HANDEL Israel in  Egypt - complete Live CD recording from Musikfest BREMEN Sept 2014 (Etcetera Records)

The original three part version of Israel in Egypt is without a doubt one of Handel’s most captivating oratorios, with a dramatic role set apart for the double chorus. The Nederlands Kamerkoor and Le Concert Lorrain made a very successful tour with this work through Germany and France. The much-celebrated Roy Goodman conducted an intensely charged concert in the Verdener Dom. This riveting first concert was recorded live by Deutschland Radio with soloists Julia Doyle, David Allsopp, James Gilchrist, Roderick Williams and Peter Harvey.

“The pacing and articulation of the excellent band Le Concert Lorrain are consistently insightful and sympathetic, and the accomplished Netherlands Chamber Choir offer plenty of merits. The counterpoint is shaped exquisitely in The sons of Israel do mourn, with judicious balance between plaintive oboes and strings. The exclamatory refrains How is the mighty fall’n are reiterated with ideally realised dissonances, rhythmical poise and dramatic power.
The harmonic sense of the choral lines and orchestral balance are never obscured in Handel’s vivid description of the plague of flies, lice and locusts; the trombones, woodwind, drums and strings achieve amazing textual clarity in the antiphonal exchanges of hailstones. Goodman’s astute shaping of the fugal material in He smote all the first-born of Egypt transcends the merely formulaic choppiness one sometimes encounters...the full range of choral moods and colours emerges successfully, whether it is the requisite solemn gravity, graceful pastoral charm, turbulent storminess, tautly ominous, or dashing splendour in the bold finale to Part 3’s Song of Moses.”

David Vickers [Gramophone - March 2015]

“Although Israel in Egypt is an oratorio, it comes across as vividly here as any of Handel’s operas.
The conductor, Roy Goodman, treats this Old Testament epic as high drama, so that the plagues of frogs and flies inspire terror and the parting of the Red Sea invites a sense of awe. Solo singers are good, and the Nederlands Kamerkoor and Le Concert Lorrain reward Goodman with wholehearted support at what was a stirring live performance, recorded in Bremen.”
Richard Fairman [Financial Times - 30 January 2015]

CORELLI 12 Concerti Grossi opus 6 - Brandenburg Consort / director Roy Goodman (violin)
HYPERION 2CDs CDD22011

"The 19 players in the Brandenburg Consort play with poetic warmth, shaping the counterpoint like expert madrigal singers. Led by violinist Roy Goodman, they allow both slow and fast music alike to breathe easily, and always perform with superb dynamic contrasts and affecting sentimental expression. In the Adagio/Allegro at the heart of the ‘Christmas’ Concerto, the Brandenburg Consort catch the transitions spot-on: there’s just the right amount of subtle yet inventive continuo playing from harpsichordist Alastair Ross, organist Paul Nicholson and Archlutenist Nigel North. After the brief interruption of fast music, Roy Goodman’s tasteful violin embellishments tenderly herald the return of the Adagio, which is paced and shaped to perfection!

...So, if I had to live with just one recording of Corelli’s Concerti Grossi, then it has to be something that succeeds fully in three spheres of musical interpretation: sublime slow movements, playful quick passages, and courtly dances. From this perspective, the Brandenburg Consort’s playing is consistently well-judged: the concertino soloists Roy Goodman, Simon Jones and Angela East, with a meticulous group of continuo players, dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’ in terms of unerring stylishness and exquisite shapeliness. The Pastorale typifies this: the supremely eloquent string band counterpoise a sweetly droning pedal with tender concertino violins - the atmosphere of a heartfelt lullaby is unmistakable. It’s not the only fascinating version of Corelli’s opus 6, but it’s probably the one that’s most perfectly refreshing!”

Top Choice chosen by David Vickers [BBC R3 CD Review - Building a Library - Saturday 16 March 2013]

BEETHOVEN Prometheus Complete Ballet Music / MOZART Idomeneo Ballet Music

Västerås Sinfonietta Sweden / Roy Goodman (dB Productions/Naxos dBCD148)

"Beethoven's only ballet has now been recorded by the Västerås Sinfonietta, which once again proves itself to be a high-quality ensemble. It is the orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor, the positive, inspiring and experienced Roy Goodman, who leads the performance with brio. Normally you only hear the vivid Overture of the Prometheus ballet, but here we have all of the following 16 movements, rich in variation. The elegant performance sparkles, also in the ballet music from Mozart's opera Idomeneo."

rating **** Stig Jacobsson [HiFi & Musik Sweden - April 2012]

JS BACH St Matthew PassionBachkoor Holland & Amsterdam Concertgebouw Kamerorkest / Roy Goodman
Grote Kerk, LOCHEM (Sat 31 March 2012)

