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Signum’s first disc with Rodrigo Ruiz highlights the Mexican composer’s musical and literary passions, in performances by world-class soloists Kerenza Peacock, Huw Watkins and Laura van der Heijden. Born in Tijuana, Mexico, Ruiz has attracted commissions from a number of leading artists, with both the opening Violin Sonata and ‘A Riveder Le Stelle’ commissioned by Kerenza Peacock for this recording. The second work is a duo for violin and piano that is accompanied by poetic quotations from Canto XXXIV of Dante’s ‘Inferno’. The booklet notes include an interview with the composer by Jessica Duchen, who describes how the programme “clearly shows Rodrigo ́s roots in the traditions of Beethoven and Brahms, but with individual twists that clearly indicate we are in fact on new territory”. -
Emmanuel Despax returns to Signum with a disc of JS Bach transcriptions. The title quotes Victor Hugo’s ‘The Hunchback of Notre-Dame’ (“Breathe, Hope”), brought to Despax’s mind following the news of the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral, where he had attended many concerts of Bach’s music as a child. Despax describes Bach’s music as being “of such clarity, coherence and expressive power, that it is able to transcend its original medium, and to some extent, style.” This virtuosic programme combines both well-known transcriptions, such as the mighty Bach-Busoni ‘Chaconne’ and Saint-Saën’s ‘Overture’, with the first recordings of several arrangements by the late 19th/early 20th century pianist Theodor Szántó’s – featuring his monumental and uncompromising transcriptions of the Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, and the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor. Emmanuel Despax has gained worldwide recognition as a singular artist, whose interpretations bring a rare sincerity and imagination to the music. A remarkable performer of romantic and post-romantic music, he has been invited to give recital performances in the UK (Wigmore Hall’s London Pianoforte Series, Cadogan Hall, Chipping Campden and Petworth Festivals, and the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, where he was appointed artistic director in 2020 of a complete Beethoven piano sonata cycle). Summer 2021 will see the release of a Brahms album including the Sixteen Waltzes Op. 39 and Piano Concerto No.1 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Litton. ★★★★★ Performance, ★★★★ Recording "Despax favours a Fazioli piano, exquisitly captured here" - BBC Music Magazine "Pianist Emmanuel Despax is a name to remember. His Spira, Spera with romantic and in several cases large-scale Bach transcriptions is truly brilliant. The playing is brilliant and is characterised by rich sound and rhythmic tension" - Opus Magazine, Sweden -
Following the acclaimed Bach recording ‘Spira, Spera’ in early 2021, Emmanuel Despax releases a recording of his most treasured piano concerto alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Litton. The concerto is paired with the 16 Waltzes (op.39) for piano four-hands, performed here with his wife and fellow pianist, Miho Kawashima. “Recording Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is a childhood dream of mine, and it was wonderful to play it with such outstanding musicians. I have grown up with it, obsessively listening to all the recordings I could find for months on end, and it is hard to describe what this piece represents to me ... I wanted to pair the concerto with the exquisite Sixteen Waltzes, Op. 39 for piano four hands, and show a more intimate side of Brahms. Each one is a different shade, a different mood, like daily entries in one’s personal diary. It was very special for me to be joined by my wife Miho Kawashima to record these charming and delightful pieces.” - Emmanuel Despax "The French pianist Emmanuel Despax smoothly balances tension and novelty in the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Johannes Brahms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In the dramatic finale in particular, he achieves a wonderful aura of virtuoso elegance. He and his wife Miho Kawashima designed the rather introverted waltz cycle for piano four hands with noticeable empathy and excellent coordination, whereby the asymmetrically nimble phrases of waltz No. 6 in C sharp major are a highlight is. A clever combination"- Piano News"Covering both the orchestral immensity of the Piano Concerto No.1 and the levity of the 16 Waltzes, this disc is highly recommended to anyone who appreciates Brahms’ music and the pluralities present therein: joyful solemnity and tragic sweetness." - The Whole Note -
Andrew Nethsingha and The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge release the second volume in the highly-praised Magnificat series and present nine settings of the Evening Canticles by celebrated Organist-Composers, written between 1932 and 1952, and non-church musicians from 1974- 1989. The recording culminates with a contemporary setting by Julian Anderson, composed for the Chapel’s 150th anniversary. “These first volumes are designed to complement one another. Magnificat 1 started earlier, with Stanford in the 1880s; Volume Two brings us briefly up to the present day. The first release contained celebrated works by Tippett and Leighton from 1961 and 1972 respectively, in between the two main periods represented on this disc. Both albums contain iconic works by Howells, written a year apart. We hear composers creating different orders of priority for the parameters of composition.” Andrew Nethsingha "Highlights? Well, every item, really! You would travel far to hear a more sensitive start to Howell's Collegium Regale setting, or indeed, a more dramatic Gloria…[Magnificat] This is totally exhilarating…Throughout, the choir exhibits its customary impeccable intonation, but its emotional power derives more from the uninhibited expressions of so wide a range of musical styles and idioms. The treble soloists in particular are wonderful, as indeed are the organists. This is a terrific disc" - Cathedral Music Magazine -
