Gramophone Choice
‘This music has the power to connect the avant-garde with the lost paradise of tonality,’ said Robin Holloway once about Britten. He might have been talking about this Blake set, a standout in Britten’s still often underrated output of the 1960s, written for Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau after his contribution to the War Requiem. Putting this new Roderick Williams recording immediately up against the composer and Fischer-Dieskau is like going from hymns ancient to hymns modern. Williams finds an ideal emotional stance—involved, totally word-conscious but never melodramatic…as a recorded recital, Williams—and Burnside, who is similarly colourful but keeps an interpretative distance from pumping up the text—have created an outstanding achievement, one to set alongside the Gerald Finley/Julius Drake disc. Their remaining items, including Tit for Tat—Britten’s ‘reissue’ of early 1929-31 Walter de la Mare settings—shine in a similar way. The Potton Hall recording is clean and clear with excellent instrument/voice balance."

Mike Ashman - Gramophone magazine - June 2012

 

"One could hardly wish for a better showcase than these three items by Britten. There is seriousness in the Blake, a wonderful assortment of humor in the Folk-Songs, and a bit of both in Tit for Tat. And Williams has such a wondrous voice to show off. His is no affected, artificial kind of Englishness. He sounds as if he is telling a story for all, no condescension. A warmly expressive timbre fills the ear with beauty; immaculate enunciation clearly tells the story. Best of all is the gentle, radiant personality that Williams displays. He is someone I would like to meet as well as hear singing. Burnside’s piano accompaniments are just as pleasing. Britten would have been pleased."

Charles H Parsons - American Record Guide - September 2012
 

"Roderick Williams brings a gentler, more intimate touch to what Fischer-Dieskau called their ‘enigmatic smile’: Blake’s ‘Tyger’ burns bright but with less fierce teeth, and there is more melancholy than menace in this performance’s view of the human condition. Every beautifully placed word is matched by Iain Burnside’s recreation of Britten’s pianistic subtext, glinting with many a revealing musical gloss."

Hilary Finch - BBC Music Magazine - July 201