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The Nutcracker & I,

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Pianist Alexandra Dariescu presents a reimagining of the classic ballet tale of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, with Alex herself taking the role of Clara, now a little girl longing to fulfil her dream of becoming a pianist. Alexandra performs extracts from the ballet in transcriptions by luminaries including Mikhail Pletnev and Percy Grainger, interspersed with narration from TV presenter Lindsey Russell in a new version of the story by Jessica Duchen.

The lavish book-bound release includes illustrations by Adam Smith, adapted from Yeast Culture’s cutting-edge digital animation that accompanies the show’s live performances.
A pleasant and entertaining experience for children - Gramophone The perfect Christmas disc for tiny humans - BBC Music Magazine

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The Organ of St Bavo, Haarlem

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Joseph Nolan marks his 10th release on Signum Classics with a recording on the remarkable 1738 Christian Muller organ of St Bavo in the Dutch city of Haarlem. Housed in one of the most spectacular organ cases in the world, the instrument's renowned clarity of tone makes it perfectly suited to Reubke's Sonata on the 94th Psalm, which forms the heart Nolan's programme alongside works by Bach, Buxtehude and Mendelssohn.

British-Australian organist and choral conductor Dr Joseph Nolan has been hailed by ABC Classic FM as ‘an extraordinary musician’, by BBC Radio 3 Record Review as ‘Magnificent’ and by Gramophone as ‘perceptive and intensely musical’. A nominee for Artist of the Year, Limelight Magazine also awarded Joseph its coveted ‘Recording of the Month’ for his ninth disc for Signum Records from St Etienne du Mont, Paris (SIGCD470), the church and organ of Maurice Duruflé – the first time in the history of the magazine that an organ disc has been awarded this distinction.
★★★★★ Reubke's Sonata on the 94th Psalm rings out here with robust brilliance - Choir and Organ A wonderful accomplishment - Gramophone This could well prove to be the organ disc of the decade - Music Web International

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The Organ of Westminster Abbey

Price range: £8.00 through £12.00

Robert Quinney performs a stunning recital of works by Elgar on the organ of Westminster Abbey. Quinney has been Sub-Organist there since 2004, performing for a variety of celebrated occasions including the Royal Wedding in April this year. ★★★★★ Magnificent - The Daily Telegraph Performance ★★★★ Recording ★★★★★ Thoughtfully programmed, compellingly played, Quinney's Elgar entices - BBC Music Magazine ★★★★ The early Sonata in G (the only work here written for the organ) fares best of all, Quinney subtly exploiting its quasi-symphonic mien to good effect - Choir & Organ Magazine Signum Classics' recording is tremendously vivid across the whole spectrum and captures the Westminster Abbey atmosphere in all its blazing majesty - Gramophone

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The Oriental Miscellany

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Harpsichordist Jane Chapman explores The Oriental Miscellany – William Hamilton Bird’s 1789 collection and arrangement of Hindustani airs for harpsichord. Bird’s collection, which was the first ever publication of Indian music notated for Western instruments, also features his own Sonata, incorporating original Indian tunes with flute accompaniment (here performed by baroque flautist Yu-Wei Hu).

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The Psalms

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

‘Psalms are at the heart of our choir’s musical identity. They inform everything else we perform – technically, musically and emotionally. They are the best medium for a choir to communicate directly with members of a congregation. The Chapel at St John’s is a perfect space in which to sing psalms’ - Andrew Nethsingha ★★★★★ ''Beauty of sound is to the fore in liquid, blended voices flow seamlessly in and around each other, in clarity of diction and exquisitely modulated delivery...Excellent, extensive notes round off a relishable recital" - Choir and Organ ★★★★ Performance, ★★★★★ Recording "[Nethsingha's] insistence on crisp articulation pays major dividends in a feisty reading on Psalm 52, where the come-uppance of the boastful tyrant is relished by the St John's singers" - BBC Music Magazine "The really remarkable thing is how much feeling they pour into the phrasing and the words so that each Psalm isn’t just a heartfelt prayer, it’s a miniature drama…The really wonderful thing is the choir’s diction. It’s so clear…Andrew Nethsingha’s shaping of every phrase is wonderful…The recording team captures the acoustic of the chapel as expertly as they always seem to on these St John’s releases, and the organ is blended perfectly with the voices" - Musicweb International