Following an acclaimed debut recording of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake with the Philharmonia in 2020, Santtu-Matias Rouvali returns with a recording of Sergei Prokofiev’s iconic Symphony No. 5. Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 was first performed in 1944, 14 years after his previous symphony. Prokofiev described his Fifth Symphony as a “hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit,” explaining that, “I cannot say that I deliberately chose this theme. It was born in me and clamoured for expression. The music matured within me. It filled my soul.” ★★★★★ "It is a magnificent achievement on everyone's part; the conductor, the players and, not least the outstandingly brilliant sound achieved in what is generally a dry acoustic…[Santtu] judges the finale perfectly too allowing the slow introduction to lead to an exhilarating conclusion" - Musical Opinion ★★★★ Performance ★★★★ Recording "The mildly resonant acoustic allows details of orchestral colour to emerge that I do not recall in other recorded accounts Santtu-Matias Rouvali also draws fascinating parallels between the fifth and the eerie third symphony created by Prokofiev" - BBC Music Magazine ★★★★ "The live recording here plays to the performance's strengths; a recording that promises new ideas from the Philharmonia's new conductor" - AllMusic -
Julian Bliss and James Baillieu present a recording Johannes Brahms’ Clarinet sonatas, Op. 120 and an arrangement of his 4 Ernste Gesänge, Op.121 arranged by Bliss. These late works were inspired by the great clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld, principal clarinet of the Meiningen Court Orchestra, without whom we would not have had this clarinet repertoire. Julian Bliss is one of the world’s finest clarinettists, excelling as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, jazz artist, masterclass leader and tireless musical explorer. He has inspired a generation of young players as creator of his Conn-Selmer range of affordable clarinets, and introduced a substantial new audience to his instrument. Julian started playing the clarinet aged four, going on to study at the University of Indiana and in Germany under Sabine Meyer, turning professional aged twelve. Described by The Daily Telegraph as ‘in a class of his own’ James Baillieu is one of the leading song and chamber music pianists of his generation. He has given solo and chamber recitals throughout the world and collaborates with a wide range of world-class singers and instrumentalists. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Ulster Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, and the Wiener Kammersymphonie. -
A composer inextricably linked with London’s Covent Garden, Thomas Arne’s greatest opera, Artaxerxes, was premièred at the Theatre Royal, the predecessor of the Royal Opera House, on 2 February 1762 and remained in the Covent Garden repertory until the late 1830s, where it received a documented 111 performances before 1790. The young Mozart almost certainly attended a performance when he came to London in the mid1760s and Haydn was also acquainted with the work, enthusiastically exclaiming that he “had no idea we had such an opera in the English language.” The Mozartists, under the dynamic leadership of conductor and artistic director Ian Page, are leading exponents of the music of Mozart and his contemporaries. Originally called Classical Opera, the company was founded in 1997 and has received widespread international acclaim for its stylish and virtuosic period-instrument orchestra, its imaginative and innovative programming and its ability to nurture and develop world-class young artists. Renowned for their fresh and insightful interpretations of well-known masterpieces as well as for their ability to bring rare and neglected works to light, they have mounted staged productions of many of Mozart’s operas. In 2015 the company launched MOZART 250, a ground-breaking 27-year project exploring the chronological trajectory of Mozart’s life, works and influences. Described by The Observer as “among the most audacious classical music scheduling ever,” this flagship project presents 250th Anniversary performances of most of Mozart’s important works, placing them in context alongside other significant works by Mozart’s contemporaries -
Since Westminster Mass (2000) established Roxanna Panufnik’s firm place among today’sleading British composers, she has often been celebrated for her choral music. Her instrumental and chamber works, however, are equally striking, filled with dazzling imagination and poetic lightness of touch. Her latest album Heartfelt encompasses compassion, tragedy and irresistible humour, while demonstrating her passion for exploring diverse musical cultures, from East Sussex to Myanmar. Featuring a stellar line-up of leading British soloists (including soprano Mary Bevan, pianist Charles Owen and baritone Roderick Williams) and led by the Sacconi Quartet, the title work includes a musical translation of the heartbeat of a young European Brown Bear named Albie: captured by a digital stethoscope, Bristol Zoological Society’s Wild Place Project was generously able to send Panufnik a recording of Albie’s heartbeat whilst he underwent a small surgical procedure, the anaesthetic possibly resembling the bear’s hibernation. Albie himself is pictured on the album’s front cover. -
