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Described by The Telegraph as “the creme de la creme of young British-based musical talent”, and praised in BBC Music Magazine for their “irresistible combination of arresting programing and vocal flair assembled around pianist Joseph Middleton”, the newly formed Myrthen Ensemble brings together rising stars in the world of art-song and Lieder. This disc features performances by Mary Bevan, Clara Mouriz, Allan Clayton, Marcus Farnsworth and Joseph Middleton. Joseph Middleton writes to introduce the recording: “The moon has, since antiquity, inspired artists, musicians and wordsmiths. The programme on this disc looks to its many characteristics for inspiration. The songs are at turns consoling, sometimes seductive in serenades and occasionally paint the moon as a threatening force through its extinguishing of the suns rays. The moon’s silver beams cast their magic in music by Brahms and Schumann in the first of these CDs and in the second, inspire the exquisite treatment of Clair de lune by a selection of the finest French song composers. Short English nocturnal overtures begin each disc.” ★★★★ This is a lovely disc, one of those in which the different items seem to set each other off - Planet Hugill A particular attraction is the inclusion of less well-known duets and quartets, which add to the convivial atmosphere - Financial Times The four voices blend beautifully in quartets - Gramophone There is much to relish... and for those, like me, who love art-song as much as the Myrthen Ensemble do, you know even better is to come - Music Web International -
The Rodolfus Choir return to disc on Signum with a stunning new collection of choral works drawn from composers spanning over 500 years. Ralph Allwood MBE introduces the programme and the personal inspiration behind it: The concept of time is so rich that it has inspired a large body of writing and musical setting. This collection is a tribute to my father, because I learnt so much about time from him. Mathematician and philosopher, theologian, musician and physicist, he was fascinated by our perception of time, and he and I had many discussions about its nature. In a trivial sense, music traces the passage of time, but also, as with all events, manipulates it. A watch traces a different pattern of time during events. But who is to say that the watch is ‘right’. ★★★★★ If you want to hear young voices singing at their very best, with each line perfectly balanced, then this CD is a must - Choir & Organ Provocative, eye-meeting loveliness on this record from Ralph Allwood's Rodolfus Choir - Gramophone A rewarding sequence... a good recording as well - BBC Radio 3 CD Review -
The Choir of Jesus College Cambridge’s new release on Signum blends a selection of ancient and modern works from the 16th and 20th Centuries, all centred on the theme of evening. A gorgeous blended sound... the atmospheric singing of the choristers is of a high standard - Early Music Review The choir have a delicacy and a musical responsiveness that's particularly suited to this softer-edged programme of evening music - Gramophone As an unguent to tired limbs, is this gorgeously dreamy recital to the soul: calorific with comfort, it pleases with delightful contrasts, sensitive, sustained singing and shapely interpretations - Choir & Organ Most enjoyable - Cross Rhythms -
Julian Bliss and the Carducci Quartet pair two highly contrasting works – Johannes Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet and David Bruce’s Gumboots.Bruce's piece pivots on the contrast between its elegaic first movement and the five dances that follow it, and Bliss and the Carduccis relish the expressive variety - The Times Clarinettist Julian Bliss and the Carducci Quartet are mot sensitive and elegaic - Financial Times [Bliss] flits seamlessly between regular and bass clarinet. The finale's joyous barrage could almost be out of a Falla ballet - The Guardian Here's a double delight. First, an engaging new work that deserves a place in the Chamber repertory; second, a passionate account of Brahms' Clarinet Quintet which can hold its head high against starrier competition - Gramophone -
Winchester Cathedral celebrate 50 years since the release of Geoff Stephen’s Winchester Cathedral – a 1966 release for the New Vaudeville Band that reached No.1 in the charts in the USA and Canada, selling over 3 million copies and subsequently winning a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Recording. For this new disc Geoff Stephens has allowed the words of his tune to be adapted by the Choristers of Winchester Cathedral Choir, under the direction of Andrew Lumsden, “to celebrate the forthcoming 50th Anniversary of the original recording and to present the Cathedral as “a beacon of light” in the dark days through which we live”.This special EP release also includes arrangements of Somewhere over the Rainbow and Climb Every Mountain alongside Andrew Lumsden’s new arrangement of Geoff Stephen’s Winchester Cathedral.
