BBC Music Magazine, September 2012 ****
“With a formidable blend of Slavic steel and sensuality in her rich soprano, she provides the gleaming core to a deeply satisfying Libera me...Griffey's heavy vibrato makes for unevenness and vague diction, and he lacks a certain piercing ardour. Stone is, by contrast, strikingly direct, particularly in his most eloquent soliloquy as the dead German soldier.”
Classical Music, 14th July 2012 ***
“A broadly paced, idiomatic War Requiem showcasing fine choral and orchestral contributions and mostly idiomatic solo singing.”
Gramophone Magazine, October 2012
“van Zweden is calm, purposeful, unexaggerated...It is when the emotional temperature needs to rise that van Zweden is sometimes found wanting...the Latin Mass goes well, thanks also to the Slavic-sounding soprano, Evelina Dobracheva, despite the wobble in the middle of her voice...Mark Stone is strong and forthright in the baritone solos”
International Record Review, September 2012
“Stone's singing...is a revelation, and a strong argument in favour or acquiring this set...a fine example of a singer bringing something new and convincing to a role, thereby enriching our experience of it. The choirs sing with immense skill and feeling, and the orchestral playing leaves nothing to be desired...I can't warm to Griffey's singing, but in all other respects I find this a compelling and moving performance.”
MusicWeb International, July 2012
“There’s a good deal to admire in this performance. The Netherlands Radio Choir sings well...The orchestral playing...is on a par with the level of choral accomplishment...[Stone] sings expressively without overdoing things...this performance is, I think, the best thing I’ve heard him do.”
