" ....but to call it (Hallelujah Chorus) the evening's highlight would do an injustice to the breadth and depth of Saturday's absorbing account of Handel's Messiah. Conductor Murray Stewart, while giving the meditative paragraphs all the space in the world, obtained sprightly rhythms and telling dynamic contrasts. The expressive details of the choir's Amens typified the musical richness of the whole". (Handel Messiah - Nottingham Evening Post) 

" Under Murray Stewart, the Nottingham Harmonic Society and Orchestra da Camera gave an impressive performance, in touch with the emotion and drama of the two pieces. The contrasting moods in the four movements of The Bells were powerfully evoked............The Armed Man was utterly absorbing and deeply moving" (Rachmaninov The Bells, Karl Jenkins The Armed Man - Nottingham Evening Post)

"A stylistically fine rendition of Bach's Overture from the first Suite in C................their playing in the Sinfonia that introduced Bach's Easter Oratorio (BWV249), was idiomatically phrased" (The Organ)

"Murray Stewart's approach is brisk and business-like, drawing an excellent response from the period instrument players" (J S Bach, St John Passion - The Organ)

"Careful attention to phrasing, successful ornamentation and accurate pronunciation all confirmed Murray Stewart's meticulous approach.... Murray Stewart's beat is ideal, combining absolute clarity and tasteful expression" (J S Bach, St Matthew Passion - The Organ)

"...with clear diction and disciplined presentation under Murray Stewart's strong direction" (Orff, Carmina Burana - Bristol Evening Post)

"Murray Stewart brought a brisk but sensitive controlling hand to his forces, keeping the whole moving forward without undue haste and allowing the text to come through at all times" (J S Bach, Christmas Oratorio - The Organ)

"....under Murray Stewart's always dependable baton" (Handel, Messiah. orch Mozart - Bristol Evening Post)

"A faithful and sensitive interpretation" (Britten, War Requiem - Bristol Evening Post)

"....intense and moving performance" (Britten, War Requiem - Western Daily Press)

"Murray Stewart controlled his forces (Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Bristol Choral Society) with great confidence" (Opera Gala - Bristol Evening Post)

"The (London Pro Arte) Orchestra provides excellent accompaniments........" (Langlais works for organ and orchestra, CD review - Gramophone)

"The result is convincing, with a persuasive sense of commitment (eg the beginning of Solemn Psalm No 2). Murray Stewart has been able to avoid the formal and academic side of this music in a search for the original sonorities." (Langlais Psaumes Solennels, CD review - Repertoire(F)No116,9/98)

"The interpretation of these works is a fine example of well integrated and characterised performances" (Langlais works for organ and orchestra, CD review - Repertoire(F)No112,4/98)

"Marie-Louise Langlais brings naturally the fervour and spirit of these works, as well as an instrumental grandeur, to which the particularly vibrant strings of the London Pro Arte Orchestra respond under Murray Stewart" (Langlais works for organ and orchestra, CD review - Diapason(F)No446,3/98)

"Murray Stewart strikes me as an outstanding non-Austrian Mozart interpreter. This is an incredible reading. He emphasizes the rhythmic crackle in Mozart's music and a sense of constant propulsion in the line" (Mozart Requiem, CD review - Steve Schwartz, Internet, 12/97)

"Murray Stewart's incisive conducting and brilliant orchestral attack was a delight" (Walton, Belshazzar's Feast - Western Daily Press)

"Murray Stewart got everything out of his team - sobriety, precision, feeling and intensity. He was able to apply his own eminently sensitive perception of the work whilst respecting the spirit of the score. Murray Stewart achieved all in his interpretation....Everything seemed simple and clear, everything was beautiful...Murray Stewart carried off a veritable triumph. Music lovers will not forget this outstanding concert so soon" (J S Bach, Mass in B minor - Le Telegramme, France)

"...Murray Stewart conducted the Wren Orchestra, keeping good ensemble and never drowning his young soloists" (Williamson, Julius Caesar Jones at Sadlers Wells - Opera Mazagine)

"...an elegant and attractive account of the early Exsultate Jubilate Motet"..."a performance which was fully equal to the vocal demands of the work" (Mozart, Coronation Mass) "very well performed" (Chapple, Magnificat - Musical Opinion)

"...a noble and sensitive performance of Faure's Requiem"...."This work (Langlais, Messe Solennelle - World Premiere) was given with intense commitment and style by this admirable choir and the London Pro Arte Orchestra under the talented and indefatigable Murray Stewart" (Choir and Organ)

"Murray Stewart conducted with elegance and precision" (Giornale di Vicenza, Italy)

"It is astonishing just how much nimble delicacy the massed ranks of the choral society can muster...parts two and three were magnificent, especially the vigour of He Trusted In God, and the thrilling majesty of the final chorus" (Handel, Messiah - Bristol Evening Post)

"Conductor Murray Stewart obtained just the right hushed opening, the furious terror of the Dies Irae and the contrapuntal effects in the double choir Sanctus" (Verdi, Requiem - Western Daily Press)

"...especially when as powerfully performed as here" (Britten, Noye's Fludde - The Times)

"The large number of participants performed with tremendous precision....Under Conductor Murray Stewart, Britten's....score sounded as vividly pictorial as ever" (Britten, Noye's Fludde - The Guardian)

"...beautifully conducted by Murray Stewart" (Jyllands Posten, Denmark)

"...Murray Stewart conducted with obvious enthusiasm and commitment to the work..." (Patterson, Stabat Mater - Musical Opinion)

"....it's ever more cultivated virtues of fluency and good enunciation were well to the fore...there was plenty of passion to translate the impressive choral security into something spine-tingling..." (Handel, Messiah - Bristol Evening Post)

".Excellently directed..." (Westdeutsche Zeitung)

"Their discipline and attention to dynamics, note values and phrasing is now exemplary, thanks to conductor Murray Stewart" (Schubert, Mass in E flat - Western Daily Press)

"...with crisp singing...its moments of sheer joy were legion" (WMozart, Mass in C minor - Bristol Evening Post)

".Conductor Murray Stewart directed a firm and authoritative Mozart Requiem" (The Independent)

"...the choir's sonorous balance shone through in the Sanctus...the tricky rhythms of the Gloria were negotiated with a precision that opens up all sorts of possibilities..." (Patterson, Mass of the Sea - Bristol Evening Post)

"An excellent concert by...the London Pro Arte Orchestra conducted by Murray Stewart" (Szymanowski Festival at the South Bank - The Daily Telegraph)

"Stewart and his forces brought joy and rhythmic verve to the singing and playing, while remaining alive to the music's darker mysteries" (Szymanowski Festival at the South Bank - The Independent)

"The chorus work, inspired as was the rest of the concert by the solid conducting of Murray Stewart..." (Szymanowski Festival at the South Bank- The Times)

"Murray Stewart's direction was assured and confident..." (Rossini, Stabat Mater - Bristol Evening Post)

"Stewart's reading of the Creation was refreshingly detailed and light in texture" (Western Daily Press)

"Murray Stewart paced it spaciously" (Ropartz, Requiem Mass - The Independent)