"MAGISTERIAL ST MATTHEW PASSION -

The inspirational leadership of Roy Goodman, who clearly has a great eye for detail, was never in doubt...highlights were many, both vocal and instrumental...the syncronisation between choir and orchestra bordered on perfection."

rating ***** Ton van Ingen Schenau [De Stentor - Monday 2 April 2012]

HAYDN London Symphony 104 - Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Roy Goodman
Royal Concert Hall, GLASGOW [Sat 21 May 2011]

"On Saturday night the RSNO brought presenter Paul Rissmann and guest conductor Roy Goodman (for) Haydn's 104th Symphony, a work far from the RSNO's usual repertoire and style. Goodman...is one of the great pioneers of what is now called historically-informed performance. More than that, he is a total energiser, as he has demonstrated in his wonderfully earthy Messiah performances over the years. But this night of Haydn was special. The fine points of period performance...enthralling as they were...this performance was about zest, committed playing, and the exhilarating delivery of the music to hand. The whole evening was a riveting experience. And if the RSNO has the bottle, why not bring Goodman into a regular relationship...the man is a genius at what he does, and, in terms of what a symphony orchestra is in the 21st century, it could be a revelation, if not a revolution."

Michael Tumelty [Glasgow Herald - Monday 23 May 2011]

HAYDN London Symphony 104 “Naked Classics” - Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Roy Goodman
Usher Hall, EDINBURGH [Fri 20 May 2011]

“This season’s final Naked Classics was another hit thanks to Paul Rissmann’s clear style of presentation and some excellent period-inflected playing from the RSNO. Tonight, the conductor played a more prominent role, but that is as it should be when the conductor has the expertise and know-how of Roy Goodman. Goodman’s fame as a ‘period’ practitioner meant that he was always likely to bring that inflection to the music, and he illustrated very well issues such as the importance of a slur or the effects of vibrato.
The performance itself sparkled with energy and plenty of period touches, such as the characteristic lean into a phrase which removes the gloopy homogeneity of many performances. The distinctive thwack of natural timpani leavened the texture too, and Goodman showed great skill in stretching Haydn’s dynamic and tempo markings to play up the element of surprise that should lurk close to the surface of all Haydn’s works. The crowd went wild at the end, and if the evening has got even a handful of people more interested in Haydn then it will have been a job well done!”

Simon Thompson [Seen and Heard International - Sat 21 May 2011]

MOZART/BEETHOVEN/SCHUBERT Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/Roy Goodman
St George's BRISTOL (Thurs 28 April 2011)

"For this concert by the OAE the audience were transported to Vienna. It was originally to have been conducted by the late great Charles Mackerras; instead, the performance's bustling energy became a tribute to the man. Peerless as Mackerras was in this repertoire, Roy Goodman stepped in with his own irrepressible style, not fearing to make Mozart's G minor Symphony 40 a robust and darkly dramatic affair...it worked well. Artur Pizarro was the soloist in Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto, playing on a period instrument that made one listen anew to the composer's revolutionary approach to the relationship between keyboard and orchestra...with a sparkling clarity...the acoustic permitted a wonderful transparency of texture, vindicating the boldness of the venture. In Schubert's Fourth Symphony Goodman underlined the connections with the composer's predecessors, notably in the slow introduction but also in the moments of Mendelssohnian felicity that pointed to the future. Ultimately, the movement most embodying the spirit and authority of Mackerras was the Allegro finale, which had real dramatic fire."

Rian Evans [The GUARDIAN London - Monday 2 May 2011]

MOZART/BEETHOVEN/SCHUBERT Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/Roy Goodman
Queen Elizabeth Hall, LONDON (Weds 4 May 2011)

"This concert by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment was planned for Sir Charles Mackerras who passed away last July. The high esteem in which he was held was evident from the presence of so many colleagues.
Roy Goodman, another conductor much engaged in historically informed performance, took the concert over. The real successes were the Beethoven piano concerto and the Schubert symphony...there were many vivid details in the orchestra. The first movement of Schubert's 'Tragic' Symphony had an appropriately dark tone...Goodman then eliciting a response that was, by turns, elegantly sinuous and robust with finely detailed playing from violas and cellos. The second movement was taken at a real Andante, with some fine work from violins, and woodwind at the close were extremely touching. The finale had an infectious energy, the conjunction of 'period' timpani and brass adding a particular weight and colour to the final pages. Mozart's G minor Symphony...there were some wonderfully ripe contributions from winds and horns in the Minuet and Trio, and the playing of the finale was as vital as one could wish for. The surprise encore, performed with a huge sense of fun, was an unbuttoned ending to an evening dedicated to a greatly missed giant.”
Richard Landau [www.classicalsource.com]

