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The last album with the current line-up, The King’s Singers present a new album of choral music from the early 20th century, with a feature from sopranos Grace Davidson and Victoria Meteyard. “Such stuff as dreams are made on is an exploration of European choral music from the early 20th century (and a bit either side), much of it shaped and scarred by the spectre of conflicts that dominated the continent in that period. For us, the album has been a chance to develop and exercise new and different colours in our singing, to dive deeply into text-centric interpretations and historical context, to savour and cherish the four languages in which we sing here, and – in one instance – even to expand our forces a little.” - The King’s Singers 4★★★★ - "This is a beautifully balanced programme without so much as a momentary lapse. Thank heavens for the King’s." - TheCritic.co.uk 5★★★★★ - “The overall impression is of a single organism, comfortable in its skin, moving and breathing as one” - BBC Music Magazine "Singing in small groups is the ultimate challenge, and few groups have mastered this so marvellously well as the King’s Singers. That this disc is a further feather in their already well-adorned caps, I am sure their many admirers will agree." - MusicWeb International "This release is both aesthetically and intellectually entirely successful and satisfying, performed by a vocal ensemble at the top of its game." - Musicweb International -
Their second album for Signum Classics, Christopher Gabbitas and the Phoenix Chorale present ‘Sun Moon Stars Rain’ – a new album of vocal works all linking how these pivotal elements shape our cultures, beliefs, and understanding of the world. “This enduring fascination speaks to something fundamental in the human experience – a mix of awe at the natural world, a quest for understanding our place within it, and a recognition of our dependence on forces far greater than ourselves. This is nothing new: Shakespeare, Lord Byron, and Octavio Paz are amongst the literary greats who have brought this awe to bear in their poetry and prose and inspired composers Sir John Rutter, Toby Hession and Eric Whitacre in their contributions to this programme”’ – Christopher Gabbitas -
Supersize Polyphony is a celebration of large-scale choral works from the 16th century, performed here by the Armonico Consort and the Choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, under their musical directors Christopher Monks and Geoffrey Webber. The unique programme features epic motets, such as Thomas Tallis’ Spemin Alium and Alessandro Striggio’s Ecce Beatam Lucem, alongside his rarely performed 60 part Missa sopra Ecco Si Beato Giorno. Interspersed with the serene beauty of ethereal chants by Hildegard of Bingen, this new recording presents works of magnitude and polyphonic drama in stellar performances by two of the UK’s leading choral ensembles. The direction is clear and the results are exciting - MusicWeb International -
In the 2019/20 season Santtu-Matias Rouvali continued as Chief Conductor of Gothenburg Symphony and as Principal Conductor Designate of the Philharmonia Orchestra, where he succeeds Esa-Pekka Salonen as Principal Conductor in 2021/22. Alongside these posts he retains his longstanding position as Chief Conductor with Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, close to his home in Finland. His international profile continues to flourish. He debuted the season with the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic and Royal Concertgebouw orchestras in wide-ranging repertoire. He conducted the New York premiere of Bryce Dessner’s Wires, and at the Concertgebouw he conducted the world premiere of Ariadne by Theo Verbey, as well as Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex. He has built a loyal following internationally after successful tour concerts last season with Gothenburg Symphony in Vienna, where he returned in December to conduct the Wiener Symphoniker and Nicola Benedetti. In 2019/20 he returned to several orchestras across Europe, including the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. A self-critical composer, Tchaikovsky once said “‘I listened to the Delibes ballet Sylvia... what charm, what elegance, what wealth of melody, rhythm, and harmony. I was ashamed, for if I had known of this music then, I would not have written Swan Lake.” It's ironic that Tchaikovsky's words apply also to Swan Lake itself; “what charm, what elegance, what wealth of melody, rhythm, and harmony.” All downloads include booklets. -
Tenebrae return to disc on Signum in performances exploring the Psalms in Music. With trumpets and well-tuned cymbals, the musical and prayerful richness of the Book of Psalms inspires vastly differing offerings from composers with a myriad of approaches to combining the two worlds of the symphonic and the choral. The results are works which defy categorisation and stand the test of time with audiences and performers alike. Joined by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the choirs director Nigel Short, they perform iconic works by Stravinsky (Symphony of Psalms), Bernstein (Chichester Psalms), Zemlinsky (Psalm 23), as well as Schoenberg’s final significant tonal work Freide auf Erden. Described as “phenomenal” ( The Times) and “devastatingly beautiful” (Gramophone Magazine), award-winning choir Tenebrae, under the direction of Nigel Short, is one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles renowned for its passion and precision. ★★★★★ These contrasting views of how composers responded to psalm settings in the last century…add up to a highly desirable disc - Financial Times The parallel third harmonies at 'In wie mancher heil'gen Nacht' are as remotely beautiful as they are hard to achieve - Gramophone It lives up to Tenebrae’s stated core values of passion and precision - Classical Source An excellent disc full of admirable singing and playing - Cathedral Music Magazine You don‘t normally hear [Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms] traversed with a vocal group with the power, accuracy and security of Tenebrae - BBC Radio 3 Record Review The musical and prayerful richness of the Psalms inspires vastly different offerings from composers - Northern Echo This is a most interesting programme, superbly performed - Music Web International Tenebrae and the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s Symphonic Psalms is the most brilliant thing about 2018 so far - Thoroughly Good Blog -
Guitarist Christoph Denoth returns to disc on Signum with a new disc of works inspired by South America, centred on the iconic tango.
The continent of South America, with its diverse countries and various lines of historical development, has stimulated the creation of many musical traditions. But throughout the heterogeneous patterns of culture, the guitar has a central part to play as a national instrument in all South American countries. This selection (titled tanguero, describing one who sings or dances the tango) brings together many of the styles and genres of that vast continent in a colourful blend of melodies, rhythms, and harmonies.
★★★★ The imagination and intensity of the original music shines - Planet Hugill What makes Denoth’s offering a must-have is a musical sensitivity exemplified as much by his curation as by his playing - GramophoneDenoth brings lyricism and fire to his performances - BBC Music Magazine
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Owen Rees leads early-music consort Contrapunctus alongside The Choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford in performances of John Taverner’s masterwork, the Missa Gloria tibi trinitas. A virtuosic work, it has pride of place in the Forrest-Heyther partbooks (in the Bodleian Library in Oxford), which it has been variously argued originated at Cardinal College or at the Chapel Royal. It might well have been heard on Trinity Sunday in the chapel of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey’s palace at Hampton Court. The work is accompanied by other sacred choral works by Taverner, including his Ave Maria composed for Wolsey’s Cardinal College, Oxford, and one of his most widely copied works, Gaude plurimum – a dramatic work where Taverner exploits the power of his full forces to evoke Christ’s harrowing of hell and the breaking of ‘the bloody powers of the prince of eternal death.’ Contrapunctus is an early-music vocal ensemble dedicated to passionate interpretations informed by authoritative insight and understanding. Directed by Owen Rees, a specialist in music of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the group presents imaginative programmes revealing previously undiscovered musical treasures and throwing new light on familiar works. Performance ★★★★ Recording ★★★★★ Rees brings together both of his crack ensembles [and] the 40-strong collective recreates [Taverner's] lavish sound - BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★ Rees has a natural affinity for this music, whether underlining differences of mood, allowing phrases to bloom or deftly judging cadential arrivals, his touch is instinctive - Classical Source ★★★★★ [A] thrilling new recording - Planet Hugill 9/10 Between them the music of John Taverner comes alive and whether your interest is in Tudor polyphony of acappella choral singing this release will bring much pleasure - Cross Rhythms This glorious programme of polyphony by John Taverner offers much opportunity for contrast as delicate, sinuous passages of vocal chamber music open up into densely populated choral vistas - Choir & Organ The full ensemble brings an undeniable grandeur - Gramophone A must for early music devotees - The Northern Echo A very fine album - MusicWeb International Beautifully recorded by Signum, this is a novel and beautiful Tudor choral release - AllMusic -
Alexandra Dariescu makes her concerto recording debut on Signum with Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Darrell Ang, pairing this with Mikhail Pletnev’s concert suite of arrangements from The Nutcracker.Alexandra Dariescu has garnered an impressive repution for her outstanding solo recordings and concert performances, and was recently named as one of 30 pianists under 30 destined for a spectacular career in the International Piano Magazine. -
Tchaikovsky’s contemporaries tell us that he was good enough to become a concert pianist, if he had chosen to follow that path. But he preferred to focus on composition, and rarely performed in public concerts. His interest in the piano is mainly to be found in his many pieces for the instrument, and since most of these were suitable for amateurs with solid skills, they sold well and played an important role in building up his fame. Despite this, some view Tchaikovsky’s solo piano works as poor quality. Peter Donohoe disagrees, insisting that all music requires performers to find the right approach, so he does not see Tchaikovsky as any kind of exception. He writes: “It is inexplicable to me that Tchaikovsky’s solo piano music should remain so infrequently performed, containing as it does all of the composer’s characteristic harmony, his wonderful melodic gift, his capacity for majestic gesture, magically beautiful moments, immense sadness, and passages of extreme excitement. His piano writing is often orchestral in texture, but also demonstrates the direct but very diverse pianistic influences of Liszt and Schumann, and incorporates in an almost naive way folk-style dance rhythms and melodies from Russia. This treasure trove is immensely rewarding to play, whether it be a small-scale salon piece such as the Humoresque Op. 10 No 2, or large in scale, such as is the gigantic Grand Sonata in G Major.” -
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 -
One of the greatest finds of the 21st century for the early music world, Telemann’s 12 Fantasias for Viola da Gamba were considered lost until the discovery of an original print in a private collection in Germany in 2015. Perhaps some of the composer’s finest work for solo instrument, they are described by soloist Richard Boothby as being “... by turns virtuosic and expressive, Telemann uses all the techniques of the instrument to create satisfyingly complete Fantasias that are full of diversity.”
One of the UK’s leading exponents of early music, Richard Boothby founded the Purcell Quartet in 1984 and was a founder member of Fretwork in 1985. Since then his career has been bound up with these two groups with whom he records and tours; and through whom he plays the broadest range of repertory for the instrument from the earliest music to the latest contemporary music commissioned for viols.
Performance ★★★★ Recording ★★★★ A disc instinct with affectionate insights - BBC Music Magazine A very smooth and elegant reading - Early Music Review -
On her new album pioneering Romanian vocalist Teodora Brody joins forces with one of the world’s great orchestras to explore well-known classical repertoire from an entirely fresh perspective. Rising with style and energy to realise virtuosic orchestrations by Lee Reynolds, the London Symphony Orchestra voyage with Teodora through classical, jazz and Romanian folk traditions, resulting in a multi-faceted, truly unique musical experience. -
Featuring Rebecca Bottone, Cora Burggraaf, Allan Clayton, Klara Ek, Martene Grimson, Jennifer Johnston, Susan Gritton, Anna Leese, Matthew Rose, Andrew Staples & Mark Stone Signum are proud to reissue Classical Opera’s debut CD, ‘The A-Z of Mozart Opera’, selected for Gramophone magazine’s annual Critic’s Choice in 2007. Based on the coincidence that Mozart’s first opera (Apollo et Hyacinthus) begins with ‘A’ and his last (Die Zauberflöte) with ‘Z’, this disc takes the listener on a chronological journey through Mozart’s operatic canon, featuring an aria or ensemble from fifteen of his operas. My personal pick for giving this year is the Classical Opera Company’s glorious The A-Z of Mozart Opera, which is fresh, diverse, insightful and illuminating - GramophoneA lovely disc which manages to introduce both Mozart's genius and a range of lovely lyric voices, all in stylish performances which certainly make you want to hear more - Planet Hugill Page, to my mind one of the most talented of today's younger British conductors, immediately announced himself with this CD as a natural Mozartian - Early Music Review -
This Signum Classics release presents four orchestral works by Xiaogang Ye, one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Chinese music, performed by the RLPO under conductor Dane Lam. Recorded in February 2024 at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, the album brings together music inspired by Chinese history and personal memory. The programme opens with The Backyard of the Village (2019), a vivid orchestral portrait of rural life on China’s Hangzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou Plain, drawing on folk elements and evocative colour. The Memories of Mount Jing Gang (2019), for viola and orchestra, features Diyang Mei and reflects on the historical and symbolic significance of the Jinggang Mountains through a predominantly lyrical and contemplative sound world. My Faraway Nanjing (2005), performed by cellist Guy Johnston, is a single-movement concerto commemorating the victims of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, unfolding in a dark, expressive narrative of remembrance. The album concludes with The Loquat in Five Colors (2024), an overture inspired by the landscapes and legends of Hebei province. These works highlight Ye’s distinctive synthesis of modern orchestral technique with Chinese cultural identity. “This is certainly a disc worth savouring” - Classical Music Daily -
German romantic rarities for soprano, clarinet and piano Australian soprano Elena Xanthoudakis joins forces with Jason Xanthoudakis and Clemens Leske to perform some lost gems of the Romantic chamber music and leider repertoire – featuring works by composers including Lachner, Späth, Proch, Lindtpaintner and Kalliwoda.
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This is a Christmas album that has a sense of place, clearly identifying the Chorale as both American and from a border state with Mexico, and something for everyone whether they prefer serious or light festive fare. There is Hispanic influence in the repertoire choices, which include Catalan folksongs as well as Hispanic Renaissance music. It includes a commission by Cecilia McDowall, written for Christmas 2021, new arrangements of all tracks and also some contemporary Christmas favourites such as Sleigh Ride and Jingle Bells. This marks the Chorale’s return to recording following an 8-year hiatus, and their first album with Signum Records. “Festive repertoire plays an important role in the performance cycle of every choir, and it felt fitting to begin our journey with a Christmas recording that established a sense of place for the ensemble: we chose to record repertoire that is all American or Hispanic in origin, save for the newly-commissioned piece by Cecilia McDow- all that was written to mark the centenary of our home in Phoenix, Trinity Cathedral. Our aim is to translate the warmth of Arizona into our sound, to convey the rhetoric of every text, and celebrate the good health of the American Choral Tradition.” - Christopher Gabbitas ★★★★ "The Catalonian folk songs reveal the Chorale's enviable smoothness and sumptuosity of tone. Best of all is Cecilia McDowall's Trinity Triptych, a Phoenix commission performed with a winning mixture of enthusiasm and finesse." - BBC Music Magazine