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The Rodolfus Choir: Choral Collection

Price range: £16.00 through £24.00

This 3CD set comprises a selection of great albums by the Rodolfus Choir, made up of singers aged from 16 to 25 who have been chosen from past and present members of Eton College's summer choral courses for prospective choral scholars. The disc devoted to Francis Grier is an exceptionally fine one … The performances are generally excellent, so too the recordings - Musicweb International Recommended without reservation and, as they say, the further volumes are eagerly awaited - Musical Pointers

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The Romantic Horn

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

This recording presents a selection of some of the most well-loved works for the horn. Titled The Romantic Horn, the works highlight the lyrical gems of the European repertoire for the instrument, with works by Beethoven, Schumann and Scriabin. Richard Watkins is one of the most sought-after horn players of his generation. He was Principal Horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra for twelve years, is currently a member of The Nash Ensemble, and is a founding member of London Winds. His extensive discography includes recordings of concertos by Mozart, Malcolm Arnold, Reinhold Glière, Ethel Smyth and Colin Matthews, as well as Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante and chamber music for horn by Schumann, Schubert and Poulenc. Pianist Julius Drake lives in London and specialises in chamber music, working with many of the world’s leading artists, both in recital and in the recording studio. He performs regularly across the globe, in venues that include include Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Berlin's Philharmonie, and New York's Carnegie Hall; and festivals such as the BBC Proms and Salzburg Music Festival. Performance ★★★★ Recording ★★★★★ Passing moments of earthly good humour [are] embraced with alacrity - BBC Music Magazine ★★★★ An enjoyable recital, well recorded - Classical Music Magazine Watkins’ rich, singing tone is complemented by Drake's lively pianism - The Sunday Times Leaves an unmistakable impression that these two distinguished platers are certainly having a lot of fun - Gramophone

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The Sacred Veil

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

The Sacred Veil - a project led by Eric Whitacre and Charles Anthony Silvestri - was created following the passing of Charles’ wife, Julia in 2005. It represents a journey towards the answer for many questions, including whether departed loved ones are truly gone, and how can we mourn those we have lost whilst still moving forward? In Charles’ own words, the project became “a significant part of my journey toward healing and wholeness after great loss.” Poet, author, composer, and speaker Charles Anthony Silvestri has worked with other artists from all over the world to create texts tailor-made for their commissions and specific artistic needs. He enjoys the challenge of solving these creative problems and has provided custom choral texts, opera libretti, program notes and other writing for composers including Eric Whitacre, Ola Gjeilo, Kim Arnesen, and Dan Forrest, and for ensembles ranging from high schools to the Houston Grand Opera, from the King’s Singers to the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, from Westminster Choir College to Westminster Abbey. Grammy® Award-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre is one of the world’s most performed living composers. His works have been programmed worldwide by millions of amateur and professional performers, while his ground-breaking Virtual Choirs have united singers from over 120 different countries. Eric, a graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School of Music, is presently Artist in Residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, following five years as Composer in Residence at the University of Cambridge, UK.As conductor of the Eric Whitacre Singers, he has released such chart-topping albums including Light and Gold and Water Night. In high demand as guest conductor, he has drawn capacity audiences to concerts with the Netherlands Radio Choir, London Symphony Orchestra, Flemish Radio Choir, and Minnesota Orchestra. All downloads include booklets.

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The Seeds of Stars

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Former King's Singer Bob Chilcott conducts a stellar array of his choral music, in a collaborative performance with the Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir. Described by the Observer as “a contemporary hero of British Choral Music”, Bob Chilcott works tirelessly as a composer and choral conductor - August 2012 saw the first performance of The Angry Planet in the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, and he has recently completed commissions for The Bach Choir, BBC Singers and National Youth Choir of Great Britain.

