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What the critics said:

In the music business, some of the most respected critics, and indeed those who's respect can be hardest to earn, are our fellow musicians.

Click HERE to watch a short commentary by David Hurley of The King's Singers made during a collaboration with HMSC in 2007.

This is a fine, and fun, addition to the early brass recording canon. The playing is expert and musical, varying from tear-inducing to energetic, and Faye Newton has a nice, clear, early-music type of voice which both blends with the brass, yet rises above them when needed. Of the group’s nearly 20 albums, this has quickly become one of my favorites.

--Paul Schmidt, Historic Brass Society - review of Music for the Twelve Days of Christmas...

'the playing is nothing short of exquisite. A breath of fresh air' from a review of our Grillo CD

'This consort is the pre-eminent group of its kind: they are brilliant advocates for the extraordinary variety of styles, moods and genres to be found in instrumental music of the 16th and 17th century...There is a technical assurance and sensitivity of the kind one might expect from a fine string quartet' (Classic FM)

***

'These players demonstrate perfectly how a balance of scholarship and expert period performance can restore familiar music to such radiant good health that we wondered how it ever survived before. Unanimity of articulation, gently tapered phrase endings and the soft fluency of two cornetts combine to give rare pleasure' (BBC)

***

'This group is now the longest established and most respectable ensemble of its kind in the world. With such an interestingly varied program - rich in sound, impressive in technique and often subtle in expression - it is easy to be enthusiastic' (Historic Brass Society)

***

'From the glistening virtuosity of its opening through a bewildering patchwork of lyrical solos, dazzling passagework, and imitative antiphonal exchanges...the effect is electrifying' (Fanfare)

***

'One only has to experience the variety of timbre, articulation and expressive nuance to realise that HMSC are, first and foremost, fine and imaginative chamber musicians' (Gramophone)

***

'The sound is crystal clear...the playing is immaculate: beautifully crisp and clean'... 'witty but unfussy playing' ...'consistently approachable'... 'These masterful performances are alive with authentic detail... a rare and unforgettable sound'... 'The balance between all the instruments is managed with almost flamboyant ease'... 'They are experts in control and subtle simplicity as well as virtuoso decoration'...'The beauteous playing sweeps one away into a feeling of nobility and calm such as only really first rate brass music can achieve'