Signum Records presents an exciting new collaboration and debut recording with Leeds International Piano Competition Winner (2015), Anna Tsybuleva, of music by Johannes Brahms together with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, conducted by Ruth Reinhardt. Tsybuleva has been described by as embodying “superb pianism and intelligent musicianship” (Gramophone Magazine) and “A pianist of rare gifts: not since Murray Perahia’s triumph in 1972 has Leeds had a winner of this musical poise and calibre”(International Piano Magazine). Performance highlights have included performances with the Basel Symphony, Mariinsky Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Alongside this, Tsybuleva has given recitals at such prestigious venues as Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, Tonhalle Zürich, and the Wigmore Hall, London. "One is speechless. As far as their performance is concerned, the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin, the soloist and the conductor Ruth Reinhardt are an extremely eloquent team that realizes their musical ideas together. You can hear a direct and gripping Brahms, without any airs, without frills - music that speaks to you directly" - Piano News -
The renowned American pianist Tedd Joselson presents a ‘companionship’ of his favourite concertos – the Grieg Piano Concerto and Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto. Led by conductor Arthur Fagen with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Grieg) and the Philharmonia Orchestra (Rachmaninov), the disc is also a companion to Joselson’s April 2021 recording of the Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano and Orchestra, recorded at the same time at Abbey Road with the London Symphony Orchestra. Belgian-American pianist Tedd Joselson was only 17 when he auditioned for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s music director, Eugene Ormandy, after which the famous conductor remarked “Anything you want, you can play with us”. He was offered a recording contract by RCA whilst still a student at Juilliard, and quickly became, and remained until his retirement, one of the most sought after performers regularly appearing with nearly every important symphonic ensemble and conductor. He gave his debut piano recital on the Great Performer’s series in Lincoln Center in NYC in 1975. Thereafter, his annual sold out recital tours were eagerly awaited events on the music calendar. Noted for his lyrical playing across a wide range of repertoire, his recordings of works span 400 years of music from Bach to Lim, and have won numerous awards including several Grammy nominations.★★★ Performance ★★★★ Recording "Perfectly decent recordings with top orchestras - the Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia - professionally guided by Arthur Fagen. Joselson is an admirably clear interpreter. He applies the right rubato to the big tune of the Rachmaninov Second Piano Concerto’s finale" - BBC Music Magazine
"With a performance that is equally thoughtful and electrifying, Joselson’s new album is a visceral listening experience for two of the most popular piano concertos of all time. This album is a must-have for all classical music lovers as well as the definitively enlightened audio enthusiast!" - TheSoundAdvocate.com "[Grieg] Undeniably, magnificently supported by Arthur Fagen and the Royal Philharmonic… an intensely lovely opening to the second movement, relaxing, gently caressing and touching. [Rachmaninov] This is a lovely performance, the instrumental solos nicely dovetailed into the ebb and flow of the piano writing" - Musicweb International -
This is the third volume in the EP series ‘The Library’ – a series that explores both the history, and the new horizons, of The King’s Singers close-harmony repertoire. Close-harmony is the part of their work for which they are best known, and their library of thousands of arrangements is one they’re determined to explore, maintain and develop. The track-listing is designed to celebrate some old favourites from the library alongside brand new arrangements and adaptations, created especially for these recordings, which may perhaps become ‘old favourites’ of the future. The King’s Singers were founded on 1 May 1968 by six choral scholars who had recently graduated from King’s College Cambridge. Their vocal line-up was (by chance) two countertenors, a tenor, two baritones and a bass, and the group has never wavered from this formation since. -
This important new recording revisits George Frideric Handel’s monumental Suites de Pièces pour le Clavecin – subsequently known as the Eight Great Harpsichord Suites as well as his Chaconne in G major and some world première recordings of Handel’s superb arrangements of operatic arias and ouvertures which were specially reworked and ornamented by Handel for the harpsichord. The album celebrates the 300th anniversary of the first publication of these works on 14 November 1720. Bridget Cunningham is an international conductor, prizewinning harpsichordist and musicologist who trained at the Royal College of Music and was awarded a Junior Fellowship to work in the Centre for Performance History and coach singers in the baroque style. Cunningham is also Artistic Director of London Early Opera with a number of critically-acclaimed recordings out on Signum Classics. ★★★★★ Performance, ★★★★ Recording "In short, they are unashamedly intended to please the senses and, in the hands of stylistically informed players they never fail to do so. Bridget Cunningham is just such a player…Her feeling for dance rhythms is infectious and her ability to entertain unassailable" - BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★“At once magisterial and engaging, harpsichordist Bridget Cunningham brings a dynamic imagination to bear on Handel's still relatively neglected keyboard works” -Planet Hugill“Sometimes one hears a recording for the first time, and immediately knows that it will be remarkable... Bridget Cunningham’s is one that stands out as a well-crafted and musically deeply committed performance. Above all, her playing conveys to the listener her love of these brilliant and astonishing pieces, and the recording does full justice to the music” - Harpsichord and Fortepiano Magazine -