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The Shepherd on the Rock

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A trio of leading British solists perform a sumptuous selection of chamber music by the Romantic composers Brahms, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann and Strauss. The programme is centred around Schubert’s iconic The Shepherd on the Rock – written for the esteemed soprano Anna Milder- Hauptmann, it was to become virtually the final complete work that Schubert composed before his tragic death at 31.
★★★★ There are some lovely performances on this disc, with Tynan, Bliss and Glynn combining to make some real magic in the Schubert and Strauss - Planet Hugill ★★★★ They offer arrangements with the clarinet by Julian Bliss and Lieder with a delicious evening feeling, like in the light of candles - Ritmo

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The Song of Songs, The Poet in Exile: Works by Walter Arlen

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Arlen was a Jewish composer, originally from Austria who escaped Hitler’s invasion into Vienna. His family was persecuted, and lots of his family were murdered or committed suicide as a result of the holocaust, which inspired a lot of his compositional writing. When he escaped to the US where he lived with family friends, Arlen entered songs in a competition, winning first prize. This allowed him to live, study and work as amanuensis with Roy Harris. Through Harris he was introduced to famous composers of the day (such as Schoenberg, Mahler etc) and wrote for the Los Angeles Times as music reviewer for many years before committing to his own compositional works, both of whom have had additions made by conductor Kenneth Woods, with Arlen’s permission. "Really fine contributions from the three soloists...this is well worth investigating" - Gramophone "This is an inspired score, in which the three soloists give off an extraordinary aura: the sumptuous voice of Thomas Mole, the elegant voice of mezzo-soprano Anna Huntley and the fleshiness of tenor Gwilym Bowen's voice. At the head of the extraordinary English orchestra and the magnificent voices of the women in the chorus, there is Kenneth Woods, an erudite and affable conductor who creates welcoming sound environments - instrumental and vocal." - Sonograma "These profound poems are not easily rendered in musical terms, and it is to Arlen’s credit that he goes a considerable way to achieving this" - Acana

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The Sunlight on the Garden

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One of the UK’s leading choral directors for over 50 years, Stephen Wilkinson MBE has led both professional and amateur choirs across Europe, and is particularly renowned for his work with the BBC Northern Singers and the William Byrd Singers of Manchester. Only retiring from conducting in 2009 at the age of 90, Stephen Wilkinson’s songs span the breadth of his long career as a conductor and musician, and are best described by his daughter Clare – an acclaimed mezzo-soprano herself who also performs on this recording – as being “a unique voice, yet deeply rooted in the English song tradition of Finzi, Gurney and Quilter.” Performed by British singers Mhairi Lawson, Clare Wilkinson, James Gilchrist and Matthew Brook, they draw on texts by a wealth of sources including Auden, Yates, Coleridge, Shakespeare and many more. Highly persuasive English lyricism… a worthwhile labour of love - The Guardian There are fine things here…. strikingly original…. rooted in textual detail - Gramophone Drawing on texts from the likes of Auden, Yates, Coleridge and Shakespeare, this is a must for devotees - Northern Echo The English song tradition continues to bear fruit [and] Wilkinson takes his place in the canon - MusicWeb International

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The Sweetest Songs: Music from the Baldwin Partbooks III

