Palestrina

"There are many insights here that will come as a surprise, not least the crucial importance of the bass end of the orchestra to the unfolding of the drama. A useful complement then to the Kubelik version, but one which only goes to accentuate just how good that earlier recording is".

"It's a well played-in ensemble performance under a wise old stage director (Harry Kupfer). Conductor Kirill Petrenko ... matches Rudolf Kempe's recently rediscovered 1955 Salzburg performance: they're both compelling story-tellers of large-scale operatic narrative ... Frankfurt's cast has planty of gutsy ecclesiastical characters ... and the wholeis a triumph for British tenor Peter Bronder in the title-role".