"The four Swinburne settings have a sincerity sand seriousness a long way from the sophisticated wit of Façade. “The Winds” is the most striking of these student essays, with a turbulent piano part and dramatic vocal, in which Dicker really lets fly ... Anon in love is played here with relaxed humour by Saki Kato. “Fain would I change that note” has a sensual vocal line that soars and dips, “My love in her attire” pits an athletic vocal line against a darting guitar, and the finale “To couple is a custom” is saucy and wry, and Walton at his best ... Dicker and Krystal Tunnicliffe turn on a sixpence to capture the satirical opposition of the outgoing bonhomie of city life versus the boredom of being in the country"

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"Soprano Sian Dicker kicks off with A Song for the Lord Mayor's Table, a bouquet of six songs commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths for Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Gerald Moore to perform at Goldsmiths' Hall. Schwarzkopf never recorded the work and Dicker makes the songs her own very convincingly, with plenty of spirit and good diction ..."

"Siân Dicker and Saki Kato give first-rate performance, consistently capturing the diverse moods of the vocal masterpiece, Anon in Love ...Siân Dicker is a talented British singer known for her rich, full-bodied voice and dramatic flair. As a spinto soprano, she is equally at home in the opera house and the recital room ... Choral conductor and writer David Wordsworth supplies most useful liner notes ... I cannot fault Siân Dicker’s imaginative and sympathetic performances of these songs, and her wide-ranging vocal accomplishments. She is an ideal interpreter of Walton’s music. Equally wonderful is the outstanding accompaniment by pianist Krystal Tunnicliffe and guitarist Saki Kato. The recital is aided and abetted by the perfect recording conditions in the beautiful St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington"

MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

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"The Lord Mayor's Table (setting Thomas Jordan) has just the right sense of lyrical exuberance with Dicker producing some vibrant coloratura, all supported by the colour and movement in Tunnicliffe's piano ... Glide Gently (setting William Wordsworth) really does glide and slide, with Dicker and Tunnicliffe creating an eerie, intense atmosphere. Wapping Old Stairs (setting an anonymous text) is a complete delight, as always, with lovely rhythmic appeal and Dicker relishing those terrific words, and she makes the refrain almost seductive ... Holy Thursday (setting William Blake) is focused and unsentimental, thankfully, and expands wonderfully towards the end. The Contrast (setting Charles Morris) is vividly articulated and pointed, with a fabulous ending, and then for the anonymous text of Rhyme Walton takes us back to the mood of the opening and the two performers return to the lyrical exuberance and sheer joy ... This collection makes you wonder why we have not had this type of collection before. The performers bring that sense of enthusiasm and care to both the lively well-known numbers and the lesser known but no less deserving. After listening to this Dicker, Tunnicliffe and Kato certainly make us regret that Walton did not write more songs."

Robert Hugill

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