"From his gentle opening chords, it was clear Pizarro would take us somewhere new...the concerto became a duet, not a duel, with piano and orchestra conversing in the same sound-world. There was indeed drama in the slow movement...this normally so-familiar work came across as completely new. The rest of this concert was as heady as you would expect, with the ebullient Roy Goodman on the podium in place of the lately-deceased Sir Charles Mackerras. Mozart's Symphony 40 and Schubert's 'Tragic' Symphony were capped with an endearing encore."

rating **** Michael Church [The INDEPENDENT London - Thurs 5 May 2011]

HANDEL Messiah - Melbourne Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Roy Goodman
Recital Centre, MELBOURNE (Sat 18 December 2010)

"With a formidable reputation as a director of period music, Roy Goodman is a novelty for the effort he puts into emphasising dramatic energy rather than dry-as-dust pedantry. Right from the opening chords, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra patrons could sense they were in for an action-packed night with a bitingly clear attack from the strings. Living up to Goodman's expectations, the MSO Chorus gave brisk and gripping accounts of the work's great fulcrum-choruses. Many readings of this popular work fall into the over-reverent category, but Goodman and Co gave us an experience closer to the original, something bordering on opera. Goodman made all of his singers work hard, keeping the orchestra well to the fore, a prominent force through constantly alternating dynamics and deftly shaped phrasing. At the end, a well deserved standing ovation for a work that here radiated vivacity and light"

rating **** Clive O'Connell [The Age MELBOURNE - Tuesday 21 December 2010]

ELGAR/GLAZUNOV/BEETHOVEN - Auckland Philharmonia/Roy Goodmanwith Feng Ning (violin)
Auckland Town Hall (Thurs 25 November 2010)

"Goodman took the orchestra from the Straussian bravado of the opening pages through to a ravishing central section. Sentiment was never tainted by sentimentality in Feng Ning's account of the Glazunov Violin Concerto...around him, Goodman fashioned a filigree jewel-case for this gem of a performance. Last year, Goodman disturbed a few preconceptions with his dynamic take on Beethoven's Eroica...now it was the turn of the composer's Seventh...the scales of the opening seemed to thrust heavenwards, while a dashing Finale closed the season in appropriately celebratory style"

William Dart [New Zealand HERALD - Saturday 27 November 2010]

JS BACH St MATTHEW PASSION with AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA NZ (28 Oct 2010)

"THE STAR OF THE EVENING WAS CONDUCTOR ROY GOODMAN -
Goodman's abiding love for this score came through in every note - from the immaculately articulated weave of the opening chorus...chorales were exquisitely finessed, phrase by phrase. Thanks to Goodman, this orchestra that, only a fortnight ago, was storming through Wagnerian seas, was transformed into a convincing Baroque band."

William Dart [New Zealand Herald - 30 October 2010]

MENDELSSOHN, JS & CPE BACH - Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Roy Goodmanwith Alison Mitchell (flute) - Victoria Hall, HELENSBURGH (Lammermuir Festival Weds 8 September 2010)

"Conductor Roy Goodman is well qualified to conduct an SCO performance of Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture on many counts, but perhaps having dropped by Staffa on a solo circumnavigation of the British Isles in his Delphia 37 yacht over this past summer is not necessarily the first attribute that would spring to mind! Still, a chap who will be 60 next year can be excused boasting of such things when he has a captive audience...(the overture's) familiarity eased the way into a very well constructed concert of much less familiar works. The central showpiece was the Flute Concerto in A by CPE Bach...wonderfully melodic...and superb breath control from soloist Alison Mitchell. Goodman's own arrangement from The Musical Offering was a fine demonstration of the composer's practice...Mendelssohn's 'Youth' Symphony (in D) is a very fine work, which builds to an original finale"

rating **** Keith Bruce [Glasgow HERALD - Friday 10 September 2010]

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA in Sydney Opera House [Bach/Lalo/Tippett/Handel April 2010]

"The Sydney Symphony and conductor Roy Goodman with Bach's Fourth Orchestral Suite...was beguiling and splendid...in Michael Tippett's Concerto for double string orchestra Goodman and the Sydney Symphony gave the work a glowing yet distinctive expressiveness"

[Sydney Morning Herald - 16 April 2010]

HANDEL Messiah [Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Saturday 2 January 2010 - RSNO and chorus]

