MusicWeb International Recording of the month January 2012: Arthur Benjamin Concertos Dutton Epoch
Both soloists make an amazing contribution to this disc..seriously impressive..Sarah-Jane Bradley brings drama and drive to the thorny viola concerto..This is a fantastic CD. I hope all enthusiasts of British music will rush out to buy it"
David Denton, David's Review Corner, September 2011
"The record industry has recently discovered the viola, with Naxos contributing some of the most interesting releases among the abundance of new issues. All the works here were originally composed for the instrument save for the Dohnányi which
is played in an arrangement by the soloist. Such a transcription is not
without the composer's blessing, Dohnányi accompanying the violist,
Lionel Tertis, in a London performance of the work. It certainly sits
happily on the weightier instrument, often taking it into the warm
resonance of the lower strings as the mood swings from happiness to a
sad nostalgia. In three movements it offers enough to challenge solo
technique without encouraging a virtuoso treatment. Martinu's Sonata
comes from the last years of his life and has the composer in a homesick
folk idiom. Tonal and immediately attractive, it has an abundance of
harmonic pungency. Still immersed in Germanic influences the young
Kodály's Adagio is laden with sadness. It was Byron's poems based on biblical stories that inspired Joseph Joachim's Hebrew Melodies, the
three movements communicating the feelings of people in exile. Somewhat
meandering in content it's episodic nature has many moments of tender
beauty. Composed as a competition test piece, Enescu's Concertstucke is
a real challenge of left-hand dexterity, linked with the need to create
long flowing passages. Sarah-Jane Bradley, the viola of the much
recorded Sorrel Quartet during its lifetime, and a member of the Leopold
String Trio, plays a gorgeous viola from 1806 by Chanot, its rich and
fruity tone immaculately played and with expressive musicianship. Many
of the pieces call for an equal partnership from the piano admirably
handled by Anthony Hewitt. Premiere league sound."
"Superb performance… Sarah-Jane Bradley outstanding throughout" (Patterson Viola Concerto)
International Record Review, March 2011
"Sarah-Jane Bradley delivers a really committed and convincing account of this subtle and genuine piece of music" (Patterson viola concerto)
The American Record Guide, January/February 2011
"One of my favourite pieces here is the [Alwyn] Viola Sonatina. There is such beauty in this short work and its performance. Sarah-Jane Bradley plays with marvellous tone and warmth here and I couldn't be more delighted about her performance."
BBC Music Magazine, November 2010
"The [Alwyn] Viola Sonatina's self-deprecating title disguises the understated strength of its four beautifully inventive movements. Performances and recording both excel, with Sarah-Jane Bradley's viola-playing outstanding"
The Guardian, 3 September 2010
"Paul Patterson's Viola Concerto similarly brings together soulful lyricism with surging tempos; soloist Sarah-Jane Bradley's lustrous tone brought dramatic force to the recitative and aria" (Presteigne Festival)
Classical Source May 2010, Lionel Tertis International Competition and Festival
"The tonal refulgence of Bradley was beyond praise - no violist in the country makes a better sound… she was fully in command of the styles"
Classic FM Magazine, November 2009, Editor's Choice (5*review)
"Pure Paradise: The evocative world of Delius is brought beautifully to life by viola player Sarah-Jane Bradley and friends…"
"The unaccountably neglected Double Concerto for Violin and Viola is brought stunningly to life by Graffin and Bradley, who is also on peak in the haunting Caprice and Elegy. Highly recommended…"
"Melodic rapture: Bradley's rich-toned, hauntingly eloquent playing, meltingly phrased and dynamically supple, proves ideal in the Caprice and Elegy, a sublime late work"
The Daily Mail, October 2009
"Magnificently played by Sarah-Jane Bradley"
The Daily Telegraph, August 2009
"Ardent and affecting soloist: Sarah-Jane Bradley"
Gramophone, August 2009 "Sarah-Jane Bradley is the excellent soloist… the sound is immensely vivid"
The Strad, May 2009
"Sarah-Jane Bradley is brilliantly on top of the virtuoso writing - especially in the extended cadenza - with barely a hint of strain" (Butterworth)
International Record Review, May 2009
"Sarah-Jane Bradley gives a really fine account of the wide-ranging Viola Concerto, the character of which extends from light-hearted to deeply serious expression" (Butterworth)
MusicWeb International, CD Review Recording of the month, April 2009
"Its essentially introverted contemplative nature is perfectly captured on this recording by violist Sarah-Jane Bradley, whose rich and sensitive playing is ideally suited to portraying the score's inward-looking nature, whilst fully rising to the challenges of its more emotionally charged episodes" (Butterworth)
Ham & High, May 2009
"Exquisitely played by soloist Sarah-Jane Bradley" (Paul Patterson Viola Concerto premiere)
Classical Source, May 2009
"An auspicious launch from Sarah-Jane Bradley" (Patterson)
Camden New Journal, May 2009
"Sarah-Jane Bradley, one of the world's most distinguished viola players"
Sunday Telegraph, March 2009
