"...Also celebrating the BACH anniversary in 1950 was a performance of the B minor Mass conducted by Herbert von Karajan. That is a feature of lesser note, however, than the inclusion of Kathleen Ferrier and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf among the soloists. Karajan was seldom a persuasive Bach conductor, but the presence of those two singers in a performance that is anything but lifeless – the ‘Er resurrexit’ chorus pulsates with rhythmic energy – is its most rewarding feature. It is, above all, the warmth and humanity of Ferrier’s voice which makes this reissue worth all the painstaking care that has been taken in its rehabilitation. Her two solo recitals in Oslo (1949) and London (1952), contained on the third disc, deserve to be in every collection. Purcell, Handel and Wolf form the Oslo programme, while English songs by Stanford, Bridge, Warlock, Vaughan Williams and others provide the content of the London one. Lastly and lovelier perhaps than anything else here, is Ferrier’s performance of Brahms’s Four Serious Songs in orchestrations by Malcolm Sargent."

Nicholas Anderson

"...With an artist like Ferrier, whose recording career was so short, there is a tendency for all surviving recordings to acquire iconic status whether they deserve it or no. Luckily, with an artist like Ferrier, nearly all of her recordings are worth hearing."

Robert Hugill
 

"...If not a perfect selection as a tribute to Ferrier’s memory, there is much to enjoy for lovers of her singing. Commended."

Robert J. Farr