MEDIA

“Exceptional...Bradley is an adventurous artist...every whisper of the bow was loaded with insight and intelligence...Is there a better British Violist than Sarah-Jane Bradley? 

The Strad

 "Exceptional. Many of these works exploit the very highest register of the viola which Bradley plays with not just total technical security but also a beautifully sweet open tone.. the benefits of the rich C string are clear...played with easy virtuosity by Bradley...I cannot imagine better advocacy than that given here by Bradley and Lenehan.. demanding writing for both players performed here with commanding skill...highly expressive and responsive playing from Bradley.. Bradley and Lenehan show an unerring understanding and feel for the music. I cannot imagine these excellent, skilled and sensitive performances ever being bettered...the result is a passion-project that is a triumphant success."  

Musicweb International January 2022
  

"There are many intriguing byways in the viola's repertoire of this time, as Sarah-Jane Bradley demonstrates on this album. There is a plaintive beauty of the first, rather modal impression, which eminently suits the elegaic tone of Bradley's instrument. This is an absorbing album of neglected repertoire.. the interpretations and insights brought by Bradley, with her nuanced playing, and by John Lenehan's flair for 20th-Century English piano music, suggest that this era has much that is worthy of revival. It has certainly whetted my appetite"

Gramophone May 2022


"The pieces featured here were composed 1939-57 and mostly dedicated to the generation of British viola players who came after the better known Tertis, Primrose et al. The quality of the works is surprisingly good, considering how swiftly they were forgotten and the partnership of Bradley and Lenehan is classy indeed." **** BBC Music Magazine June 2022


"Mid-century rarities brought vividly to life by a winning duo...the tried-and-true partnership of Sarah-Jane Bradley and John Lenehan sound as if they have been performing this rare repertoire for years, authoritatively realising each composer's personal sound world with unerring assurance.. gorgeous sound" The Strad April 2022


"Lively performances from Sarah-Jane Bradley and pianist John Lenehan.. good to hear this forgotten  British viola music brought back to life in the capable hands of this capable duo"  

Radio 3 Record Review, November 2021 

“Sarah-Jane Bradley is that rare kind of viola player who can make you blush with shame for ever having told a viola joke. In her hands the instrument is passionate, eloquent and wide-ranging in its colours and moods. I would happily put this at the top of any list of recommended recording.”  

BBC Music Magazine, June 2007 (5* for both performance and sound) 

“Sarah-Jane Bradley impresses..a virtuosic recital” The Guardian July 2018

Sarah-Jane Bradley's viola begins its waltz: graceful, natural, a playful little slide here, a brief flush of vibrato there- just enough to make the phrase smile...Everything here is played with love. Bradley makes a beautiful sound: her tone is warm but focused and she has that rare gift of making her instrument sound as if it's on the brink of articulate speech. The Clarke is the highlight..especially when played with such poetry and ardour. It's hard to imagine more persuasive accounts."
Gramophone Magazine Awards Issue October 2016 (Rebecca Clarke Viola Concerto)
 

"Sarah-Jane Bradley is fully immersed in the composer's over-ripe idiom..much to the benefit of Dale's 'unending melodies'..Bradley shapes the multiple-stopped cadenza beautifully and shines in the concluding Caprice...a brilliant, idiomatic performance by soloist and orchestra..Bradley's characterful playing, the seductive sound of her 1619 Nicolo Amati viola well caught."
The Strad November 2016
 

"The performances are exceptional. In a collective and individual display of how to deliver chamber music at world-class level, Sarah-Jane Bradley's viola playing- ear mesmerising, yet never obtrusive- shines even in this company"
BBC Music Magazine, July 2014 (5* for both performance and recording)

"Sarah-Jane Bradley gets to the passionate heart of the mysterious (Vaughan-Williams) Romance for viola and piano"
Radio 3 CD review, May 2014

"The programme also includes a short, haunting "Romance for Viola and Piano..excellent, beautifully modulated performances"
The Daily Telegraph, May 2014****
 

"Gently beguiling performances from top-notch players"
The Times May 2014****
 

“Sarah-Jane Bradley outstanding throughout”(Patterson viola concerto)

Gramophone April 2011

"One of my favourite pieces here is the Viola Sonatina. There is such beauty in this short work and its performance. Sarah-Jane Bradley plays with marvellous tone and warmth here and I couldn't be more delighted about her performance." (Alwyn Sonatina, Naxos)

The American Record Guide Jan/Feb 2011

"Sarah-Jane Bradley, who made her Wigmore Hall debut in 1997 and has played widely to rave reviews, is an exceptional player. Charming, modest , graceful in demeanour, she plays with passionate sincerity and seriousness, always alert to the demanding varied moods of these works. Her tone is colourful, rich and seductive in turn, and she makes light of the technical difficulties..first rate performances full of passionate insight with flair..And Sarah-Jane, I for one am a new fan of yours and want to hear you again very soon. Thank you for an unforgettable evening." British Music Society News Magazine, December 2010.

"The (Alwyn)Viola Sonatina's title disguises the understated strength of its four beautifully inventive movements...Performances and recording both excel, with Sarah-Jane Bradley's viola playing outstanding...'  

BBC Music Magazine, November 2010

"Paul Patterson's Viola Concerto similarly brings together soulful lyricism with surging tempos; soloist Sarah-Jane Bradley's lustrous tone brought dramatic force to the recitative and aria"  

The Guardian 3 Sep 2010

“Pure Paradise: the evocative world of Delius is brought beautifully to life by viola player Sarah-Jane Bradley, who is also on peak in the haunting Caprice and Elegy. Bradley's rich-toned, hauntingly eloquent playing, meltingly phrased and dynamically supple proves ideal. Highly recommended”  

Classic FM Magazine, Editors' Choice, November 2009

“The tonal refulgence of Bradley was beyond praise – no violist in the country makes a better sound... she was fully in command of the styles.” Classical Source May 2010  

“Sarah-Jane Bradley: ardent, affecting soloist” Daily Telegraph August 2009

“Sarah-Jane Bradley's persuasive playing” BBC Music Magazine Christmas 2009

“Sarah-Jane Bradley is the excellent soloist” Gramophone August 2009

“Magnificently played by Sarah-Jane Bradley” The Daily Mail October 2009

“Sarah-Jane Bradley is the superb soloist ” Yorkshire Post March 2009

“Sarah-Jane Bradley gives a really fine account of the wide-ranging Viola Concerto”  

International Record Review May 2009  

“Sarah-Jane Bradley is brilliantly on top of the virtuoso writing, especially in the extended cadenza”  

The Strad June 2009