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Contrapunctus concludes its exploration of the music preserved in John Baldwin’s partbooks with a third album dedicated to this remarkable treasure house of English sacred music, the richest single source of Tudor polyphony to survive. This third recording opens a window on a striking aspect of the history of the English motet, and one that has been neglected: the penchant in England for setting Latin psalms as motets, the so-called ‘psalm motet’. These texts offered rich opportunity for vivid musical response, given their nature as personal and impassioned addresses to God, and led to Richard Sampson – Dean of the English Chapel Royal under Henry VIII – describing the psalms as ‘the sweetest songs’. The principal English composers born between the 1510s and the 1530s all contributed to this genre of motet, but to a significant extent this fascinating repertory has lain in obscurity and remains unfamiliar to modern audiences. More than half of the works on this album are premiere recordings, and they include such glorious motets as Robert White’s Domine, non est exaltatum, William Mundy’s Memor esto verbi tui, and John Sheppard’s Confitebor tibi Domine. Contrapunctus’s trademark combination of ground-breaking scholarship and performances that are ‘revelatory and even visionary’ (BBC Music Magazine) here brings to light and to life some of the finest musical survivals of the Tudor age.
"Contrapunctus are in cracking form here. Owen Rees’s direction is sharp and incisive.... An exquisite album" - Gramophone (Editor's Choice)

"An exquisite album of early music from Contrapunctus, concluding a superb survey of works from the Baldwin Partbooks, a major collection of Tudor Church Music" - Gramophone

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The Traveller: Earth & Sky

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

THE TRAVELLER for choir, children’s choir, orchestra, tenor, violin and speaker. The Traveller was the third in a series of four major works with words by Vikram Seth and music by Alec Roth, com- missioned jointly over four years by the Salisbury, Chelsea and Lichfield Festivals (2006-09). Each work featured the violinist Philippe Honoré as soloist, and each took a different geographical/cultur- al area as its starting point. EARTH AND SKY for children’s choir and piano (with optional percussion). Earth and Sky was commissioned by the BBC for the Proms 2000 season. In keeping with the millennial theme, a work presenting a vision of the future was requested. Trying to be helpful, the BBC provided me with a video containing the predictions of various experts, but their ideas seemed dizzyingly contradictory. -Alec Roth Ex Cathedra has performed Alec’s music in over 200 concerts since 2007. There have been large-scale commissions and recordings and many short ‘gems’. It is of consistently high quality with moments of absolute genius. The relationship continues to flourish. "Engineer Mike Hatch, working with producer Adrian Peacock, has achieved excellent results. All the various elements in each score – singers, soloists, instrumentalists – have been captured clearly and realistically by the microphones and a convincing balance has been achieved…This disc, featuring excellent performances, is a welcome addition to the representation on disc of Alec Roth’s music." - Musicweb International "Instantly accessible music with an Eastern twist…rhythmically catchy musical packaging" - BBC Music Magazine

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The Tree

Price range: £8.00 through £12.00

Andrew Nethsingha and The Choir of St John’s, Cambridge present a tribute album to two former directors, Christopher Robinson and David Hill, who celebrate their 85th and 65th birthdays respectively. Taking the idea of new growth as a starting point, the album develops from the seed of a single treble line, gradually adding organ, then lower voices, a second choir (Yale Schola Cantorum), 150 additional singers, and eventually combining nearly 500 voices together (former members and friends of the college choir). The programme spans Hildegard of Bingen to a new commission by James Long (b.1987) and also includes works by three ex-St Johnians: Herbert Howells, Johnathan Harvey and Christopher Robinson. The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge is one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world, known and loved by millions from its broadcasts, concert tours and recordings. Founded in the 1670s, the Choir is known for its distinctive rich, warm sound, its expressive interpretations and its breadth of repertoire. ★★★★ Performance, ★★★★ Recording "An album of hope for recovery…well crafted and beautifully sung disc from The Choir of St John's College" - BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★ "The outstanding quality of the singing and playing is the reason to buy this recording. Even something as straightforward as Stanford's A Song of Wisdom is given a ravishing performance" - Choir & Organ "It is a full programme taking us from the ancient to the modern and with many highlights along the way…Anyone with a connection to St John's College will enjoy this collection as will all who appreciate Anglican choral singing" - Cross Rhythms

