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Huw William’s leads the choir of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal in a festive new recording of Christmas carols old and new from St James’s Palace, London. -
The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge’s advent service is a staple of the British choral world, and is broadcast on BBC Radio 3 almost every year. The service features much-loved favourites from the festive season alongside a variety of new works commissioned especially for the event. This disc of live recordings features performances by the choir from their four most recent services from 2014-17. ★★★★ This superbly programmed collection will take your Advent listening in unexpected, but entirely apposite, directions - BBC Music Magazine The choir has retained its renowned clarity, flamboyance and readiness to take risks - The Guardian This disc gives a very good flavour of the excellent Advent music one can hear at St John’s - MusicWeb International -
The sublime Choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge return with the second voluume in their Advent series - celebrating the advent season from within the Christian tradition; a season celebrated since at least the sixth century. This splendid live recording, from within the Chapel of St. John’s College itself, features Christmas favourites, including Britten’s Deo Gracias from A Ceremony of Carols as well as gorgeous performances of lesser known works by modern composers including Jonathan Dove, Arvo Pärt and Paul Manz. "Top choice" - Gramophone's The Christmas List "The men-and-boys of the choir deliver energetic performances both times…This is a fresh, stimulating holiday season program that should have a life far beyond the year 2020 when it was released" - All Music.com "The central elements of success sound as good as ever: the chapel acoustic, beautifully captured by the recording engineers, the sensational sound of the organ, Nethsingha’s rock solid direction, and the solidity of the choral sound, beautiful yet keenly focused and utterly compelling." - MusicWeb International -
Norwegian boy-soprano Aksel Rykkvin has quickly built a reputation as a rare talent, combining an intelligent musicality with a beautifully resonant treble voice. On his debut recording he is accompanied by The Orchestra of the Age on Enlightenment under Nigel Short (leader of award-winning chamber choir Tenebrae), in a selection of arias by Mozart, Handel and JS Bach. Many of the arias performed are considered too technically demanding for boy singers in the present day – in particular Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate which was composed for the castrato Venunzio Rauzzini, and several of Bach’s Cantatas which were written at a time when singers often maintained their treble voices until the ages of 16 or 17. Freakishly good, with a musical assurance and richness of tone that are almost superhuman - Financial Times Widely praised for his richness of tone and instinctive, innate musicality - BBC Music Magazine It's a remarkable performance - pure, technically perfect and hauntingly beautiful - Classic FM This is totally extraordinary. For the sheer joy in performing, this CD would be hard to beat - Cathedral Music Magazine -
In celebration of the first Anniversary of the Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano and Orchestra, we are now delighted to release the 16 original ALAN Songs, which underlie the tracks of the Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano and Orchestra, together with La Fantaisie d’ALAN. ALAN’S FANTASY is themed on a future companionship between Human and Inanimate, inspired by an evolving landscape of companionship in society, driven by a confluence of two forces, longevity and loneliness on the one hand, and disruptive new technologies on the other. It is hoped that the music of ALAN may inspire a more positive view to the coming age of social robots, embodied AI systems, and soul machines as companions of the future. The trio of composers from three continents, have come together to produce an eclectic blend of contrasting yet comple- mentary moods, which unfolded the musical journey of a soul, from wild (animate), to captive (inan- imate), and life to non-life (synthetic), ultimately to becoming quantum entangled, with its human companion. -
Alessio Bax returns to disc on Signum with two masterworks of Beethoven’s piano repertoire, as well as a new arrangement from Die Ruinen von Athen. Pianist Alessio Bax creates “a ravishing listening experience” (Gramophone) with his lyrical playing, insightful interpretations, and dazzling facility. First Prize winner at the Leeds and Hamamatsu international piano competitions – and a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient – he has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras. Editor's Choice: Finely recorded, Alessio Bax is clearly among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public - Gramophone Highly recommended - Classical Ear -