"BLAZING MESSIAH TO THAW ANY ICE - A red-hot conductor produces an electrifying performance.
This was luxury casting...but the most extraordinary feature of all was the interpretation of conductor Roy Goodman. He is red hot. He always is; and time and again the playing of the RSNO and the singing of the RSNO Chorus testified to that fact. He's done this here many times with many Messiahs, but this one was something else. All his trademark features - weight, muscular energy, attack, tightly-sprung rhythms, and strongly-flavoured dynamic contrasts, were reflected in the RSNO performance. But I have never heard, not even from Goodman himself, a Messiah that was so alive to the text. Rather than the music colouring and characterising the text, or being pictorial, it was almost as though the text itself was shaping the music, and, through it, Goodman's response and its reflection in the performance. This was a Messiah of blazing intensity and unusually gripping drama; and a Messiah, moreover, with absolutely minimal cuts: as near complete as you will hear. Tremendous"

Michael Tumelty [The Glasgow Herald - 3 January 2010]

BEETHOVEN EROICA with AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA New Zealand (29 Oct 2009)

"GOODMAN ENDS SEASON WITH LIVELY NIGHT TO REMEMBER -
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's Thursday concert featured its principal guest conductor Roy Goodman, making his last appearance for this season; predictably, it was a night to remember.Weber's Euryanthe overture was ideal material for Goodman's high-energy showmanship and the composer's con fuoco directive saw the piece taken at a fiery galop. Yet, for all the high spirits, there was radiant poetry in the ghostly largo for muted violins. All in all, this was a performance so captivating that some may have gone home determined to investigate the complete opera. Punters must have found Dohnanyi's Konzertstuck an exhilarating experience. This score matches moments of Straussian opulence with the sort of swoons that Erich Korngold would export to Hollywood, making Raphael Wallfisch's essentially restrained interpretation highly effective. Goodman made a name for himself, two decades ago, with his Hanover Band sprucing up Beethoven symphonies. Little surprise that for Thursdays' Eroica he had brought along his own parts. This paid dividends in the buoyant opening allegro which allowed those Viennese waltzes concealed in its bars to come out and dance. The slow movement had a real march to its step and seemed even more Mahlerian than ever. At one point Goodman lingered tellingly over a note; at another he signalled a solitary horn to burst out of the texture.All in all, this was the freshest Eroica I have heard for many a year and it seems far too long a wait for Goodman to return next April”
William Dart [New Zealand Herald - 2 November 2009]

HAYDN CREATION with AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA New Zealand (16 Oct 2009)

"MUCH ANTICIPATED RETURN OF GUEST CONDUCTOR ROY GOODMAN WORTH WAIT -
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's performance of Haydn's The Creation heralded the much anticipated return of Roy Goodman, the APO's Principal Guest Conductor. Working in his field of speciality, the Englishman gave us what must be the climax of this year's Haydn celebrations.The celebrated Representation of Chaos which opens the oratorio was transformed into a breathtaking tone poem. The string sound had an almost intoxicating gleam to it, with telling woodwind contours; Goodman effortlessly caught the almost Tristanesque touches. Not a detail in Haydn's extraordinarily inventive orchestration escaped Goodman's notice, from stentorian trombone to prowling double-bassoon. Putting down his baton to accompany the recitatives on an 1840 Collard square piano, we were charmed by his flurries and flutters across the keys.”

William Dart [New Zealand Herald - 19 October2009]

HAYDN CREATION with AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA New Zealand (16 Oct 2009)

"PARADISE FOUND: THE APO EXCEL THEMSELVES WITH HAYDN'S CREATION -
Roy Goodman, enthusiasm expressed in his every gesture, and shaping every phrase with the utmost care, was the ideal conductor. Even more than a conductor, he took to the stage as a Haydn missionary, needing us all, audience and performers, to believe in the piece in the same way he does.Goodman is best known for his work in the early music movement. As the Auckland Philharmonia's principal guest conductor, he has not asked them to throw away their modern instruments, but instead has convinced them to play the music on modern instruments in an authentic style, and in many ways this is the best of both worlds. With the orchestra's unusual willingness to do something different and be guided by an expert, they played Haydn in this concert as though for the first time. For me the whole performance was the highlight of the APO's year so far.”

Rod Biss [New Zealand Listener - 20 October 2009]

HAYDN Symphony 94 (“Surprise”) Roy Goodman/Hanover Band/Hyperion Records
Building a Library - 1st choice with period instruments!

"No lack of character from Roy Goodman and the Hanover Band...he directs his players from a Broadwood fortepiano. I rather like Goodman's fortepiano contributions - they're imaginative, discreet, and about the right proportions...lending an intruiging element of harmonic colour to the proceedings. Hickox's Collegium Musicum '90 is not as consistently alight as Roy Goodman's and the actual timbre of Hickox's is less distinctive than Goodman's...and the problem for the pioneering Hogwood is that, almost a decade on, the Hanover Band with Roy Goodman (also directing from a fortepiano) had the advantage of the refinements and improvements the intervening years brought to period instrument performance - in other words the expressive dimension is wider (with prominent winds and timpani)...and I'm very happy to give it [Goodman] top recommendation for period instrument performance and top recommendation for digital recording too! Dorati may not be as open-air festive as Goodman...but may be the perfect compliment to Goodman's - don't hesitate!"