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The Word Unspoken

Price range: £8.00 through £12.00

William Byrd, favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, was a confirmed and practising catholic who worshipped in defiance of the Queen. His status and perhaps even his life was preserved thanks partly to the undeniable mastery of his music, and to the fact that he was careful to maintain an output of music appropriate for a Protestant Rite (simple and English) as well as a Catholic one (florid and Latin). Byrd was by no means the only major Catholic composer working in England during these years. Furthermore, there were English composers whose faith drove them to work abroad, as well as foreign composers who offered sympathy and encouragement to English catholics. Included in this latter category was the Flemish composer Phillipe De Monte who entered into a fascinating compositional correspondence with Byrd. Verses of Psalm 136 ‘Super Flumina Babylonis’ (containing many allegorical references to the plight of catholics unable to practice their faith openly) were set to music and exchanged, in what is now seen as an encoded message of mutual support and friendship between brothers in faith. Gallicantus are perfectly placed here to compare the works of William Byrd and Philippe de Monte - The Independent The singing is beyond exemplary: deeply felt, tenderly phrased, perfectly balanced, with the most profound understanding, seemingly bred in the bone - Choir & Organ The intensity of the music is reflected in Gallicantus's beautifully shaped performances - The Sunday Times In Mark Chambers, Gallicantus boast a countertenor 'lead' of near-flawless poise and eloquence - Gramophone

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The World Encompassed

Price range: £12.00 through £21.00

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.

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There Was a Child

Price range: £8.00 through £12.00

Jonathan Dove wrote There Was a Child as a tribute to a friend’s son who died tragically young. Filled with both joyous celebration and heartfelt emotion, it’s a big, warm-hearted modern masterpiece in the spirit of Britten and vaughan Williams – following in an evergreen english tradition and featuring the combined forces of the CBSO and CBSO Chorus, Youth Chorus and Junior Chorus with soloists Joan Rodgers and Toby Spence.
[Dove] has thus achieved the near-impossible: a work that commemorates an event which is surely every parent's darkest fear but which at the same time truly and positively fulfils the commissioner's brief, 'to celebrate' this young, short life - International Record Review Joyous, vibrant, passionate ... There Was a Child is a major addition to the choral repertoire - Financial Times Dove's adroit choice of poetry, orchestrated with imagination and humour, provides an endearing story of a boy through to adolescence, and although there is pathos it is never mawkish - Choir & Organ

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There Will Come Soft Rains

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The Choir of the West is the premier choral ensemble of the Department of Music at Pacific Lutheran University, located in Tacoma, Washington. The choir was founded in 1926, and was the third Lutheran college choir to tour extensively throughout the United States. Choir of the West has toured to Europe, Scandinavia, Japan and China, and has been selected to appear at several regional and national conferences of the National Association for Music Education and the American Choral Directors Association. In November of 2015 the choir was a featured ensemble at the National Collegiate Choral Organization Conference, held in Portland, Oregon, performing with renowned conductor Simon Carrington. During the summer of 2011, Choir of the West competed among choirs from 47 nations at the prestigious Harmonie Festival in Lindenholzhausen, Germany, winning two gold certificates and one silver. In 2015 the choir competed in the Anton Bruckner Choir Competition, held in Linz, Austria. This record celebrates the music of Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds. One of the most sought-after composers of today, Ešenvalds studied both in Latvia and the UK. He has had works premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, which have won him many awards. All downloads include booklets.

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These Visions

Price range: £8.00 through £12.00

Formed in 2002, the award winning Lunar Saxophone Quartet has developed a reputation for their commitment to composer/performer collaborations, leading to dozens of commissions from a variety of different composers. Performances have spanned a wide range of occasions, from Bryn Terfel's 'Faenol Festival' and the Welsh BBC Proms, to live broadcasts on BBC TV and Radio.
This new disc features a programme of newly commissioned works by some of Wales's youngest and most gifted composers together with those of more established figures.
Tann’s Some Of The Silence is inspired by a haiku [and] presents a world of calm and solitude - The Independent
This is lyrical ensemble playing at its very best - Gramophone

Phenomenally talented saxophonists … As quartet performances go the ones captured here would be very difficult indeed to beat - Clarinet and Saxophone Society Magazine

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Thomas Ades: The Twenty-Fifth Hour