The Italian-born pianist and Leeds competition winner Alessio Bax returns with his third solo recital disc for Signum. His programme surveys a selection of highlights from Brahms' pianistic output, charting his development from the early lyrical collection '4 Ballades' (1854) through to the 'eight perfect gems' that are the 8 Klavierstücke Op.76 (1871-78). Bax also tackles Brahms' fiendish set of 'Variations on a Theme of Pagainini, Op.35', which Bax describes in the programme notes as one of "the most fearsome works ever written for piano". An all-Brahms recital that confirms what we auditors at last year’s Menlo Concerts in Palo Alto already knew: that Bax delivers a natural ethos in this composer’s combination of romantic passion and classical architecture - Audiophile Audition A must-listen for any fan of late-Romantic piano music. This is one of the great solo-piano albums of 2012. It’s as simple as that - Musical Toronto -
A stunning soloist follows on from his 2012 Brahms release with a new concerto recording of piano concertos K.491 and K.595 by Mozart, performed with the Southbank Sinfonia under Simon Over. The Italian-born pianist Alessio Bax is a first-prize winner at the Leeds and Hamamatsu international piano competitions and a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient. Bax and the Southbank Sinfonia bring a new lease of life to these concertos, making the most of the clean lines as well as the cheekier moments hidden within the score … Youthful, beautiful music, peppered with Mozart's trademark tunes - Classic FM Leeds International Competition winner Alessio Bax here extends his repute as a performer of gossamer brilliance with a Mozart disc dear to his own heart - Audiophile Audition -
In his second solo piano recital disc for Signum, this release further demonstrates Alessio Bax’s dazzling skill and flair in performance and interpretation – this time with Rachmaninov’s piano works. The programme is centered around the Preludes op.23, but takes in a broad selection of his other studies, etudes, melodies and transcriptions – in performance, Bax describes the programme as being a collection of 'visions and landscapes.' In this homage to Rachmaninov, the pianist brings rare sensitivity to 23 Preludes, two teenage compositions, two very late ones, and Bax’s own arrangement of the Vocalise. The qualities he admires in Rachmaninov’s playing – lack of ego and a golden tone – are here in abundance - The Independent With this intricate and enterprising recital the wondrously gifted Alessio Bax fulfils, in his own words, a long-cherished dream - Gramophone One of the most intelligent and engrossing Rachmaninov recitals of recent years. The varied repertoire, consistently richly cushioned sound and an innate kinship with Rachmaninov's idiom makes this a highly rewarding release - Classic FM Magazine There's some really fine playing in this collection – Bax's masterful technique serves an intensely musical intuition - The Observer Alessio Bax's disc is intelligent and enchanting - Musical Pointers -
Pianist Alessio Bax creates “a ravishing listening experience” with his lyrical playing, insightful interpretations, and dazzling facility. “His playing quivers with an almost hypnotic intensity,” says Gramophone magazine, leading to what Dallas Morning News calls “an out-of-body experience.” For his latest solo recording with Signum, Alessio Bax returns with a programme of rich and evocative works for piano by Modest Mussorgsky and Alexander Scriabin. ★★★★★ Brilliantly Delivered - New Zealand Herald An exemplary clarity and musicianship - Gramophone A massively enjoyable disc - Music Web International Bax guides us through the familiar catalogue with plenty of skill - Sinfini Music -
‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, whose score is the first commissioned by The Royal Ballet for a full-length narrative dance work in 20 years, won over not only London audiences but those in Canada and the US, flocking to its premiere North American season with the National Ballet of Canada in June of 2011. The production was sold out well in advance of its close and ended as the company’s highest-grossing production of all time. This is real music – witty, unpretentious and clever, and the extracts chosen on this disc never outstay their welcome. Themes associated with specific characters are invariably memorable and intelligently developed. The suite’s opening is entrancing - The Arts Desk The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Christopher Austin’s baton delivers a flawless and energetic performance, drawing out every ingenious flourish and limning each individual sound in silver - Sinfini Music What Talbot has done to create the aural setting for the world down the rabbit-hole is extraordinary. His whimsical score twists and turns as capriciously as the place in which Alice has found herself. The orchestra produces a plethora of odd and magical sounds, tumbling rhythms that seem to trip over one another and at times, walls of big beautiful sound - Expedition Audio -
