“Each player in the ensemble is a virtuoso, but as a group they seem to have effortlessly acquired those essential chamber music skills of ‘give and take’, which would grace a long-established string quartet.”
Guy Woolfenden
“…a talented and imaginative addition to the Chamber Music scene. Friendly people, brilliant musicians…”
Prunella Scales & Timothy West
“…they have a style which is refreshing, challenging and totally unique. One minute you think you are watching a normal concert, the next minute they are in the audience playing next to you. Don’t just go and listen; go and watch, because it is a rare and wonderful thing to see a classical quintet use voice and choreography to turn an event into one that should not be missed.”
Danny Scheinmann
“The other new works I caught were…Philip Cashian’s engaging Settala’s Machine, for 10 wind instruments, given there by the New London Chamber Ensemble. This followed three arrangements by him, Sally Beamish and Martin Butler of mechanistic Mozart pieces respectively for musical clock, glass harmonica and mechanical organ, and offered itself as an original “musical machine”. In the way it intercuts sputtering, ticking ostinati with sinuous melody, it evokes the approach of Harrison Birtwistle, but a Birtwistle better behaved than usual. Afterwards came wind music’s glory, the Gran Partita, K361, by Mozart.”
Paul Driver, The Sunday Times, part of a round up of Cheltenham Festival events.
“The musicians, both young and more experienced, made the most of the wonderful sonorities and melodic variety of the expansive serenade in a superb performance…”
Roger Jones, The Gloucestershire Echo, 2014 Cheltenham Festival, with students from the Royal Academy of Music.
MARTIN BUTLER CD:
“Simon Callow is splendid as the narrator and the New London Chamber Ensemble play with verve and commitment…” Gramophone Magazine, June 2016
“The piece I enjoyed most was Butler’s wind quintet, Down-Hollow Winds… played by members of the New London Chamber Ensemble… I enjoyed it a lot in this well-balanced recording from the NMC label… It’s an eloquent showcase of Butler’s music” BBC Radio 3’s ‘Record Review’, 7 May 2016
“Accompanied by the New London Chamber Ensemble, the lip-smacking Simon Callow is great as the narrator… Just relish the intricacy and colour of Down-Hollow Winds for wind quintet…” The Sunday Times
“New release from NMC the best so far this year” Shock of the New blog
CARL NIELSEN CD:
“…the performances and sound quality are outstanding in every regard – this is a very important disc in the Nielsen discography and it is recommended very highly indeed.”
Robert Matthew-Walker, International Record Review
CD of the year 2009: “I am impressed, even overwhelmed, by the superb quality of performance, authenticity and engineering…. without any doubt, one of the finest Nielsen discs ever issued.”
Jack Lawson, MusicWeb International
“Brimful of character…each instrumental part is given a dramatic role and personality… a fascinating guide to the [editorial] issues with illustrations from the manuscript.”
Andrew McGregor, Radio 3 CD Review
“Individually captivating and collectively brilliant throughout.”
Musician
“All the players’ instincts are in the right place… first rate recording quality and documentation.”
David Fanning, Gramophone
“Winning charm and a strong sense of coherence.”
Stephen Johnson, BBC Music Magazine
“A unique example of a serious introduction to matters of authenticity.“
Niels Krabbe (Editor-in-Chief of the new Carl Nielsen Edition)
“Wonderfully colourful performance from all the artists.”
Edwin Roxburgh, Double Reed News
“The playing throughout is of the highest quality.”
Simon de Souza, The Horn Player
WOOLRICH CD:
“The New London Chamber Ensemble sounds utterly at home in Woolrich’s music, shaping lines and phrases with such ease and comfort that at all times the musical surface is a thing of great beauty.”
International Record Review May 2007
“Woolrich’s trademark microscopic forms again beguile the ear.”
Gramophone August 2007
“Woolrich’s individual voice and the unerring craftsmanship with which he constructs and scores each item bind these epigrammatic movements into a cohesive whole.”
“Woolrich also knows how to pull out the stops. When he calls for something more raucous the NLCE responds with a power that belies its small forces.”
BBC Music Magazine ‘Proms’ issue 2007