August 2014 -
Matthew Rickard is equal to Howells’s challenging piano textures.
Anthony Burton
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on the BBC Music Magazine website
May 2014 -
The quality of the performances here is such that Marshall-
John Quinn
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on MusicWeb International
September 2013 -
Gurney’s Sonata could hardly find better and more convincing exponents than Rupert Marshall-
Calum MacDonald
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
September 2013 -
The duo demonstrated both passion and tenderness in a fine performance.
Roger Jones
Review of concert at the Pittville Pump Room, Chelthenham with Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on Seen and Heard International
August 2013 -
Rickard’s role is by no means that of mere accompanist. ... All of these pieces are written for violin and piano, not for violin with piano. There’s a significant difference, and it’s in the way that the piano engages the violin in dialog and equal partnership. One hears in Rickard playing a true melding of mind and spirit with both Marshall-
Jeremy Dubins
Review of recordings made to date with Rupert Marshall-
June 2013 -
It’s good to be reminded what a powerful piece [the Elgar Sonata] is, helped by the concentration of Marshall-
Edward Greenfield
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
May 2013 -
We should not ignore the artistry of Matthew Rickard whose playing was exemplary in majesty and in quiet abnegation – a still small voice, yet telling. His contribution throughout was key but among the many moments that completed and complemented the violinist’s primo role, that series of ever-
Rob Barnett
Review of recital at the 2013 English Music Festival with Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on Seen and Heard International
May 2013 -
Elgar’s Sonata is not exactly a rarity on CD, with rival versions existing by Nigel Kennedy, Lorraine McAslan, Tasmin Little and Daniel Hope. This new version more than holds its own in this illustrious company. It is a splendid performance which underlines the wistful nostalgia of Elgar’s late masterpiece more than any other account I have heard. Rupert Marshall-
David Jennings
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on MusicWeb International
March 2013 -
Rupert Marshall-
Rodney Foord
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
March 2013 -
Marshall-
Colin Clarke
Review of Toccata Classics CD of Chamber Music by John Pickard (TOCC 0150)
February 2013 -
The performance could hardly be bettered: both musicians play with fine feeling and sensitivity and truly bring out the poetry behind the notes. ... Matthew Rickard is an exemplary partner. ... Marshall-
John Quinn
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on MusicWeb International
January 2013 -
Marshall-
Julian Haylock
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
October 2012 -
Matthew Rickard was a welcome addition to this concert, and the interaction between violin and piano proved to be very successful. Both Marshall-
Ragnhild Melbye
Review of lunchtime concert given with violinist Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on the Intermission Bristol website
October 2012 -
The contribution of Matthew Rickard lacks nothing in commitment or insight.
Richard Whitehouse
Review of Toccata Classics CD of Chamber Music by John Pickard (TOCC 0150)
October 2012 -
The piano writing [of the Gurney] is bass-
John Quinn
Session report of the recording of a CD of Violin and Piano works by Gurney, Elgar and Sainsbury due out in 2013
Please click here to read the report in full on MusicWeb International
October 2012 -
There is no doubting Rupert Marshall-
Colin Anderson
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
October 2012 -
Rupert Marshall-
Caroline Gill
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
July 2012 -
On this recital disc Rupert Marshall-
Michael Cookson
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on MusicWeb International
June 2012 -
There were a number of piano passages [in Sacheverall Coke’s First Violin Sonata] that left you thinking of the big Rachmaninov concertos. Matthew Rickard more than met these challenges.
Rob Barnett
Review of recital with the violinist Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on the Seen and Heard International website
April 2012 -
Matthew is a formidable soloist, as became clear during the concert.
The final item in the concert was the Scherzo in E flat minor by Brahms. This is a virtuoso piece, full of fire, and it received a stunning performance which left the audience breathless.
John Mansfield
Review of solo recital at Farnham United Reformed Church on 10th April 2012
Please click here to read the review in full on the Music at Lunchtime website
February 2012 -
Matthew Rickard is [Rupert Marshall-
Jonathan Woolf
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on MusicWeb International
January 2012 -
Matthew Rickard’s piano-
Edward Greenfield
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
November 2011 -
[the acoustic of the hall] allows Matthew Rickard’s heroically impressive piano playing to register with power and attractive sonority – in both works the pair of players are excellent at negotiating the numerous transitions between sections with perfect accord and musical conviction.