Anna Lapwood is a trailblazing musician. As a broadcaster she is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 3 and hosts a live, weekly classical music show on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. This year she makes her TV presenting debut, hosting BBC Four’s coverage of BBC Young Musician 2020. Alongside her work as a conductor, Director of Music and public speaker, she performs an extensive number of organ recitals on some of the greatest instruments across Europe each season. Directed by Anna Lapwood, The Chapel Choir of Pembroke College has one of the most exciting and varied ranges of choral endeavours among Oxbridge choirs. Alongside their primary responsibility of contributing to worship in the College’s Chapel, they engage in regular artistic collaborations, media appearances and outreach work. The Pembroke College Girls’ Choir was founded in October 2018 and has quickly gained a reputation as one of the UK’s leading girls’ choirs. Made up of 18 girls aged 11–18, the Choir sings twice a week in the College Chapel, as well as regularly singing alongside the Chapel Choir. This album is the first commercial release for these choirs and Anna Lapwood as a conductor. It is a recording of some of the Choirs’ favourite music, some of which happens to have been written by women and some by men. It is the hope of all involved that the music on the record becomes more well-known and is performed more throughout the UK and worldwide. All downloads include booklets. ★★★★★ "Anna Lapwood draws from her youthful forces well-judged readings that are characterised by evenness of tone and genuine beauty of sound" - Choir and Organ ''…There's real control evident in the blend (built upwards from some impressive low basses) and tuning… it showcases the choir brilliantly and smuggles a lot of contemporary music on to a recording with real mainstream appeal." - Gramophone “[Mathew Martin’s Iustorum Animae] The Chapel Choir sings it really well. They’re equally successful in Jonathan Dove’s lovely Into Thy Hands, giving a polished performance. Tavener’s Mother of God is a simple, rapt piece which here receives a dedicated performance...I enjoyed this disc very much. Anna Lapwood has clearly trained her choirs expertly and in these performances, they are very responsive to her direction. The choral sound is fresh, light and clear. The singing is accomplished and the diction clear...The production side of this disc was in the expert hands of Adrian Peacock (producer) and David Hinitt (engineer). They have captured the sound of the choirs very nicely” - Musicweb International “The singing is excellent throughout, by both the girls’ choir and the mixed chapel ensemble. Intonation, ensemble technique, and balances, especially bass/soprano in the mixed choir, are a joy to experience...Lapwood’s detailed liner notes complete this strongly recommended package” - Classics Today -
This new collection of my choral music features recent commissions from choirs near and far. The overall theme of the album is one of hope but also concern for our relationship with living things and the planet we inhabit. Thus, in Earthificat I have based a new secular, environmental text on the words and structure of The Magnificat and in Renew Me In The Sunlight the words ask for strength to move forward in balance with nature. There is a movement, Reverence from my secular mass m=pV, a work about our stewardship of nature and our place within the universe and a setting of some beautiful words by the great ‘nature poet’ William Wordsworth. Alongside this are Christmas settings and other choral songs. The timbres weave between my more classical ‘a cappella and strings’ texture, towards a more jazz inflected sound world in tracks such as On This Night and Let All The People Praise You. I have worked many times with the inspirational Newcastle-based choir Voices of Hope who won BBC Choir of The Year in 2016 and who have continued to grow in vocal magic and audience since that time. It’s been a joy to work with them and their choir director Mark Edwards alongside my own ensemble and string players from The Alina Orchestra. "A welcome addition for fans of Todd's music" - BBC Music Magazine -