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The King’s Singers return with a new early-music recording that features 12 of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s beautiful polyphonic choral settings of the ‘Canticum Canticorum’ – better known as ‘The Song of Songs’ or Canticles, a collection of poetry in the Hebrew Bible on the theme of the joy and ecstasy of human love. These settings are framed by four of Palestrina’s Marian motets, works in honour of the Virgin Mary which he composed throughout his life. This recording is the first to feature performances from the group’s new tenor Julian Gregory. An admirably cool approach - The ObserverAt it's best - The King's Singers' sweetness of tone seems perfectly to match the sense of the text - Gramophone Wonderful music beautifully delivered - The Northern Echo They sing in a beautifully blended style with individual voices often subsumed into the overall sound image. These performances have a significant amount of surface polish, poise and style, technically they are very impressive - Planet Hugill Admirers of The King's Singers will certainly not be disappointed -MusicWeb International -
For An Unknown Soldier is a cantata of remembrance to mark the centenary of the First World War. Commissioned by the London Mozart Players, Jonathan Dove’s poignant work combines the words of war poets such as Wilfred Owen, William Noel Hodgson & Isaac Rosenberg with choral performances from tenor Nicky Spence, the Oxford Bach Choir and Portsmouth Grammar School Chamber Choir. It is paired with the ensemble’s performance of Dove’s An Airmail Letter from Mozart, directed from the piano by Melvyn Tan. ★★★★ Performance, ★★★★★ Recording “Conductor Nicholas Cleonbury does a sterling job of marshalling the focus, which include a combined children’s choir, and tenor Nicky Spence, whose contributions are memorably plangent” - BBC Music Magazine “The performance is a good one. Nicky Spence sings expressively and his timble suits the music very well...The recordings of both works have been very effectively engineered by Matthew Dilley” - Musicweb International “Nicky Spence is particularly well-focused and expressive and the Oxford Chorus perfectly drilled and nicely balanced with a lovely tone quality” - Musicweb International -
During his journey to circumnavigate the globe Sir Francis Drake took four viol players with him, who played both for his devotions and to the native peoples around the world that they encountered. Fretwork have commissioned British composer Orlando Gough to recreate this remarkable journey in sound, in a work for viol consort that combines music from 16th century England with the ‘sounds’ that these musicians would have heard and perhaps tried to recreate on their journey – from the rebab and the gamelan to the mesmerising chanting of the Native Americans. The result is a musical narrative of one of the most significant achievements of the English golden age and an evocation of the earliest musical encounters between east and west. This premiere recording is interspersed with narration from The World Encompassed, one of the first literary accounts of the journey, read by Simon Callow. -
Nigel Short leads Tenebrae in a new album of sacred and jazz inspired choral works by Alexander L’Estrange, one of Britain’s most popular living choral composers.L'Estrange's works add a jazz-infused chordal depth and a roving harmonic eye to Howell's declamatory muscularity and modal palette. It's attractive, approachable music, with nothing contrived or patronising about it - Gramophone Vivid, varied and completely satisfying - Choir & Organ The choir masterfully interprets all the works to perfection and gains power and warmth from one piece to the next, offering to its listeners deep bass sounds as well as the brilliant homogeneity of voices - BachTrack On the showing of this disc, Alexander L'Estrange is the go-to person for evocative and striking small scale new commissions, something lyrically attractive with some luscious harmonies... Each item is perfectly lovely with the fine performances of Tenebrae giving us plenty of magical moments - Planet Hugill -
Poulenc was a skilled pianist, cultivating a style of playing characterised by colourfulness and clarity, possessing an ear for melody that distinguished him as France’s finest song composer since Fauré. ★★★★★ Lucille Chung proves a fantastic Poulenc advocate... A release to savour - Classical Ear For me the most attractive piece here is Poulenc’s own arrangement for two pianos of his Concerto for two pianos. The slow movement alone is worth the price of this exceptional disc - Classic FM A very special disc indeed - MusicWeb International -
The Choir of St John’s College Cambridge launch their new series of recordings with Signum by exploring the close connections between the college and celebrated British composer Jonathan Harvey (1939-2012), in a disc of works for choir and organ. Harvey’s music has influenced a generation of composers, described by The Guardian’s Tom Service as being “at once vividly contemporary and timeless”. The Choir’s director Andrew Nethsingha reflects on his own experiences and work with the Jonathan Harvey in CD’s programme note, in particular as the choir collaborated on what would be Jonathan Harvey’s final work for the choir, The Annunciation (2011). -
Classical Opera explore a wealth of arias by Handel and his contemporaries William Boyce, John Christopher Smith and Thomas Arne, all of which were composed for the celebrated 18th-century tenor John Beard (1716-1791). For this recording Allan Clayton steps ably into this role, performing alongside the Orchestra of Classical Opera under Ian Page. The disc also features a duet with Mary Bevan, from Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato.★★★★ Rousing renditions - The Times A must for early music devotees - Gramophone A delight... I cannot recommend it too highly - Classic FM The outstanding young tenor [John Beard] fulfils his early promise - The Sunday Times -
Christmas presents a golden opportunity to present brand new music to wide audiences, and the role played by St John’s College Choir in this area has been significant, as demonstrated by new recording of traditional and contemporary choral works. The recording features Michael Finnissy’s John the Baptist, written for the Choir for its BBC Advent broadcast in 2014. The programme begins with Bob Chilcott’s The Shepherd’s Carol commissioned by Stephen Cleobury (a former St John’s organ scholar) for King’s College Choir, and also includes Creator of the Stars of Night, composed by another former St John’s organ scholar, John Scott. The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge is one of the finest choirs of men and boys in the world, known and loved by millions from its recordings, broadcasts and concert tours. A cornerstone of the great English choral tradition since the 1670s, the Choir is recognised for its distinctive, rich and expressive sound and is today directed by Andrew Nethsingha.An evocatively sung collection from the Cambridge choir glowing with devotional joy - Choir and Organ -
World-renowned a cappella group The King’s Singers follow their recent Great American Songbook album with the Christmas equivalent, on a disc that pays homage to the group’s roots whilst acknowledging their current passion for swing. Traditional favourites such as “The holly and the ivy,” “In the bleak midwinter,” and the beautiful Austrian carol “Still, Still, Still,” jockey for position amongst modern-day classics like “Winter Wonderland,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “Sleigh Ride.” All are presented in new arrangements by some of the group’s favourite arrangers: Berty Rice, Keith Roberts and Alexander L’Estrange. There’s an infectious sense of glee… To say it’s what you would expect from this dexterous ensemble is recommendation enough - Choir and Organ -
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. -
Recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall in October 2015, this new release continues the Philharmonia Orchestra’s celebrated series of live recordings on Signum, led in this performance by their Honorary Conductor for Life Christoph von Dohnányi.Recorded as part of the orchestra’s 70th anniversary season, this performance captures the grandure and intensirt of Schubert’s final and greatest symphony.