BACH (and Schütz)  « Sunday’s Prom offered magnificently expressive performances by the BBC Singers under John Poole of Schütz’s German Magnificat and Bach’s motet Singet dem Herren. »       The Sunday Times

BEDFORD   « …..David Bedford’s Twelve Hours of Sunset for chorus and orchestra serenely directed by John Poole who has been drawing such versatile performances from his BBC Singers over the last few years…….. »  The Telegraph

BRITTEN   (A Boy was Born) « A superb and exhilarating account of a far from simple piece »   The Sunday Times

DELIUS  (On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring with B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra)  « …beautiful, glowing performance under John Poole ».  The New Statesman

HANDEL  (Solomon)   « The Orchestre Philharmonique sparkling under the direction of John Poole, altogether responsible for this success, a sorcerer whose body captures and conveys the slightest suggestions of the music. »  Le Monde

JANACEK, (Maxwell Davies, Holloway, Lambert)  « The B.B.C Singers under John Poole gave last night a South Bank recital of 20^th century choral music that was outstanding alike for the liveliness of the programme and for the degree of polish, exactitude, and consistency of style in all the performances. »  The Guardian

LIGETI  (Drei Phantasien)  « The moving constellations of Ligeti’s complex harmony passed serenely in review, without a hint of muddiness or uncertainty. »  Toronto Globe and Mail

LUTOSLAWSKI   « The B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Poole in the Michaux Poems caught Lutoslawski’s drift to perfection. »   Musical Times

MARTIN  « …  Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir… received a dedicated and intense promenade concert premiere from the BBC Singers… John Poole directed his singers with an impressive sense of the music’s inward strength. »  Daily Telegraph

MOZART  « It has become banal to praise unreservedly the qualities of style, elegance and precision of British conductors, but in the present case one willingly follows the custom for it is rare to hear Mozart conducted with such suppleness, to feel in each gesture the care to shape the phrase ….A right hand which only shows the bar-line as much as is necessary and in the end seems to do away with it ; a left hand which gives an accent or forstalls a needless stress, John Poole, even among his English colleagues is a conductor not quite like the others. »  Le Monde

POULENC  (Figure Humaine)  « Warmly intense performance. » Daily Telegraph

                                                « Magnificent interpretation »       The Listener

PURCELL  (Lawes, Locke)  « John Poole handled the chorus with sensitivity achieving a fine balance in the line and harmony. »  The Times

RACHMANINOV  (Vespers)  « The richness of sound was all that could be wished. »  The Financial Times

RAMEAU  (Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France)  « Perfection of ensemble, precision of attack to which one adds a true lightness of touch thanks to the direction of John Poole. »  Le Monde

STRAUSS   (Richard Strauss’s Deutsche Motette)  « This superb performance, directed by John Poole brought out its cleverly conceived structure in addition to relishing its rich sonorous choral balances. »  The Guardian

SWAYNE  (Cry)  « Once again the BBC Singers conducted by John Poole, had prepared a performance of great finesse and power… »  The Independent