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 final volume in the acclaimed series with Malcolm Martineau, charting the complete songs of French composer Gabriel Fauré and performed by a selection of the world’s finest singers. This series follows Martineau’s heralded 5-CD series of The Complete Songs of Francis Poulenc. "By the time one has read Roger Nichols' notes, there is not much more that one needs to know about this extraordinary collection; four hours of sheer pleasure" - Present Arts -
Bill Ives has enjoyed a rich and varied career as both performer and composer (Grayston Ives). These experiences, culminating in nearly two decades as Informator Choristarum (Director of Music) at Magdalen College, Oxford, are reflected in a compositional style which is complex yet accessible, rich and colourful. His choral music comes from the heart, and this deeply personal reaction to the texts enables the performer or listener to engage with and enjoy the music to its full extent. This recording represents two ‘firsts’ for the choirs of Jesus College, Cambridge: The first time the choir have collaborated on a recording with the Britten Sinfonia, as well as is the first time both chapel and college choirs they have joined forces for an entire album. Bill (Grayston) Ives writes: “In the Requiem many influences are thrown into the musical melting pot and will be apparent to the discerning listener. Ultimately, the piece is firmly rooted in the Anglican choral tradition (written specifically for liturgical performance), the distillation of a lifetime in music ... The delicate, sweet sound of a pair of tiny hand-held cymbals is heard at the opening and at intervals throughout. They were bought at Snape Maltings from a group of Tibetan monks who were resident there during the summer of 2008 when ideas for the piece were forming.” “Ives exquisite score is played to perfection by the Britten Sinfonia. Congratulations to the Jesus College Choir and Richard Pinel on such an impressive achievement…A treasure of a disc, superbly engineered” - Gramophone "★★★★ An admirable showvcase for the combined forces of Jesus College, Cambridge's Chapel and College Choirs; the boy trebles of the former and the sopranos of the latter each get a movement to themselves, but othwise sing together, very effectively. The Britten Sinfonia's playing is immaculate" - Choir and Organ -
This brand new Christmas album from The King’s Singers features 25 tracks covering everything from contemporary choral gems and folk songs through to well-loved carols. Dotted throughout the album are several of the most famous English church carols, which take The King’s Singers right back to their earliest singing days, and which also reflect the group’s heritage at King’s College, Cambridge. In Christmas Carols with The King’s Singers, the group bottle that frosty, moonlit, fireside Christmas wonder and pour it into their sound. ★★★★ "What's not to love? It's a typically varied programme with reaches across the decades, performed with pitch perfect vivacity and no small amount of joy. Very glad tidings" - BBC Music Magazine "Distinguished by beautifully chosen repertoire and a vocal blend to tight and delicate it becomes a picture of the Christmas miracle itself. There is something untouchingly precious about the full a capella Once in Royal David's city and Berlioz's The Shepherds Farewell…never less than totally convincing…Perfection is not always what you want from a Christmas disc, but here it takes listeners to a special place" - Gramophone's The Christmas List "It is a fitting tribute, combining traditional carols with new ones…and all sung with those hallmarks of the King’s Singers’ sound; neat, precise, finely polished, with every note perfectly placed, every syllable beautifully enunciated, and every phrase deliciously moulded…there is a real sense of intimacy which gives a sincerely personal feel to the recording….luscious arrangements and gorgeously blended and balanced voices. Solos emerge from the group like branches spouting from a tree, and their easy delivery, all seem as natural as breathing…the overriding effect of this recording is of warmth and comfort…Cleobury would have loved it all; The King’s Singers have done his memory proud." - Music Web International "The six voices blend as only King's Singers can, all the arrangements are appropriate, and the a cappella singing is a joy throughout" - Cross Rhythms "In all the items, the groups familiar sophisticated sound creates an atmosphere at once distinct and recognisable" - Planet Hugill "Familiar carols share space with enticing rarities, and hearing just six voices gives the music a winning immediacy. Highlights include a rhythmically snappy version of “Gaudete!”, brilliantly arranged by founder member Brian Kay, and a joyous transcription of the Catalan carol “La filadora”, replete with bell effects...Gloriously recorded too" - The Arts Desk "The arrangements are, as always with this group, brilliantly chosen. The ending of Tomorrow shall be my dancing day is particularly inventive and effective…[O magnum nysterium] again a stroke of programming genius" - Classical Explorer