichord by Andrew Arthur. An evening to remember.'

The Guide, Portsmouth

'The Fifth Brandenburg Concerto contains one of the most stunning solo parts in keyboard literature, and Andrew Arthur proved a match for its demands.'

Organ Recital, Carmel Mission Basilica, Carmel Bach Festival, 2004

The Herald, July 21, 2004

'Organist Andrew Arthur who is the festival’s chief keyboard artist led off the day’s events with a very satisfying, well chosen and accessible all-Bach recital in the Carmel Mission.

Arthur was in his usual fine form as an assured master of the instrument. His proven ability to control the powerful modern Mission instrument is admirable and impressive. There was much virtuoso brilliance but also a finely attuned grasp of the inherent musical values of his medium.'

2003

Organ Recital, Carmel Mission Basilica, Carmel Bach Festival, 2003

The Herald, July 23, 2003

'Arthur is an absolute master of his keyboard, no matter what its size (as demonstrated in the evening concert), and his control of the challenging large console in the Mission was most impressive. In a high powered program which included two Fantasias, BWV 537 and 562, the Passacaglia & Fugue, BWV 582 and six chorale preludes. he diplayed his intuitive, soundly based grasp of his instrument, making this a very enjoyable musical experience. Playing for a large audience, Arthur began with the imposing Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537. He chose a measured tone, which sounded very good in the open acoustics of the mission. The clarion passages of the fugue were very well brought out. Arthur included six chorale preludes based on Lutheran hymn tunes. Of this group, 'An Wasserflüssen Babylon' with its gently toned ornamented melodic line, was meditative and spiritual sounding. 'Schmücke dich' was another thoughtful and calm interpretation. It was very well voiced to maintain its reflective quality. Several others were bright and spirited, using the principal and reed stops. 'O Lamm Gottes' was delightfully rendered with a flutelike sweetness which made the instrument seem to sing. The Fantasia in C minor, BWV 562 had a trumpet-like opening and an imposing full organ tone, which continued with a processional quality, making for a commanding, impressive performance. The well known Passacaglia & Fugue, BWV 582 was the highpoint of the program in a monumental reading, which showed fine musical strength. There was a firm grasp of the intricate variation elements of the work. Arthur brought out brilliant tone with strong attacks and rhythms and tempi, which were always under control. It was an exemplary performance to conclude a fine concert.'

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO HEAR LIVE EXCERPTS FROM THIS RECITAL

Soloists' Spotlight - Carmel Mission Basilica, Carmel Bach Festival

Handel - Concerto for Organ in G Minor, Op. 4, No. 1

Peninsula Reviews, 23rd July, 2003

'Who could ever believe that an organ concerto could be so much fun? Arthur’s precise rhythm and effortless mastery in the Allegro movement just grabbed you by the throat and never let go.'

The Herald, 23rd July, 2003

'Using the festival's own small "positif" organ, Arthur displayed exemplary technical fluidity and agility and a fine sense of humor in bringing out the bird calls in the happily chirping allegro.'

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO HEAR MORE EXCERPTS FROM THE 

CARMEL BACH FESTIVAL 2003

Handel - Organ Concerti, Corona del Mar Baroque Music Festival

The Orange County Register, June 24, 2003

'Andrew Arthur returning as soloist from his fondly remembered 2001 festival appearance brought his usual precision and astute musicality.'

J.S. Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 5

The Hanover Band, Brighton Early Music Festival

The Argus, May 26, 2003

'...fine work from harpsichordist Andrew Arthur...'

The Complete English Hymnal - Volume 7 (PRIORY RECORDS)

Sound & Vision, 2003

'I love this recording and congratulate Harry Bramma and his perfect and sympathetic organist [Andrew Arthur]...Memorable & treasurable'

Organists’ Review, February, 2003

'The organ playing on this recording is excellent throughout'

2002

The Mission Concert, Carmel Bach Festival

San Francisco Examiner, July 7, 2002

'An exquisite orchestral gem graced by Andrew Arthur’s nimble touch, Handel’s organ concerto"The Cuckoo and the Nightinglae", proved to be one of the highlights of the evening.'

2001

Organ Recital, Church in the Forest, Carmel Bach Festival

San Francisco Classical Voice, July 23, 2001

'Arthur planned his program in the same sort of order as concerts we know the composer [Bach] performed, namely, beginning and ending with a large praeludium and inserting chorale preludes and variations between the two. The bookends to the concert demonstrated Arthur's good understanding of style, articulation, and maturity. Into the opening Prelude and Fugue in C (BWV 545), between those pieces, he cleverly inserted the slow movement of the Fifth Trio Sonata. This creation of a three-movement work, though rarely done, is an example of the way Bach used to play his music. It served as an extremely effective and interesting opener and had a stamp of individuality.

Expert Handling of Instrument

The chorale partita (a set of variations on "O Gott, du frommer Gott") that followed showed Arthur's sensitivity to phrasing and demonstrated his ability to handle the instrument's unsteady wind pressure, a common feature of 18th century organs that many modern players find awkward.'

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Poulenc - Organ Concerto, Corona del Mar Baroque Music Festival

The Orange County Register, June 19, 2001

'At the center of the confident, colouful and engaging performance sat organist Andrew Arthur, a U.K native, who played with spirit, precision, and a keen ear for the dramatic moment. That, plus his deft pedal work and silky touch, gave a full and resonant voice to the solo passages.’

Los Angeles Times , June 19, 2001

‘A long line of first-rate organists have participated in the festival. The latest is the British musician Andrew Arthur, who took the soloist’s duties in the Poulenc [concerto]….Arthur brought impressive authority and resourceful virtuosity to the part……tightly and sincerely performed.’

Monterey Peninsula Reviews, July 2000

'...vibrant playing...rhythmically pristine and beautifully controlled....All the expressive devices were highly successful....magnificent clarity...a high level of musicianship'

Organ Recital, Carmel Mission Basilica, Carmel Bach Festival

The Herald, July 1999

'Virtuosic eloquence'