This is a well-
Nick Barnard
Review of CD made with Rupert Marshall-
Please click here to read the review in full on MuiscWeb International
October 2011 -
Violinist Rupert Luck and pianist Matthew Rickard, give dedicated performances of all three works. ...
The piano is well rounded and perfectly balanced against it. [the violin]
Bob McQuiston
Review of CD made with violinist Rupert Luck of English Violin Sonatas for EM Records (EMR CD001)
Please click here to read the review in full on the Classical lost and found website.
July 2011 -
Luck and Rickard make a strong case for the piece [the Walford Davies] and I enjoyed both the music and their performance very much. ...
The finale [of the Bowen] is a bravura, often fiery creation, which is tossed off with fine virtuosity by these two players.
This is an outstanding disc. Rob Barnett beat me to it in designating it as a Recording of the Month but my welcome for it is no less strong. Both Rupert Luck and Matthew Rickard are fully on top of and responsive to this music and their performances are not only skilful and very musical but also full of commitment. I sense they are delighting in unveiling to a wide audience this unknown repertoire – certainly the description ‘unknown’ applies to the Bliss and Walford Davies works. The performances have been splendidly recorded in the sympathetic acoustic of the Wyastone Concert Hall and the documentation is excellent.
This release is a most auspicious launch for EM Records and I look forward eagerly to future releases. In the meantime I hope collectors of English music will reward the enterprise of the label and enrich their own experience by hastening to add this CD to their collections.
John Quinn
Review of CD made with violinist Rupert Luck of English Violin Sonatas for EM Records (EMR CD001)
Please click here to read the review in full on MuiscWeb International
May 2011 -
This is a most imaginative and rewarding release: the world première recording of a significant unpublished work by Bliss, along with violin and piano sonatas by Walford Davies (another première recording) and York Bowen...
The performance by Rupert Luck and Matthew Rickard has an inspiring confidence and commitment that characterizes their approach throughout. ...
This first release from the English Music Festival label deserves the warmest possible welcome. Not only do the performances have real authority but the recorded sound is excellent...
The EMF has announced plans for several more interesting releases in the near future and the series could not have made a stronger start than it does here: Luck and Rickard offer an ideal combination of enterprising programming, some impressive musical archaeology to bring these works to life, and superb playing. This fine disc is a complete success and can be very warmly recommended to anyone with a serious interest in British music.
Nigel Simeone
Review of CD made with violinist Rupert Luck of English Violin Sonatas for EM Records (EMR CD001)
April 2011 -
A warm welcome for the first release in the English Music Festival’s recording label, EM Records. Three violin sonatas kick-
With fine and committed performances, and a full and well-
Review of CD made with violinist Rupert Luck of English Violin Sonatas for EM Records (EMR CD001)
Please click here to read the review in full on the Classicalsource.com website.
March 2011 -
The Bowen is a very fine, moving and exciting work – no half measures! The performance is fiery to the point of molten. Breath-
There is nothing tentative about these performances which are highly skilled and completely dedicated and immersed.
EM records have started out magnificently with this disc. We must hope to hear much more of Luck and Rickard. Let them continue to explore and harry the periphery rather than being drawn to the well-
Rob Barnett
Review of CD made with violinist Rupert Luck of English Violin Sonatas for EM Records (EMR CD001)
Please click here to read the review in full on MusicWeb International
November 2010 -
The work itself, as well as the performance, captivated the audience. It wasn’t one of those concerts where I find at some point I have switched off: all three works commanded my full attention, the Bliss more than the others. They have much in common, and my neighbour in the comfortable seats (not the pews) extolled as one virtue of the Festival the way it brought out the connections between the featured works. Bliss later travelled a long way from this early work, but here it could be appreciated in context. My neighbour was also full of praise for the players who acquitted themselves brilliantly and with palpable and infections enthusiasm. It felt as if they were truly engaged with the works, and they attacked them with gusto. How nice it would be to able to revisit the performance in recorded form -
Review of recital at the 2010 English Music Festival on 29th May 2010 with the Violinist Rupert Luck.