Jonathan Swaine [BBC Radio 3 CD Review 'Building a Library' - Saturday 6 June 2009]

ENGLISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA at Bermuda Festival [Dohnanyi/Jacob/Vivaldi in January 2009]

"Once again the English Chamber Orchestra delivered an outstanding evening's entertainment...led this time by conductor and harpsichordist Roy Goodman...the programme included works both familiar and unfamiliar. As a conductor, the multi-talented Roy Goodman was a delight. A man with possibly the most radiant smile in his field, he lit up the stage with his personality and enthusiasm...in driving his vision of the music, Mr. Goodman executed real warmth and appreciation throughout his working relationship with the orchestra and soloists...in terms of establishing a rapport with the audience he was excellent."

[The Royal Gazette Bermuda - 11 February 2009]

HANDEL Messiah [Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Wednesday 2 January 2008 - RSNO and Chorus]

"Whatever one's taste in performance styles of Handel's Messiah, there was one incontestable fact about yesterday's riveting performance by the RSNO, with its chorus and four soloists all very much commanded by conductor Roy Goodman, and that was the tremendous integrity of the interpretation. At every level, the performance was informed by a seamless intellectual and musical consistency.This Messiah was unified by its fidelity to the text, not just in its clarity but in the way that every word, every phrase, every aria and every chorus, in all their detail, fed into a single vision of the great oratorio.
It would be over-literal to infer that Roy Goodman interpreted it in terms of word painting; it was more that he allowed the emotional and psychological implications of the text to govern the shape, flow, colour and expressivity of the music. It was, thus, a real, expressive drama to which view all performers clearly subscribed.First and foremost, the RSNO chorus, singing as warmly as I have heard for a long time. Conductor Roy Goodman secured just the right touch of lightness to allow maximum speed and clarity of delivery in the fastest choruses. And - well, well - what of the RSNO strings, producing a marvellously authentic, light stylish sound, with appropriate bowing styles, speeds, strokes and vibrato?This was Goodman's Messiah - he is a master of Messiah with large forces."

Michael Tumelty [The Glasgow Herald - 3 January 2008]

Three Début Concerts with AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA New Zealand (Nov 2007)

"The French instalment of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's The Splendour of the Baroque series saw Roy Goodman and his musicians rendering eloquent and entertaining homage to the Muse of Versailles. Goodman bustled on to the stage, Palladium style, smiles flashing to the gallery…Rameau was clearly not the only hero of the evening - after the final grand chord, the orchestra shouted "Vive le roi", in appreciation of the conductor whose dynamism has shaped the APO's most rewarding Spring series for years.
Your last opportunity to catch this extraordinary Englishman is on Thursday. Do not pass it by”

William Dart [New Zealand Herald - 20 November 2007]

complete BEETHOVEN Symphony Cycle (Nimbus Records) with The Hanover Band

"...Roy Goodman with The Hanover Band...what a difference these recordings made to our understanding of these works...energetic and beautifully played...characteristic of his whole cycle, which is recommendable"

Roderick Swanston [BBC CD Review - 27 November 2004]

Début as Principal Conductor of the DUTCH NATIONAL BALLET and HOLLAND SYMFONIA
(Amsterdam Musiektheater, March 2004)

"GOODMAN STRONG AS BALLET CONDUCTOR TOO -
Roy Goodman is extremely versatile...Goodman is the ideal conductor for this varied ballet programme which combines Balanchine's Theme and Variations with music by Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky's Agon, and Who Cares? - a medley of Gershwin songs. In the fourth movement of Tchaikovsky's Third suite Goodman works toward the monumental dazzling ending in an elegant and festive way. Even for Valery Gergiev, Stravinsky's Agon appeared tricky and fragmented in a concert performance last December; but add the Balanchine ballet and Goodman's loving attentive treatment and all the fascinating surrealistic expression falls naturally into place. The Gershwin commuted nicely between strict dance tempo and symphonic big band swing. With the appointment of their new chief, Holland Symfonia has audibly made the right choice and plays very convincingly.
The enthusiastic Goodman is a great asset to Dutch musical life"

Kasper Jansen [NRC Handelsblad - 22 March 2004]

HAYDN SYMPHONIES for HYPERION Records [57 Symphonies on 17 CDs - Roy Goodman/Hanover Band]

