'If you’ve seen Brindley Sherratt in action, you’ll know him to be a consummate stage animal ...Sherratt performs Gerald Finzi’s masterly setting of Fear no Morewith a lugubrious relish for the text’s gloomier aspects, his obsidian bass the living personification of the Grim Reaper.The same sensitivity to words and feeling for the macabre informs his dramatic accounts of Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death. Trepak has a deliciously grisly swing while Field Marshall conjures the horrors of battle, both aided by Julius Drake’s flexible and colourful accompaniments. What makes Sherratt special is his careful avoidance of Gothic excess, something the voice could easily encompass were he a less thoughtful artist ...The first part of the disc shows him to be a fine Schubertian with a granitic account of Mayerhofer’s darkly despairing Fahrt zum Hades and a lollop through an Italian serenade to words by Metastasio. Death and the Maiden is another pearl and a chance to deploy his spinetingling pianissimo as the most seductive of spectres.He’s at his finest, however, in the concluding set of five English songs, including a bleak yet salty account of Ireland’s Sea Fever and an aching resignation in Michael Head’s Limehouse Reach. As he waves us off with a Falstaffian turn in Warlock’s Captain Stratton’s Fancy, we are already looking forward to volume two'

'Sherratt can do no wrong ... "Wenn endet diesel Qualen? Wann?” ends with one of those beautifully resonant low notes that are such a joy to encounter throughout the recital ...All credit to Drake for dealing with Schubert's demands so comprehensively in Der Schiffer, D 526 a better-known song, its storm visceral. But how fascinating to hear on of Schubert's Italian songs: L'Incanto degli occhi (The Wonder of the Eyes), slow, miraculous. The same - slow, miraculous - could be said of Auf Der Donau , D 563, a least initially: the variety of Drake's part, the entreaty of Sherratt's cries of "wo?" (where) in the more disturbed second stanza.The song Der Tod und das Mädchen, D 531, is one of Schubert's best known. Full of contrast, Sherratt and Drake make it into almost an operatic scena: Sherratt's “voice of Death” is truly disturbing ... Mussorgsky's Songs and Dances of Deathsounds as if it is in his bones from birth, though. Sherratt finds lyricism as well as inhabiting Shostakovich's world, his diction crystal clear, the drama of the final “Field Marshal” in contrast to the desolation of “Trepak” ... Billed as Sherratt's “debut song recital recording,” all I can say is what a way to start'

CLASSICAL EXPLORER
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'[this album] captures his drinkably deep bass voice at its peak. Teamed with the pianist Julius Drake, Sherratt offers a programme exploring themes of fear and death, with a final affirmative twist ... He’s in his element in four German songs by Schubert, starting with the journey across the Styx in Fahrt zum Hades ... In Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death, Sherratt is no pantomime villain, instead chilling us with steady characterisation and long, velvety lines. He closes with English songs, including touching performances of Finzi’s title track and Gurney’s By a Bierside, where contradictory responses to death conclude with the idea that “It is a grand thing to die”. Fear dissipates, and Sherratt’s final two numbers, both old-sea-dog songs, brim with warmth and acceptance"

★ ★ ★ ★

"a voice that’s lived in ... [Sherratt] delivers clarity of the text but this grit, this dramatic experience; he’s a real powerful story teller ... it sends shivers down your spine ... an overdue recital for this hugely experienced singer"

RECORD REVIEW

"Wow! The resonance and depth of Brindley Sherratt’s voice are impressive from the moment he delivers Schubert’s Fahrt zum Hades ...Pianist Julius Drake accompanies with his usual technical brilliance and sympathetic interpretations. There are many exceptional moments, whether it be capturing the drama of Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death, especially the Trepak, the control of his low notes at the end of Strauss’ Spatboot, or the richness and warmth of the English songs. Sherratt's striking voice is impressive, and the clarity, reach, dynamics, and emotional fervour are remarkable. He holds the listener captive with an intensity that grips through his tremendous skill at accelerating towards crescendos and carefully decelerating to diminuendos, which showcase his mastery in impassioned performances. This disc is a winner, so let’s hope the Delphian team plans another disc sooner rather than later"

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"As John Fallas puts it in his informative booklet note, 'not many singers recordtheir first recital album two decades into a successful international career' ... In short, though, it's been worth the wait ... Right from the start, one marvels at the sheer easy authority of Sherratt's voice, the richness, the baleful depths, the steadiness and smoothness across the range. One starts to look forward to the low notes: the D in an especially imposing 'Der Tod und das Mädchen', the D flat that concludes 'Im Spätboot'. But there's great deal more to the album than just that. With Julius Drake a superb partner at the keyboard, these are considered, affecting performances - as one would expect from an artist with Sherratt's experience. In the best sense, he's a reliable guide through all the songs ... Sherratt's interpretations have an imposing power all their own, the deep, oaky patina of the voice carrying with it a special emotional weight. This is perhaps especially true in the English songs, where his natural delivery brings special rewards: the gnarly authority conveyed in 'Sea-Fever', the grandeur of the climaxes of both 'Fear no more the heat o' the sun' and 'By a Bierside' or the easy swagger of 'Limehouse Reach'. They make for a rewarding conclusion to an imposing, impressive album. Here's hoping for a follow-up."

"Sherratt is magnificent here ... his simple, sincere story-telling skills come to the fore. The particular quality of Sherratt's voice, however, aligned with vocal power and directness of utterance, makes this an awesome performance of Mussorgsky's masterpiece. Julius Drake is magnificent, making the most of Mussorgsky's frequently ungrateful piano writing. His treatment of the piano parts throughout this recital is a model of its kind, supporting the singer in every way yet inventive and full of individual character ... wide-ranging, unusual and deeply satisfying recital."

"it is in the final five very well-chosen songs in English that the particular expressive power of this voice and its aura really do come into their own. The mature bass voice has a specific kind of communicative directness and warmth that other voices don't. In Masefield/John Ireland’s “Sea Fever”, ‘the seas’ to which the singer feels drawn are simply more appealing and have more gravitas about them.

In Finzi’s “Fear No More…” this splendid voice gives the listener more assurance than others can, that everything really will be all right. And in Michael Head’s “Limehouse Reach” from 1949 - a discovery for me - there is wonderful tenderness which I find I want to go back to. Julius Drake’s playing has real authority too, and Delphian Records have given writer John Fallas the space to write an excellent sleeve note. "