' [Purser]... raised the performance to the level of the truly ethereal....an incredible performance.'

Music OMH

'If you want to learn the secret of classical music’s perennial good health, look no further. The programme was stunning...the sound had at times a burnished perfection.... The way Purser and his players negotiated the sinister muted waltz in the second movement [of Shostakovich Symphony No.9], and the grotesquerie of the last, was masterly.'

The Independent

'The real star of the evening was Toby Purser, who directed the whole show with a mastery and understanding of the music. His careful preparation of the orchestra, and his interpretations, were eagerly welcomed by a very enthusiastic audience.'

Seen and Heard International

'Toby Purser led his equally young musicians assuredly through the potential minefield of this mainly Romantic music. The Tristan Prelude had an apposite yearning quality to it but there was also a youthful eagerness to press on with the chromatic melodies.'

MusicWeb International

'...played with enormous ebullience and abandon...This intense and energetic performance [of Shostakovich Symphony No. 9] by Purser and his forces was a welcome outing for this under-rated and seldom-performed work, ending a hugely enjoyable evening of contrasting moods.'

Music OMH

'From the first notes of the Overture to “Ruslan and Ludmila”, this was going to be a fireball of a night... I hope Purser's chutzpah will propel him to great heights... His programming choices reveal a foresight that goes bravely beyond a superficial showcasing of the ensemble.'

Classicalsource.com

'The concert included Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, in which Purser coaxed a most touching pianissimo from the orchestra, and Vaughan Williams’ great Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, in which Purser aimed, and succeeded, in giving us ‘a glimpse of something of eternal beauty’.'

British Harpsichord Society

'With the unruffled sincerity and deep-seated intuition of conductor Toby Purser, the unfettered engagement of every player gave a sense of a living, breathing orchestral organism with an electricity entirely its own. This is a brave and inspired initiative which warrants wholehearted support from the Arts community and its patrons at every level....'

ArtsHub UK

'This was the most exquisite sound imaginable...a well characterized performance, full of humour, especially the loud declamations from the sorcerer himself.' (Dukas - The Sorcerer's Apprentice)

Seen and Heard International