“A new installment in Hyperion’s Haydn Edition seems to tumble off the press virtually every month. And for my money Volume 8, offering the first three ‘Paris’ symphonies, is the most exciting so far. No. 82 [‘The Bear’] in particular, receives a stunning performance. The triple-time first movement combines an exceptional clarity of detail with a magnificent sweep and a sheer brazen brilliance: the C alto horns slash through the texture and the hard-stick timpani crack like gunfire. In the Allegretto second movement, Goodman hits on an ideal tempo and finds more whimsy and more pungency in the music than Kuijken. I specially relished his vivid pointing of the peasant dance over a drone bass (6’56”ff), with its raucous syncopated horns. Goodman’s Minuet has a splendid lordly swagger (and some characteristically delicate, precisely articulated woodwind playing in the trio), while his Finale, fast, taut and sharply accented, is full of shrewdly observed instrumental detail - and Goodman is the only conductor on record to realise the full physical impact of the fortissimo timpani roll near the close (5’07”ff).
Goodman’s readings of the other two symphonies here are hardly less exhilarating. The outer movements of No. 84 are crisply done, eager, light of gait and transparent of texture: time and again I registered important points of wind scoring in the tuttis that had previously escaped me. The Minuet is as brisk as Kuijken’s though Goodman imparts a lustier swing to the rhythms; and, as expected, Goodman is distinctly quicker in the Andante (again, much graceful, affectionate woodwind detail here), emphasizing the easy 6/8 sway, whereas Kuijken, with broader, smoother phrasing, gives the music a graver, more introspective cast. One movement I definitely prefer from Kuijken is the opening movement from No. 83, where Goodman’s fierce tempo can seem more than a touch hectic. But, against this, the Hanover Band turn the Minuet into an irresistible bucolic waltz (Kuijken, equally quick, is altogether more urbane here) and give a more piquant, sharply articulated reading of the Finale.
As usual, Goodman is generous with repeats, and his harpsichord continuo is active and forwardly balanced (Kuijken’s is relatively distant), though only occasionally did I find it over-intrusive. Collectors of the Hyperion Edition will need no encouragement, but the thrilling performance of No. 82 alone makes this disc an essential acquisition for all Haydn lovers.”

Richard Wigmore, comparing OAE/Kuijken on Virgin Classics [Gramophone October 1992]

"Roy Goodman's Haydn series with the Hanover Band has been an unmitigated pleasure. This is vital and energetic Haydn playing where clarity and crispness are allied to a real flair for capturing the musical character of each movement. These endlessly imaginative performances are among the best of all period-instrument Haydn"

International Record Review

"Much as I admire Hogwood's performances, I find myself turning even more eagerly to the Hyperion series with Roy Goodman directing the Hanover Band. The period strings are sweeter, and I can recommend every one of the first seven discs to have appeared"

The Guardian 2003

"Goodman and the Hanover Band respond to the music's astonishing boldness and inventive vigour with uncommon freshness and dramatic immediacy"

Gramophone 2003

"These recordings are aglow with aural warmth and tonal beauty; they bubble with vitality. Glory follows upon glory with Haydn's memorable melodies and wonderful harmonies leaping from page to the ear. These recordings sparkle with enthusiasm as well as a love of the repertoire..very strongly recommended"

Fanfare Magazine USA

“Roy Goodman’s Classical approach produces performances full of character, each symphony imbued with an individual colour” - HAYDN Symphonies 6/7/8 on Hyperion CDH55112

Cassell’s 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die [2007]

EUROPEAN UNION BAROQUE ORCHESTRA [St John’s Smith Square, London, Monday 23 June 2003]

"Roy Goodman's enthusiasm never fails to inspire and energise those in front of him"

Hilary Finch [The Times - 28 June 2003]

HANDEL Messiah [Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Thursday 2 January 2003 - RSNO and Chorus]

"If it is remotely within the realms of reality, and not just some silly fantasy, then the RSNO management should pursue conductor Roy Goodman and persuade him to add the orchestra's annual Messiah to his diary of engagements in perpetuity. Last year, when the famed early-music specialist took on the job for the first time, the results he produced from both the RSNO and its chorus were revelatory; but, being the first time, there might have been a strong element of novelty - orchestras are notorious for reacting well to something different on a first encounter, then turning against it.As Goodman demonstrated yesterday in a breathtaking Messiah , whose performance was so vibrant, so consistently stimulating, and so radiantly different to what you might expect from a large chorus and players in a symphony orchestra, last year's version was no novelty. Swift pacing, an ineffably light touch, unforced playing and singing, superb articulation, and a sense of bounce in both pulse and rhythm, were the overriding characteristics in a Messiah that radiated life and energy. Goodman, conducting the whole thing from memory, and with such precision and dynamism that his cues and intentions were unmistakable, secured playing from the RSNO that was crisp, fleet, stylish, and inimitable by any other conductor currently on the orchestra's books"

