AV2199
J S Bach Trio Sonatas
Release date October 2010
'With unaffected performances of remarkable freshness and vitality... the exuberance is all BSB's own. [Tatty] Theo's bass is clear and firm throughout, providing a centre of gravity for violinists Rachel Harris and Farran Scott to really dance... The variety of string articulation together with [Carolyn] Gibley's discrete harmonisations further serve both to enliven and to elucidate Bach's musical arguments. Superb... This is a must-have album.'
'The Brook Street Band plays stylishly, with well-nigh impeccable intonation and tremendous verve... Delightful.'
'The Brook Street Band has a trademark playing style that's communicative, energetic and very very zingy in every department... the playing has such deftness and verve that time flies by... in chamber music from this period, you won't find more winning and winsome playing.'
AV2153
Handel's English Cantatas
Release date September 2008
'...Nicki Kennedy and Sally Bruce-Payne are superb vocalists, every English diphthong beautifully articulated, but the big hand belongs to the four-piece band... for the richness of their sound, a delight from start to close.'
'...the Band is as deliciously poised and pertinent as ever.'
'Handel recycles some of his best tunes in vocal music that's a fresh as a summer's day. Lovely ensemble playing and expressive soloists.'
'As always, The Brook Street Band has a delightfully light touch, never solemn, and they are beautifully complemented here by the clear Baroque soprano of Nicki Kennedy and the rich alto of Sally Bruce-Payne.'
'Essential listening for all Handelians, and the performances are first class.'
AV2118
Handel 'Cello' Sonatas
Release date February 2007
'...The enterprising Brook Street Band... the infectious enthusiasm of these all-female virtuosi seems likely to bring them another Classic FM hit.'
'Bags of charm on this disc of transcribed recorder sonatas. Theo's Baroque cello plays mostly high where the tone is dry and appealing.'
'...These performances have a powerful stamp of authority about them... Theo's beautiful sense of line and utterly natural phrasing. Perhaps the most striking thing about these performances is the sense of total unity between both players. These are two musicians coalesced into a single entity, dancing with a wonderful unanimity of purpose... Handel himself would have found real cause for celebration.'
'...a rave review... so convincing are Tatty Theo and Carolyn Gibley's accounts of them... all beautifully balanced... please do enjoy this unusual and unexpected delight!'
'...vivacious and ardent music making... a thoroughly enjoyable and expertly played CD'
'...the playing of the two-person Brook Street Band is expressive and lively... the impact made by this music and its persuasive and technically brilliant advocates here... This CD is recommended... The whole is pleasing, very pleasing'
AV2068
Handel Trio Sonatas Opus 5
Release date July 2005
'...the Brook Street Band. The smartest new baroque band around, they deliver these seven sonatas with consistent panache and musicality... if you need instant sunshine, play this disc.'
'so infectious is the enthusiasm of these gifted players for their Baroque master that you will find it hard to suppress a smile at the sheer energy and effervescence that bounce out of this disc'
'The Brook Street Band are a lively ensemble of period instrumentalists, always stylish, occasionally daring in their expressive response to this glorious music...'
'The four members of the Band play with flawless ensemble and beautifully controlled intonation, their unruffled and confident approach underlined by their generally comfortable pacing...'
'The Band is highly polished... and infectiously enthusiastic'
'They play Handel with sprightliness and a joie de vivre that lets you know this composer will never go out of style... the performances on this CD have such spontaneity...'
AV0028
Handel Oxford Water Music
Release date November 2003
'The Brook Street Band... are gaining quite a reputation for their stylish and imaginative programmes. They bring a delightful freshness and lack of affectation... playing in a vivacious style... that makes it very clear that they are enjoying themselves. Their pleasure in the music is infectious.'
...The Brook Street Band... play with style and zest, keeping the rhythms light and springy and ornamenting deftly... eager continuo... delightful music-making, with violinists sparring elegantly in the faster numbers and bringing a delicate sense of timing and colour to the slow movements.'
'No matter how many recordings of this music you may already have, if you buy one Baroque music disk this year, let it be this one... It is a tremendous pleasure to be a reviewer when a disk like this comes along... [a] magical balance of crispness, bounce, swing, sweetness and dignity... The Brook Street Band are stratospheric in quality...'
'It's a delight to hear vigorous yet informed playing, combined with such a crisp, well-balanced recording... Well researched and compiled... the accomplished performances of Handel's earliest version of the famous Water Music suites are fresh and sparky, enlivening this all-too familiar music.'