“Ridout was in total command from the start, opening with long phrases and outbursts of discordant double-stopping…there was a meaty boldness and even a certain chutzpah to his approach; his playing was technically adroit and featured richly burnished tone”

“Ridout’s taut, passionate playing drew out every note, yet his crying solo, as if from a distance, at the opening of the finale was achingly impressive”

“Ridout is a truly extraordinary soloist, extracting a glorious sound from a 1575 viola built by Peregrino di Zanetto, with which he literally merges.”

“A skilled and thoughtful player, he artfully captures the myriad colours and moods of this once-misunderstood instrument.”

“Anyone who enjoys fine string playing shouldn’t hesitate to sample these performances.”

“As prodigious in Berlioz as in Elgar and Bloch […] amazing technical mastery, eloquence and lyricism […] The warmth, maturity and intense expressiveness are marvellous.”

“Ridout makes the scherzo fabulously nimble and precise, and the long aching lines of the Adagio even more plangent.”

“With just a few strokes of his bow, the British Timothy Ridout has made a place for himself in the very closed circle of great violists. His youthful brilliance […], his impatient assurance, and above all the natural authority of a style of playing that is both totally free and accomplished, kept the audience in the Salle Cortot, in Paris, in suspense”

“The singers of the [Scottish Chamber Orchestra] Chorus got the tone just right, by turns rich, alluring or ardent; and Timothy Ridout’s viola surged in and out of the texture in a way that brought it to life without drawing attention to himself.”

“Ridout’s transcription makes telling changes of register in the vocal line; this is supreme vindication of what musical imagination can do, even to works unfamiliar from their original formats.”

“I confess to having capitulated unconditionally to this heartfelt rendition of Schumann’s masterful song cycle on the viola. Ridout varies his sound astutely on repeated verses, bringing forth from his Peregrino Di Zanetto instrument myriad colours that bear testimony to his profound love of this music.”

A Poet’s Love (Harmonia Mundi)

“Ridout has made his own, highly effective arrangement of Schumann’s song cycle from 1840, Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love). At times he uses the viola’s flowing, higher register. Yet in a song such as Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome, with its grand aural depiction of Cologne Cathedral, he exploits the instrument’s baritonal qualities, always making the viola sing.”

“The irregular rhythms of Martinů’s Rhapsody-Concerto sound completely natural in Ridout’s hands as he alternates between unobstructive technical brilliance in the fast sections and a disarmingly gorgeous singing tone in the piece’s concluding moments.”

“The young violist Timothy Ridout plays four striking works with viola. In his the mid-twenties, he is already the recipient of many awards. It is therefore not surprising that he not only performs with a sophisticated technique, but presents a very personal interpretation.”

“[…] a performer whose touch could not be surer and whose musical instinct inspires confidence on every level, all conveyed through 24-carat dark-gold tone. Ridout won the Lionel Tertis Viola Competition a few years back and I think Tertis himself would be proud.“

“Master virtuoso.”

“I was strongly impressed by the gorgeous singing tone that Timothy Ridout produced. Furthermore, he was soulful and sensitive in his delivery of the music… I greatly admired Timothy Ridout’s performance of this great concerto [Walton]… He was able to deliver when virtuosity was required, but what will live longest in my memory was his wonderful response to the many ardently lyrical passages.”

“This disc contains some of the best music written for the viola in the 19^th Century… [Ridout] is a fine, young violist with a solid tone, perfect intonation, solid technique, and charisma. I look forward to hearing more from him.”

“Ridout displays a consistently imaginative ear for tonal colours and an exciting variety of vibrato … clearly a talent to follow.”