“Niklas‘s success
on the baroque trumpet, which has brought him most instant recognition,
and which he is already a remarkable exponent.“
GRAMOPHONE
“Golden-voiced trumpet of Niklas Eklund.“
BBC Magazine
“One can really wonders if Naxos can top this release when
Volume 2 comes along. Meantime, this is utterly wonderful, apart from
being a major bargain.“
IN TUNE
“From the opening moments, in which the vocal
line was complemented by Niklas Eklund’s splendidly spun trumpet
trills…“
The Western Australian
“This young man is probably the most phenomenal
gifted baroque trumpeter in the world today. He has an extraordinary
ease and freedom in the highest register of the natural trumpet; there
is seemingly nothing he cannot do.”
CONTINUO MAGAZINE
“Both albums are truly wonderful. These are highly polished
recordings; the style, ensemble, balance, intonation and sound quality
are well superlative. All the performers are clearly in complete control
of their instruments, and make it all sound easy and relaxed.”
HISTORIC BRASS SOCIETY
“…simply, dazzlingly beautiful.”
SMM Blåsmusik Magasinet , Sweden
“With his impeccable accuracy, rhythmic security,
excellent intonation, and facile execution of embellishments and free
ornamentation, Eklund demonstrates the superiority of authentic instrument
performance over modern adaptation.”
ITG Journal
"Many trumpet concertos are vehicles for virtuosity rather than
real music, so I put this on out of duty rather than any expectation
of enjoyment. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised...The soloist, Niklas
Eklund, has a wonderfully expressive tone, too. **** Stars."
Ivan Hewett, The Times
"The two familiar works here are the trumpet concertos
by Haydn and Hummel, but the performances buff them up like new, with
amazing playing from the young Swedish trumpeter Niklas Eklund, and
orchestral support that has grace and lithe, interesting texture.
Eklund's tone, while strong, is also malleable and expressive.
Since Haydn and Hummel were both writing for the fairly new fangled
keyed trumpet of the day, they were abler to conceive broader and more
involved melodic structures that had been possible with the natural
trumpet of the baroque.
Here Eklund's sense of line is wonderfully lyrical, his
articulation in the two finales sprightly. The F major Variations by
Bedrich Divis Weber (not the Weber) also exploit a melodic potential
that Eklund cossets, while enjoying the opportunities to flex muscle.
Neruda's E flat major Concerto comes from much earlier than the three
other works, and is fairly anonymous pre-Classical stuff, but is none
the less neatly crafted, is played with panache and fits well into a
fascinatingly broad programme."
Geoffrey
Norris, The Telegraph
"[Eklund's] virtuoso skills, consistently sweet tone, purity
of intonation, and sense of ease rank him as
the world's best."
Kilpatrick,
American Record Guide
"Niklas Eklund's Art of the Baroque Trumpet series, is the
most lyrically gorgeous trumpet playing you'll ever hear."
Chris Martin, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
"He is without a doubt one of the finest virtuoso artists of our
time. His playing and interpretations are wonderful, and the beauty
of his sound and authentic baroque concepts present a fresh and welcome
addition to the trumpet repetoire."
Robert Kase, University of
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
"This cd is, by far the best trumpet cd I own."
Robert A Myers, Cleveland, OH