Michael Tumelty [The Glasgow Herald - 3 January 2003]

"A RADIANT MESSIAH - last Thursday's performance of Handel's Messiah showed no sign of festive weariness...what Goodman achieved from the RSNO in this Messiah was a revelation. He took the orchestra through its paces in this work a year ago to much acclaim and they have clearly built upon that. The balance and poise of the RSNO's phrasing, its crisp articulation and rhythmic vitality showed a sensitivity to chamber-style performance that I have never before felt from these players. Goodman worked the orchestra slickly and earnestly to reflect every ounce of joy, awe and despair in the libretto"

James Allen [The Daily Telegraph - 6 January 2003]

HANDEL Alcina [Debut at San Francisco Opera]

"Rewards came from the Opera Orchestra under the deftly unobtrusive direction of Roy Goodman"
Joshua Kosman [San Francisco Chronicle - 21 November 2002]

"Conductor Roy Goodman, who makes his S.F. Opera debut with these performances, led a luxurious performance, galvanizing the orchestra and giving the singers plenty of room to breathe...it's still possible to close your eyes and bask in the beauties of the score"

Georgia Rowe [San Francisco Times - 21 November 2002]

HANDEL Messiah [Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, 2 January 2002 - RSNO and Chorus]

“One of the most eagerly-anticipated arrivals on the Scottish music scene has been that of conductor Roy Goodman, who took charge yesterday of the RSNO’s annual Messiah. Not a household name in these parts, Goodman is famous for his sensationally dynamic recordings with his period orchestra (The Hanover Band), especially of the symphonies of Haydn and Beethoven.
What, one could wonder, might be the effect on an RSNO and RSNO Chorus performance of music from a period where recent playing and singing has provoked considerable debate? The answer, in short, is a very great deal, as yesterday’s Messiah was one of the most satisfying, and exciting, produced by these forces for many years...”

Michael Tumelty [The Glasgow Herald - 3 January 2002]

HANDEL Overtures and Arias with Dame Emma Kirkby - Brandenburg Consort / director Roy Goodman
[Hyperion CDA67128]

"My nomination for the best disc of the year goes to Emma Kirkby, Roy Goodman and the Brandenburg Consort.
Goodman's conducting is a model of Baroque sensibility in its balance between precision and freedom.....a compelling interpretation of rarely heard masterpieces."

Berta Joncus [International Record Review - December 2000]

SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony 10 [Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra]

"Roy Goodman brought unmistakable sympathy and understanding to his reading with the RLPO.....the deep soulfulness conveyed at the end of the first and third movements was a product of his sure-footed pacing and characterisation of the overall structure."

David Fanning [The Daily Telegraph - 6 March 2000 - compared favourably with Hallé Orchestra/Mark Elder, on the same weekend!]

DÉBUT PERFORMANCE with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra with Angela Hewitt (piano) Weds 5 May 1999

"Goodman makes his points crisply and logically. Though he leaves little to chance, never do you sense those points unserviced by musical demands. Rarely, in fact, do you see conducting this assertive producing results that sound so spontaneous."

James Mannishen [Winnipeg Free Press - May 1999]

DÉBUT at ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA - Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice

"Roy Goodman conducting contributes his brilliant sense of theatre and instinct for authentic style. The music has pace and lift, and fulfils its role of portraying the narrative.....Opera-theatre like this really challenges the imagination, and shouldn't be missed."

Tom Sutcliffe [London Evening Standard - 4 March 1999]

MENDELSSOHN Complete String Symphonies - Hanover Band/Goodman [RCA Victor Red Seal 09026 68069-2

"Mendelssohn’s extraordinary precocity is nowhere more comprehensively shown than in his string symphonies...the inventiveness remains dazzling...in the brilliant contrapuntal writing of the Eighth Symphony, for which Roy Goodman makes use of the version for full orchestra...which Mendelssohn made within three days of the original.
Goodman accepts Mendelssohn’s astonishingly fast tempos, and he brings them off brilliantly...also, with the use of period string techniques, some beautiful sonorities. The finales have all the pace and wit of the more mature Mendelssohn. Goodman judges tempo well, which is to say he has a shrewd sense of weight as well as of pace. He also directs from the keyboard (fortepiano) which it is certain Mendelssohn himself would have done, and Goodman permits himself the occasional contribution: both in theory and in practice, this is entirely in style. This is an excellent set, intelligently assembled, scrupulously prepared, lucidly recorded, played with a freshness and wit that serve these delightful pieces well.”

