Describing the performance of both works by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Mikel Toms requires a word that goes further than “stunning”: the music is played with utmost virtuosity and total conviction.
MusicWeb International
The members of the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mikel Toms and the singer Natalie Raybould have obviously spent much time delving into the essence of this music and add much to my enjoyment.
Classical Music Daily
All credit is due to the Brno Philharmonic for its clear devotion to contemporary modern music, and to Mikel Toms for guiding the players through with such assurance.
Fanfare Magazine
… an exciting and truly spectacular recording.
Pizzicato
British-based conductor Mikel Toms revels in the grand sonorities of this band, and I can’t imagine that the composers are not thrilled with his advocacy.
Fanfare Magazine
…committed performances by the Brno Philharmonic under the meticulous but lightly worn guidance of Mikel Toms.
Limelight
British-born conductor Mikel Toms leads the Brno Philharmonic Strings in a masterful performance that displays his and the players versatility and commitment to the music. The strings playing is vibrant and transparent at all times and Toms’s keen ear and attentional to detail make this performance something special.
Music Web International
Lost Lands is the longest work, its complex single-movement form well-shaped under expert conductor Mikel Toms…
Gramophone Magazine
All credit to the virtuosity of the Brno Philharmonic and the expert ear of their conductor, Mikel Toms, for delivering such a razor-sharp performance.
Fanfare Magazine
…it is hard to imagine it played more exquisitely than Mr. Wallinger does in collaboration with Maestro Mikel Toms and the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra.
New York Concert Review
The Brno Philharmonic give a storming account…Mikel Toms secures some sensitive accompaniment in the concerto. Good sound, too.
Gramophone Magazine
Very pleasurable and committed performances…beautifully performed by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Mikel Toms.
Music & Vision
The New Prague Sinfonia under Mikel Toms accompanies with glowing sensitivity, and the Prague 2005 recording is beguilingly velvet-toned…another first-rate performance rounds out a highly recommended issue, which even the most conservative of readers should urgently seek out.
International Record Review
…With the version [of Schnittke’s Concerto for Three] by its dedicatees Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet and Rostropovich currently unavailable this is a highly competitive account. Performance: * * * * *
BBC Music Magazine
The excellent Reservoir…
The Times
Brilliantly played by Reservoir…
The Daily Telegraph
Their particular store is one of talent…directed with intelligence and enthusiasm by Mikel Toms…Warmly recommended. The Independent
Mikel Toms conducts the pride of the avant-garde…ought to start a riot…Hear the 21st century before it begins…I don’t know what it’s all about either – but it’s the future!
The Evening Standard
Reservoir packed the Conway Hall…The players’ commitment to Xenakis was palpable…The performance didn’t just vindicate Xenakis, it also vindicated the relevance of classical music to a discussion of new music of any genre. Reservoir are a musical force who can make genuine sense of the Wire’s cross-cultural scramble.
The Wire
a great musician … who was very much liked by all the orchestra. It needs a special talent and ability to be liked by the Kazakstan State Symphony Orchestra! He worked with youthful vigour, was very professional and well prepared. Compared to our young conductors here, Mikel Toms rehearses the scores in greater detail. He very much wanted to convey the spirit of the music to the orchestra…It is the general opinion of the world that the British are demanding and scrupulous and Mikel Toms gently drew exactness from the orchestra.
New Generations
A high point of splendid perversity….Less a concert, more a happening: not only music (acoustic and electronic) but simultaneously theatre, lighting and video…Overall, a compelling and inspiring evening, which deservedly drew a large, variegated and appreciative audience; the Reservoir stalwarts such as leader Darragh Morgan, pianist Ian Pace and conductor Mikel Toms, performed heroically as ever. So why can’t all concerts be like this? Still: it was worth waiting until 1999 for this one to have been.
Tempo Magazine