“[…] Maxwell Davies dedicated Linguae Ignis (Tongues of Fire) to the performers who play it here, cellist Vittorio Ceccanti and conductor Mauro Ceccanti […] Vittorio plays with warmth and sensitivity […] Mauro, leading Contempoartensemble, doesn’t shy away from letting Maxwell Davies’ zany stylistic leaps and overlaps make the maximum impact. Naxos’sound is clean, vivid, and well-balanced.” 4 STARS

“Contempoartensemble is splendid […] Their players distil the musicality, the melody, texture and particularly the pacing of Maxwell Davies’ spare scores in such a way that you feel you have really understood its essence. They have a far more thorough and engaging grasp of the juxtaposition of the ‘old and new’. They produce music that stands in its own right. What a refreshing approach. The acoustic is immediate and close without being over intense. The liner-notes are to the point and clear. Amazingly, this is now the only recording of any of these works in the current catalogue; another reason for snapping it up without hesitation.”

“[…] The studio performances come from the highly regarded Italian group,
Contempoartensemble, conducted by their founder Mauro Ceccanti. Working exclusively in music
of our time they have the dedicated expertise in such challenging scores. The disc does not make
clear why these 2004 recordings are just surfacing, but the sound is of excellent quality and with
exceptional inner clarity.”

“The Italian ensemble and especially solo cellist Vittorio Ceccanti bring the music prancing off the page […] The CD box mentions this work’s ‘profound ritualistic expression’, yet the Italians never neglect the lighter, morehumorous aspects. They come into their own swinging the end of the Purcell fantasia off its quirky wall.”

“[…] Questo repertorio ci è ora offerto dal valente violoncellista Vittorio Ceccanti e dal Contempoartensemble diretto da Mauro Ceccanti in esecuzioni di notevole livello, tali da rendere pienamente giustizia al complesso linguaggio dell’autore, tradotto con esemplare chiarezza, oltre che con apprezzabile vivacità ritmica e coloristica, in un contesto non alieno da graffianti soluzioni sempre pertinenti alle peculiarità stilistiche delle singole pagine.”

“The sound is warm and clear, and the whole production introduces and advocates the composer’s vision smartly.”