John Warrack [Gramophone - January 1996]

SCHUMANN Complete Symphonies - Hanover Band/Goodman [RCA Victor Red Seal 09026 61931-2]

“Roy Goodman’s versions on period instruments are a revelation, not just an academic exercise.
Few period performances of nineteenth-century works can match these refreshing accounts, either for the vigour and electricity of the playing or for the new perceptions given. Convincingly Goodman shows how these works are far more cohesive in their often volatile inspiration than many used to think. Textures are clarified, but never to reduce the impact of the music, rather to give them exceptionally clean-cut terracing of sound, thanks also to the satisfyingly beefy recording. The first disc contains all the works dating from 1841, not just the Spring Symphony no. 1 and the Overture, Scherzo and Finale but the original Leipzig version of the Symphony no. 4, usually heard in the revision of ten years later, with each sequence made very convincing by Goodman, particularly the big crescendo into the finale. Brahms preferred this earlier version, and here one registers why.
Sawallisch’s Dresden recordings (EMI) have dominated the catalogue, alongside Karajan’s interpretations (DGG), above all other recordings on modern instruments, though Roy Goodman’s RCA version on period instruments is even more revelatory.”

Ivan March / Edward Greenfield / Robert Layton [*** Rosette in Penguin Guide to Compact Discs 1997/8 p.388]

"Goodman's readings are no less revelatory than Harnoncourt's.....crisp, Classical textures and fleet tempos.....sharply etched in terms of timbre and articulation"

Barry Millington [The London Times - 7 January 1995]

"One conductor stands well above the rest of the pack in the volume and consistency of high quality in the performance of Viennese Classics on period instruments. It is not the only area of his musical activity, but it is the one that has caught and held my attention for more than a decade. That is Roy Goodman, who I believe stands out as a voice of sense, moderation, intelligence and undogmatic practicality. Goodman imposes a quality of motion upon this music that is light in touch, rhythmically pointed.....slow movements are done with imaginative inflections of speed and dynamics.....no dramatic points are overlooked.....all the performances are enlightening and engaging far beyond the ordinary."

John Wiser [Fanfare Magazine USA - March/April 1995]

"From the first bar they prove a revelation.....Goodman allows himself full expressive warmth.....articulation is so crisp and rhythms are so infectiously sprung.....yet there's no lack of weight or nobility.....this is a Schumann cycle to rival any in the catalogue."

Edward Greenfield [BBC Radio 3 Record Review - 8 April 1995]

"This is one of those sets where so much sounds different, novel or challenging, that it will take quite a few playings before the full import of Roy Goodman's provocative performances hits home.....it features some of the most refreshing Schumann conducting to have come my way.....textual novelty is commonplace.....Goodman's quick reflexes and keen sense of the dramatic.....much neon lighting from within, logical transitions, lithe textures and thrillingly conclusive codas.....this is a very significant set, and, with a bracing account of the masterly Overture, Scherzo and Finale added as an enticing bonus, serves to teach us much about this great music."

Robert Cowan [Gramophone - March 1995]

”Since Norrington’s pioneering period instrument versions of Symphonies 3 & 4 for EMI, audiences have been encouraged to hear Schumann’s symphonic music in new ways. For example, Harnoncourt’s recent issue of Symphonies 3 & 4 with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Teldec) offers persuasive evidence that Schumann was a fluent and natural orchestrator. Goodman and the Hanover Band now join the field with the first complete recording of Schumann’s symphonic works on period instruments. Schumann’ symphonies contain an abundance of melodic riches and luminous textures; but it is not only the numerous revelations of orchestral colour and internal detail that impress here. Goodman’s close observation of Schumann’s metronome markings bring more clearly into focus the composer’s effortless invention and intuitive instrumentation.
The Overture, Scherzo and Finale sounds delightfully fresh and radiant; superb balance gives the Spring Symphony an enchanting, chamber feel, and the 1841 version of the Fourth Symphony is played with extraordinary spontaneity as a single vital unit. Moreover, the Hanover Band’s powerfully directed, disciplined ensemble gives the Second Symphony added bite and exuberance, while the Third Symphony’s blend of affectionate lyricism, charm and seriousness is achieved with brilliance.
The crisply recorded, clean lines of the Hanover Band’s performances comprehensively capture Schumann’s beguiling delicacy and lucid expression.”

Nicholas Rast [BBC Music Magazine]

“The outstanding RCA set of period performances from Roy Goodman and the Hanover Band still holds its place in presenting an intensely refreshing view of these masterpieces.”

Edward Greenfield reviewing John Eliot Gardiner’s Schumann Symphonies on DGG [Gramophone June 1998]

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