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Los Angeles based string quartet The Calder Quartet releases an album of works by Thomas Adès, including the British composer’s first ever work for string quartet, Arcadiana; The Four Quarters (World Premiere Recording) and Adès’s single movement Piano Quintet with Adès himself at the piano. A series of ingenious and alluring snapshots. The Calder Quartet perform all three with energy and sensitivity. Highly recommended - Financial Times Fine recorded sound as well; this is music and performances that repay repeated listening - BBC Radio 3 CD Review The players of the young American quartet seem so inside this music they might have been playing it all their lives - Classical Music Magazine

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Thomas Lupo: Fantasia

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FANTASIA is Fretwork’s eleventh release with Signum Classics, and explores the court music of tudor Eng- land through the works of Thomas Lupo. A very large quantity of Lupo’s private and intimate viol consort music has survived, and we can marvel at its variety and quality. He wrote for unique combinations of viols in his three-part Fantasies, however the five- and six-part fantasies are his most impressive work, seri- ous and compelling pieces showing a fabulous command of counterpoint. In 2021, Fretwork celebrated 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 2022 Fretwork plan visits to Germany, Spain and France. There will also be a collaboration with The Kings Singers and new works from Sir James MacMillan and Roderick Williams. Gold Diapason D'Or "An intelligent arrangement of the pieces and Fretwork's ability to inhabit each measure with fullness gives this music a charm, an ever-renewed interest. The indisputable sureness of the bow of the five British gambists, the exemplary polyphonic clarity of their approach nourish an obvious pleasure in playing…Fretwork paints these changing moods with a sober, subtle and above all sensitive touch…this intense disc constitutes a magnificent tribute to a talented figure in the golden age of the English consort" - Diapason ★★★★★ Performance ★★★★★ Recording "The style is light and breezy - buoyed by lithe, dancing rhythms, gracefully articulated…Throughout the consort's sound is luminous and so finely balanced that even in the more intricate contrapuntal works individual lines remain lucid." - BBC Music Magazine "This is a delightful collection of pieces…Fretwork here play with evident enjoyment and the recording is good…Fans of viol consorts need no encouragement; others would find this a good place to start" - Musicweb International

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Throwback to Dance

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This album, Throwback to Dance, explores how composers turn to dance forms to carve out new paths: predominantly court dances, folk dances but also the more ‘modern’ waltz. The album is inspired by the charming meeting between Ravel and Grieg back in 1894, and looks at Grieg’s influence on Ravel, seldom documented, as well as that on Pejacević and Chaminade. "Beautifully played and presented, the music put together by Gavrić gives us a unique view of music that not only makes you think but also dance."- Interlude "It’s hard to imagine any aficionado of the piano not looking forward to hearing more of the artistic playing of Gavrić, whether she evokes dancing or singing, or simply makes music in her own inimitable style." - Gramophone “The entire recital, given with brio and affection, is aimed at those with a spirit of musical adventure; an exceptionally stimulating issue” - The Art of Pianists "Lovely programming and fine playing"- International piano

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Tide Harmonic

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Tide Harmonic is a new work for small ensemble by the contemporary British composer Joby Talbot. With a compositional aesthetic that threads through his classical and concert works, this disc was born out of a collaboration with choreographer Carolyn Carlson originally entitled Eau. A piece for small ensemble of string quartet, percussion, harp and keyboards (celesta, piano and harmonium), Tide Harmonic is described by its composer as: “… a kind of water symphony that, rather than constructing a poetic or narrative programme inspired by man’s relationship with water, instead focuses on the substance itself, the forces that act upon it, and the energy that flows through and from it”. ★★★★ An engrossing concept album about water, evoked in its various elemental states across a five-part suite bookended with a brief orchestral torrent supplanted by the resonant ringing of Tibetan temple bowls - The Independent Talbot’s reputation as an accessible and enjoyable composer will certainly take no hits from this latest recording. It’s the antithesis of Boulez - MusicWeb International

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Time and its Passing

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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