Few can argue with Tenebrae's international stature as one of the most competent, versatile, exciting and passionate vocal ensembles in the world today. The beauty of Tenebrae's perfectly blended sound coupled with near-flawless technique is showcased in this recording, featuring a selection of their favourite concert repertoire to create a performance worthy of anyone's collection. Allegri's haunting Miserere is the central point in a journey through music of longing and entreaty, hope and faith. These works spanning the centuries are chosen from the heart of Tenebrae's concert repertoire. Featuring works by Taverner, Holst, Rachmaninov, Lotti, Ireland, Harris, Briten and Kodály. -
Viol consort Fretwork and mezzo soprano Helen Charlston explore the more reflective and sombre Christmas celebrations of Elizabethan England, in a collection of works by William Byrd, Anthony Holborne, Orlando Gibbons and Martin Peerson. With celebrations confined strictly to the 12 days from Christmas Eve to Epiphany, the preceding Advent was regarded as a time of religious introspection, with music composed to mark both fasting and feasting. Byrd’s consort songs for voice and 5 viols encompass this range, from the joyous Out of the Orient Crystal Skies – ending with an exuberant ‘Falantidingdido’, a word whose meaning is lost to history – to his Lullaby, a ‘song of sadnes and pietie’ that became one of Byrd’s most enduringly famous songs. In 2021, Fretwork celebrates its 35th anniversary. In the past three and a half decades they have explored the core repertory of great English consort music, from Taverner to Purcell, and made classic recordings against which others are judged. In addition to this, Fretwork have become known as pioneers of contemporary music for viols, having commissioned over 40 new works. Acclaimed for her musical interpretation, presence and “warmly distinctive tone” (The Telegraph), Helen Charlston is quickly cementing herself as a key performer in the next generation of British singers. Helen won first prize in the 2018 Handel Singing Competition and was a finalist in the Hurn Court Opera Competition, and the Grange Festival International Singing Competition. ★★★★ "Tracks like Byrd's 'Out of the Orient Crystal Skies' and Weelkes's 'To shorten Winter's Sadnesse' show voice and instruments interweaving in seamless expressivity…All are played with Fretwork's typical attunement to the sensibilities of the Elizabethan period" - BBC Music Magazine "This is music embracing, tender and loving…This is the Christmas disc I'll be asking Santa for a hard copy of this December" - Gramophone's The Christmas List ★★★★ "Festive viol pieces and consort songs from Tudor and Stuart winter celebrations offer moments for both contemplation and rejoicing…The songs are beautifully delivered by the mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston, who sings with firm yet confiding tone…There’s a feeling of consolation here that you can hunker down with, however you’re feeling about the festive season this year" - The Guardian -
The four coronations of the twentieth century were enormous and extravagant. Replete with festive pageantry, these ceremonies were joyful celebrations of British music, employing tremendous forces. Choirs from across London and beyond were marshalled to provide a chorus of over 400 voices; a full-size symphony orchestra was squeezed into Westminster Abbey, whilst bands of fanfare trumpeters led the pomp and celebration. In the imposing surroundings of Ely Cathedral, Paul McCreesh and Gabrieli bring the history, ceremony and liturgy of these extraordinary events to life. With his renowned creative flair, McCreesh’s painstaking research provides the springboard for their latest ground-breaking recreation project. The result is a joyful celebration of five centuries of choral music, performed with the same vast forces as were heard at the coronation services. Alongside an orchestra of rare early-twentieth century instruments, an extended Gabrieli Consort is amplified by the energetic sound and fresh faces of several hundred young singers from Gabrieli’s choral training programme Gabrieli Roar. The music is interspersed by the coronation liturgy, with Simon Russell Beale speaking the part of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Performance ★★★★ Recording★★★★★ McCreesh at his considerable best - BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★ Paul McCreesh has magnificently recreated this unique coronation rite... truly heart-warming - Choir & Organ ★★★★★ An astonishing recording - The Times ★★★★★ McCreesh has conceived and executed a magnificent project - Classical Source ★★★★★ Palpable enthusiasm and engagement - Planet Hugill One can imagine the virtuosity required by every contributor, at every turn, to make this a reality, let alone a dazzling triumph - Gramophone A most recommendable treat - MusicWeb International This is something very special - Cross Rhythms One of my favourite albums of the last few years - Scala Radio