A selection of 'spoken word' articles

Spotlight. Harmonically Exotic - Gerald Fenech finds a new recording of Delius' Hassan absolutely riveting. '... these performances are as dynamically dazzling as they are irrepressibly exciting and incandescent.'

Ensemble. Little Short of Miraculous - Mike Wheeler is impressed by Hanni Liang's pianism, but reports that some audience members were unhappy with her recital's lecture element

Spotlight. Excavations of Meaning - John Dante Prevedini recommends song cycles by contemporary American composer Douglas Boyce. '... an unusual vision bravely conceived and sensitively executed by all involved.'

Spotlight. Gripping and Engaging - Geoff Pearce enjoys music by Edvard Grieg. 'It is especially rewarding to hear the unfamiliar works that make up much of this disc.'

Ensemble. Brightly Delivered - Mike Wheeler finds a concert by Nigel Short's Tenebrae choir unmissable

Ensemble. An Interesting Contamination of Genres - Giuseppe Pennisi reports from the first Italian performance of 'The Passion according to St Mark' by contemporary Polish composer Paweł Mykietyn

CD Spotlight. Recommended by Mozart - Georg Anton Benda's melodrama 'Medea', reviewed by Gerald Fenech. 'Katharina Thalbach is overwhelmingly effective as the narrator, while Marcus Bosch's conducting is intensely committed, capturing all the seething complexities of love, betrayal and revenge, grappling in Medea's heart and mind, with electrifying exuberance.'

Ensemble. Ariadne, Phaedra and Dido - Giuseppe Pennisi visits Spoleto to experience the first performance of a new work by Silvia Colasanti

CD Spotlight. Interesting Stuff - Beethoven's 'King Stephen' and other rare works, appreciated by Gerald Fenech. 'Finely performed and recorded, this CD is a must for all serious collectors and admirers of the great man.'

CD Spotlight. Strengths and Weaknesses - Gerald Fenech listens to orchestral music by Max von Schillings. 'A very fine addition to CPO's ongoing advocacy of Schillings' oeuvre in detailed notes and exemplary sonics.'

Ensemble. A Unifying Mood - A new song cycle by Julian Dawes, heard by Malcolm Miller

Ensemble. Atmosphere is Everything - Weber's 'Der Freischütz', reviewed by Robert Hugill

Ensemble. In Complete Command - Britten's 'The Company of Heaven' and Renaissance Polyphony, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Invigorating Performance - Sinfonia Viva plays Judith Weir, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Inexorable Momentum - Music by Dvorák, Rachmaninov and Sibelius from Sergio Tiempo, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra impresses Mike Wheeler