By Michael Dervan , The Irish Times
June 10, 2007

For the Shostakovich, Douglas directed the work from the keyboard and took to the knockabout writing with something of the blackly manic energy that often informed the composer's own playing. Alison Balsom's trumpet playing was incisive and yet, in spite of the acoustic power of the instrument, she had such firm control that she managed to stay firmly within the scale of the performance. I don't think I've heard a live performance of this work that was as riotous or as persuasive.