"The Viola Concerto suits the skills of the talented soloist"
Yorkshire Post, March 2009
"Sarah-Jane Bradley is the superb soloist"
The Strad, February 2008
"Is
there a better British Violist than Sarah-Jane Bradley? I write just a
week after hearing her play a demanding recital and after several
hearings of this disc of British Viola Music, the most gorgeous
artefact to come my way for years… Winter Remembered is a beautiful piece for viola and 16 strings, written for Bradley… it gains from Bradley's palette of colours… McCabe's Concerto Funebre elicits superb sound from Bradley, not least in the substantial cadenza. To Alwyn's Pastoral Fantasia
she brings tone of an extraordinary plangency, with a wonderful ring to
the middle register. Her variations of colour and vibrato, worthy of
Tertis or Primrose contribute to the best recording of Holst's late Lyric Movement that I have heard… a lovely recital, excellent production, recording and presentation"
Gramophone, July 2007
"Sarah-Jane Bradley is a wonderfully eloquent player. Recommended"
BBC Music Magazine, June 2007 - 5* review for both performance and sound
"Sarah-Jane
Bradley is that rare kind of viola player who can make you blush with
shame for ever having told a viola joke. In her hands the instrument is
passionate, eloquent and wide-ranging in its colours and moods - a long
way from the charmless introvert of orchestral lore… the variety,
cohesion and purpose Bradley brings make sure the ear is kept involved…
Bradley's performance shows just how much contained intensity and
intellectual strength there is beneath the apparently calm surface. I
would happily put this at the top of any list of recommended
recordings"
International Record Review, June 2007
"Another
magnificent record of some fine compositions outstandingly well played
by the gifted Sarah-Jane Bradley, a totally committed and convincing
performance… These works are all wonderfully played - the career of
this young violist should be closely followed"
"Played with great feeling and panache by Sarah-Jane Bradley" (Presteigne Festival, premiere of James Francis Brown's Trio Concertante for string trio and string orchestra)
Daily Telegraph, May 2006
"A work that gave Bradley a chance to show off her mellifluous legato… both players were vigorously dramatic… Bradley's viola playing was particularly dreamy and seductive… the undoubted highlight was Bradley's powerfully judged account of Hindemith's Viola Sonata, a work as wide-ranging as Schumann in its mixture of fantasy and drama" (Brighton Festival)
The Strad, March 2004
"Sarah-Jane Bradley was an ardent, committed soloist"
Musical Opinion, January 2004
"Sarah-Jane Bradley brought a gloriously expressive tone to its lamenting but expansive lines"
Evening Standard, November 2003
"An identifiably Schubertian Gemütlichkeit - a chestnuts-by-the-fireside conviviality - that was ideally captured in Sarah-Jane Bradley's sympathetic playing"
Musical Opinion, January 2003
"A virtuoso performance"
The Strad, December 2002
"Exceptional achievement… superb recital" (Wigmore Hall)
Birmingham Post, August 2002
"Performances from violist Sarah-Jane Bradley were musicianly and committed"
Classical Source, August 2002
"Dedicatee Sarah-Jane Bradley played with assurance and a real appreciation of the solo line's connective role in the musical discourse. The cadenza was elegantly phrased…"
Classical Music, July 2002
"Sarah-Jane Bradley has a very romantic sound which I kept in mind all the time I was writing" (David Matthews on Winter Remembered)
BBC Music Magazine, January 2002
"Sarah-Jane Bradley makes a strong impression in the prominent solos of [Shostakovich] Quartet no.13"
The Observer, July 2001
"A ravishing viola solo" (Aldeburgh Festival)
The Strad, 'Stars for the Future', January 2000
"Playing the viola as well as Sarah-Jane Bradley does is no joke… she was the moving spirit behind the Leopold String Trio from its foundation in 1991; but this season sees her going solo. Bradley's performances of the [York Bowen] sonata have evoked comparisons with Lionel Tertis for depth and quality of tone"
Gramophone, 'Talent Scout', December 1999
"Since its formation in 1991, the Leopold String Trio has had the viola player Sarah-Jane Bradley as its musical conscience. Bradley's performances of the [York Bowen] C minor sonata have been revelatory… A viola player worth listening out for"
Daily Telegraph, August 1998 - Critic's Choice
"A fine viola and piano duo"
The Strad, August 1997
"Exceptional… Bradley is an adventurous artist… Every whisper of the bow was loaded with insight and intelligence"
The Scotsman, April 1997
"Sarah-Jane Bradley's accomplished viola shone through in much of the music, offering a rare opportunity to appreciate one of the Cinderellas of the instrumental scene."
The Strad, October 1995
"When she dug into the C string for the second subject of the first movement [York Bowen Sonata] I immediately thought 'Tertis!'"
The Strad, June 1995
"Courageous playing… one of Britain's most promising players"
CD Compact Spain, February 1995
"A performance that shows thousands of colours in the spectacular 5/8 Rondo Finale" (Brotons Viola Sonata CD)
The Strad, December 1994
"Ravishing renderings of the two final movements of York Bowen's C minor sonata" (Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition)