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Internationally-acclaimed violinist Charlie Siem and pianist Itamar Golan release their debut album on Signum including works by Kreisler, Sarasate, Paganini, Elgar and Wieniawski, showcasing Siem’s versatility and virtuosity in an intimate Parisian-style ‘salon’ programme. Siem has appeared with many of the world’s finest orchestras and chamber ensembles, including: the Bergen Philharmonic, the Camerata Salzburg, the Czech National Symphony, the Israel Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He plays the 1735 Guarneri del Gesù violin, known as the “D’Egvill”. "This is a marvellous selection of mostly miniatures played in an outstanding manner by the English violinist Charlie Siem. His playing is in turn rhapsodic, charming, virtuosic and always imaginatively musical. Each performance is a gem...Siem sounds superb...The liner notes written by David Truslove are excellent and informative. There are many such recordings of potpourris of violin pieces but this is one of the best that I have heard. Very highly recommended. " - AUSTA National Journal -
Voce’s mission, as articulated by Artistic Director Mark Singleton, is to Serve Harmony. They strive to perform each piece as a unified ensemble – to get straight to the heart of each composition. This cooperative spirit enables them to render music that expresses, as closely as possible, the intent of the composer. Paul Mealor’s music, in turn, comes from a place of deep humility. It stirs the soul, allowing the spirit of all who hear it a direct, unconditioned experience of peace, love, compassion and a profound joy. When Paul came to work with Voce in 2017, it was obvious that Voce and Paul Mealor were a perfect pairing. Some things are just meant to be. All downloads include booklets. Paul Mealor described Voce as “one of the finest choirs on the planet” with “a warmth of tone and beauty that is unique.” Ēriks Ešenvalds described Artistic Director Mark Singleton as “a very sensitive and smart conductor – he finds hidden beauties in the scores that most conductors would never know existed.” Morten Lauridsen praised Singleton’s work as “exemplifying choral performance at its finest.” -
"Darkness to light is a theme which continues to engage artists, musicians, philosophers and thinkers through time, and this theme, coupled with thoughts of remembrance, hope, redemption and acceptance is the thread that ties together all the music performed on this recording" - Bob Chilcott ‘Canticles of Light’ is Bob Chilcott’s ninth album on Signum Records. Featuring celebrated composers including Cecilia McDowall, Francis Pott and James MacMillan each work has been carefully selected by conductor and professor Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny, with the final track written especially for the NFM Choir. Hailed by The Observer as ‘a contemporary hero of British choral music’, composer and conductor Bob Chilcott has enjoyed a lifelong connection with singing and choirs. As a composer he has a large catalogue of music published by Oxford University Press that reflects his broad view of musical styles and genres. ★★★★★ "The album was recorded in 2019 but its themes gain additional resonance with its release earlier this year in a very different world" - Choir & Organ ★★★★★ "The challenge of translating this music to the point in sound and emotion is mastered by the NFM Choir under Agnieszka Frankow-Zelazny without fault. [An] engaging sound...It is choral singing full of light, with voices that radiate from within...In general – splendor and radiance stands for the performance of the NFM Choir" - Pizzicato ★★★★ Performance ★★★★ Recording "[Chilcott’s Move him into the sun] Tenor Sebastian Mach’s plangent solo in ‘Apologia pro Poemate meo’ is a highlight here, feelingly supported by players from the Wrocław Philharmonic" - BBC Music Magazine -
A work filled with ambition, Circlesong is a musical portrayal of the human life cycle as captured in the indigenous poetry of North America. Based on poetry from the Chinook, Comanche, Dakota, Eskimo, Iroquois, Kwakiutl, Navajo, Ojibwa, Pueblo, Seminole, Sioux, and Yaqui traditions, the thirteen movements, in seven parts, mark the different stages of life, from birth and childhood to adulthood, middle age and death. With energetic percussion accompaniment, climactic moments for tutti choir, tender unaccompanied passages and solo song, Circlesong is a work of impressive drama, variety, and depth, performed here by the Grammy® Award winning Houston Chamber Choir under Robert Simpson. Founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Robert Simpson, the Houston Chamber Choir received the 2019 Grammy® Award for Best Choral Performance for its recording of the complete works of Maurice Duruflé (also available from Signum). Other honours include Chorus America’s Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence and the American Prize, Professional Choir Division. Dubbed by Jamie Bernstein as“the choral equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters” the Houston Chamber Choir is as comfortable singing jazz with Christian McBride and Dave Brubeck as performing Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel with violist Kim Kashkashian, and Mass Observation by Tarik O’Regan. "I was impressed by their singing of Circlesong. They make a most attractive sound. The singing is very well disciplined and there's good attention to both dynamics and diction…The instrumentalists are uniformly excellent…They've recorded the performances very successfully…This is a most enjoyable disc which I hope will increase awareness among other choirs of these rewarding pieces, especially Circlesong" - MusicWeb International ★★★★ "Circlesong is a choral work packed full of fun, with vibrant, dynamic sections alongside more reflective, ethereal moments. Placed alongside a series of shorter pieces by the contemporary composer here, there's plenty to enjoy" - BBC Music Magazine "The Houston Performers give an immaculate, eloquent performance of a charming, life-affirming piece." - Choir and Organ -
Chilcott’s mighty setting of words from St John’s Gospel is a dramatic yet optimistic retelling of the Passiontide story. The work combines 13th and 17th century English poetry with the King James Bible text settings and, as with Bach’s great Passion settings, the role of the Evangelist is taken by the tenor soloist, who provides a melodious narrative throughout. Including 5 well- known hymn texts set to new, original melodies, the work further confirms Chilcott’s status as one of the world’s most popular active choral composers.
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The three works on this 2CD set further confirm Chilcott’s status as one of the world’s most popular active choral composers. The Angry Planet was a commission inspired by conductor David Hill for the BBC Proms in 2012, and combines the precision and skill of the BBC Singers and The Bach Choir with the exuberance of a host of young persons and Children’s choirs including The Young Singers, London Youth Choir and Finchley Children’s Music Group. -
Tamsin Waley Cohen is joined by pianist Huw Watkins for a new disc exploring folk- inspired Bohemia from before the First World War – featuring works by Antonin Dvořák, Josef Suk and Leoš Janáček. Waley-Cohen captures the score’s spirit of infectious bonhomie to perfection… this gifted duo refreshingly exchanges the percussive tendency and angular introspection of some recent accounts for a spiritually intense espressivo reminiscent of Yehudi Menuhin in his prime - The Strad Just fresh, thoughtful and committed interpretations shot through with poetry and alertness - Gramophone The performances are all well prepared, well integrated, well-conceived and beautifully played. Altogether a cherishable disc - MusicWeb International English violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen’s flexible and versatile technique is assured, especially demonstrated in Dvořák’s and his son-in-law Suk’s Four Romantic Pieces...They have an affinity with this music and play lyrically ...This is classy playing from both performers. - AUSTA National Journal -
BBC Music Magazine Award-winning choir Tenebrae perform a sumptuous selection of motets by Johannes Brahms and Anton Bruckner. Choral Recording of the Year: Performance ★★★★★ Recording ★★★★★ A beautifully balanced programme - BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★ Complex, rich and beautiful... performances are everything we have come to expect from Tenebrae, likewise Signum's recorded sound - Classical Music ★★★★ Richly Expressive - The Observer Tenebrae score on all counts. They submit with impressive stamina and unfailing intonation to Bruckner’s instrumental scoring and phrasing - Gramophone The dense harmonies suit this well-established professional choir perfectly - The Guardian Beautifully performed, seraphic sequence - The Sunday Times -
Marking 70 years since Enescu’s death, celebrated violinist Charlie Siem returns to Signum Classics performing the Brahms Violin Concerto, and works by George Enescu with previous collaborators, conductor Oleg Caetani and the Philharmonia Orchestra. This release features a world premiere recording of the Brahms Violin Concerto cadenza written by George Ensecu. ★★★★½ Fono Forum - “Light, fluid, almost weightless and dusted” ★★★★ The Times“The perfect conclusion to an obviously desirable album” - Best classical albums of 2025 so far. -
This album features the second half of Brescianello’s Opus 1; works 1 – 6 were released as Behind Closed Doors in 2022. La Serenissima passionately believe that Brescianello is a composer who deserves greater recognition with the result that many of his works have been included in releases dating from 2019, our first release on Signum. Solo concertos for violin alternate with Sinphonias for strings and continuo; both forms illustrate Brescianello’s talent for fusing virtuosity with the sweetest of melodies. Also included on the album is an orchestral suite in A major that finishes with a rousing Giga.★★★★★ Performance, ★★★★★ Recording "His [Chandler's] playing is brilliantly skilful, immediate and engaging. The handling of the cadenza at the end of the Sixth Concerto is especially impressive." - BBC Music Magazine"Chandler and La Serenissma give a very colourful picture of Brescianello's music, which is not lacking in individuality" - CONCERTO -
Signum Classics is proud to release an album of string works by the award-winning composer, Brian Elias. Spanning almost half a century, this survey of Brian Elias’s chamber music for strings arose from a retrospective staged in 2020 by the Music@Malling festival in Kent. His first album on Sig- num, it is released alongside ‘Music for Wind’ and will be launched at Music@ Malling in September 2024. The album artwork is by celebrated artist Anish Kapoor. All Music Classical Highlights October 2024 EDITORS CHOICE "This is the finest album of contemporary chamber music I have encountered this year...Brian Elias' String Quartet (2012) is a gem that should be in the repertoire of every British Quartet...A tour de force of compositional ingenuity...The Castalian Quartet play it for all its worth in a performance that is little short of a revelation...Clein's performances are the album's high points (the magic is particularly strong in Of Elutropia)" - Gramophone “Amply gifted as an orchestral composer...purified intensity, immediacy and unrestrained lyricism” - Paul Griffiths, The Sunday Times "It’s hard to imagine more committed or more persuasive accounts of the string music of Brian Elias than the ones gathered together here. The Indian-born British composer is a senior figure in UK music, with an appropriately broad and considered output to match...It’s a deeply rewarding disc whose exquisitely crafted music is matched by performances of authority” - The Strad -
Released as part of a double launch, ‘Music for Wind’ is an album of world pre- miere recordings by composer Brian Elias, winner of two British Composer Awards. He has had previous compositions performed and recorded extensively by leading orchestras and soloists including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Brit- ten Sinfonia among many others. The album artwork is by world-renowned artist Anish Kapoor. “Every inflection tells, the balance of sound is exact, and the sound seductive in the best traditions of glamorous 20th century orchestral writing.” - Paul Driver, The Sunday Times "Marvellously well played - not least the 2016 Oboe Quintet by Nicholas Daniel and the Sacconi Quartet...recommendable" - Gramophone "The playing of David Zucchi is remarkable and very controlled. [Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Bassoon] The performance by Mark Simpson and Amy Harman is superb. This is an important addition to the repertoire for this combination" - Clarinet & Saxophone Magazine -
Recorded in 2014 at the begninning of a series marking his 85th birthday season, Christoph von Dohnányi leads the Philharmonia Orchestra in a rousing live performance of Bruckner’s monumental Ninth Symphony, which stands alongside the other epoch-defining Ninth symphonies of Beethoven and Mahler. [A] beautifully prepared account... Dohnanyi's new recording is distinguished by the clarity with which it presents Bruckner's score as well as the excellence of its sound - Gramophone Dohnanyi's is a considerable performance in its own right. The Philharmonia plays very well for a conductor who they clearly and rightly esteem - MusicWeb International The recording is everything you'd wish from a Bruckner recording. You'll get the grand and the detail all in silky sound. Very highly recommended - Audiophilia A wonderfully passion-filled performance by the Philharmonia in Salzburg and an excellent CD edition of this occasion - North East Music Magazine The performance is as devastating an experience as it should be, and one of the most powerful that the whole literature of music can provide - BBC Music Magazine Maazel's Seventh is very decent...the clangorous coda is fantastic - The Arts Desk A wonderfully passion-filled performance by the Philharmonia in Salzburg and an excellent CD edition of this occasion -NE:MM -
Led by Mark Williams, the Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge continue their critically-praised series of recordings on Signum with this new recording of works by British composers Britten and Byrd. William Byrd and Benjamin Britten, their respective careers separated by about three hundred and fifty years, share one very significant characteristic. They were both, in quite different ways, outsiders. As a devout Catholic existing within an alien environment – a state which ultimately viewed Catholicism as the equivalent of sedition – Byrd was obliged to pursue a kind of double life, expressing his spiritual exile in music of emotional intensity. Like Byrd, Britten became highly regarded by the establishment for his artistic achievements, but reservations regarding his homosexuality prevented his complete acceptance. Both his pacifism and his sexual orientation made him an outsider. -
Rupert Gough and The Choir of Royal Holloway release a new single with soprano Laura Wright, raising awareness of mental health and encouraging people to seek support and donate to mental health charities if they feel able to. The track, written by composer Thomas Hewitt Jones and lyricist Matt Harvey, speaks of the loneliness and despair felt by many around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. All of the musicians involved gave their services for free and hope that the song can be an anthem for kindness, bringing hope all around the world to those suffering with their mental health. Proceeds from the single will be donated to a number of UK-based mental health charities. The music video for Can You Hear Me? can be found HERE. -
In a new arrangement for solo harp, celebrated harpist Gwyneth Wentink presents Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt’s Canto Ostinato and Aforisme No. 2 (a transcription by Jeroen van Veen on behalf of Simeon ten Holt). “I first heard Canto Ostinato on piano in 2011 and I felt as if I was on fire. THIS is something I wanted to play on the harp: I clearly recall the zeal and enthusiasm I felt at the time. I was buzzing with curiosity, excitement and vitality. Exploring various musical genres, arranging music for the harp and working in interdisciplinary settings is something that has always been important to me. Playing the harp, one is being confronted with a rather restricted repertoire, and one almost evidently scans the horizon for what else one can arrange, commission and/or discover” – Gwyneth Wentink.★★★★ "Fans of 'Canto ostinato' will cheer at the arrangement by harpist Gwyneth Wentink. She cunningly highlights opposing voices and rhythms, as if Canto ostinato is simply rock-solid music." - De Volkskrant
"Canto Ostinato is one of the great works of minimalist music. At 48 minutes... I imagine the player needs to have very tough fingertips to play continuously for this length of time. In addition to the whole work, we are given on an extra track, a version of Section 74. It is exquisite." - MusicWeb International