“A varied collection that offers more than just vocal bonbons…Connolly and Middleton execute the complex phrasing [of A Charm of Lullabies] with a sense of ensemble for which they are revered.” ★★★★
Editor’s Choice (September 2018) - “A truly lovely programme, this, as generous as it is absorbing… Connolly is at her characteristically supple, golden-toned and intelligent best throughout, and she enjoys impeccable support from Joseph Middleton. Chandos’s sound and presentation are likewise beyond reproach, and it all adds up to a disc that I have not the slightest doubt will give enormous satisfaction for many moons to come.”
“Sampson’s and Davies’s voices blend perfectly, and they sing Britten’s realisations of Sound the Trumpet and Lost Is My Quiet stylishly, but the fleeter Mendelssohn numbers are the real delight...Sheer delight.”
Editor’s Choice (July 2018) - “This is a wonderful selection, showing how influential the RCM has been in the development of English song in performances from Connolly and Middleton of exemplary commitment and luminosity. If it seems preoccupied with innocence, love and loss, capturing moments of intimacy and sacrifice and often providing relief too, these are elements of all great songs.”
“Connolly proves herself a worthy heir to Janet Baker in the lovely songs of Ireland, Moeran and Ivor Gurney, but this “garland” of 20th-century songs, superbly accompanied by Middleton as her equal partner, embraces “cycles” by the antipoles Britten and Tippett.”