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Timelapse

Price range: £8.00 through £12.00

Timelapse creates a space where sounds of the past and present collide to form a unique musical landscape. Although the pieces were written, in some cases, centuries apart and in culturally disparate eras, it is striking how much these contrasting works inhabit such similar emotional territory. Intriguing pairings of works by Rameau and Radiohead, Schubert and The Smiths, Adés and Grieg, Satie and Reich, compliment each other beautifully in the context of Timelapse. This recording by Orchestra of the Swan provides a place where notions of time and style have become irrelevant. "This is a disc which creates a timeless mix-tape which exists in a limnal world between minimalism and new classical, it leverages a tendency to remix and rework music but does so with intelligence. It is not a disc to put on and listen avidly to each track...but instead to simply put the disc on and allow yourself to float" - Planet Hugill "Enthusiastically [recommended]. There is a great need at the moment for music to soothe the fevered brow, and Timelapse is an effective playlist fulfilling that function every time you listen to it" - Arcana FM "One of the most impressive shifts of perspective is LePage's arrangement of Johnny Marr's There is a Light that Never Goes Out, its energy becalmed by the disc's final offering, the second of Gorecki's Three Pieces in the Old Style, itself a perfect melding of old and new...As beautifully recorded as it is played, this is a ravishing 66 minutes of music" - Classical Explorer

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Timeless

Price range: £0.99 through £1.50

With a voice that stirs the soul and a story that inspires millions, Tom Ball continues his extraordinary journey with the release of his latest single, Timeless - a soaring, cinematic masterpiece that blends orchestral elegance with heartfelt emotion.

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Tom & Will – Weelkes & Byrd: 400 Years

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

400 years ago, in 1623, England lost two of its greatest composers: William Byrd and Thomas Weelkes. In a pro- gramme marking this double anniversary, The King’s Singers and Fretwork turn their focus to the bold personalities of these two men, Will and Tom. Featuring well-known gems by the two composers, alongside works which had never been recorded before and which are rarely heard live, Tom and Will unlocks some of the humanity behind these two giants of Elizabethan music. Presented in The King’s Singers’ unique style, this programme is filled with beauty, drama and storytelling. As part of this project, The King’s Singers and Fretwork have commissioned two new works for their joint forces, by two of Britain’s great living composers: Sir James MacMillan and Roderick Williams. These works only feature in the version performed by The King’s Singers and Fretwork, but represent a commitment to keeping the spirit of Byrd and Weelkes alive in today’s musical landscape. ★★★★★ "Fretwork and the King’s Singers are a wonderful match and complement each other well. As a lover of Byrd and Weelkes’ music, this is a great album; but for someone who has yet to encounter the joys of Weelkes or Byrd this album is a glorious introduction to both composers" - Morning Star ★★★★½ ALBUM OF THE WEEK "There could be no better bedfellows than The King’s Singers and viol consort Fretwork…Signum’s engineering suitably captures the domestic scale of the music, and the enthralling mix of finely blended voices with the gritty sonic patina of the viols…a classy tribute" - Limelight ★★★★ "The standard is high…a bonus comes in the form of two new pieces, commissioned from James MacMillan and Roderick Williams" - Financial Times

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Tomas Luis de Victoria: Requiem Mass, 1605

Price range: £8.00 through £12.00

Tomás Luis de Victoria's requiem mass for six voices, written in 1603 and published in 1605, is a masterpiece. It is one of a handful of large-scale works which enjoys mainstream appeal in the 21st century. For many, it represents what Renaissance polyphony is, what it sounds and feels like, and how expressive it can be. The disc also features two well-known works by Victoria's contemporary Alonso Lobo. ★★★★ "Victoria’s Requiem Mass is one of the acknowledged masterpieces of Renaissance choral polyphony, and Tenebrae here exquisitely conveys the flowing relationships between its six voices" - The Independent ★★★★ "Tenebrae’s performance, directed by Nigel Short, is gently sustained, immaculately balanced and wrapped in a luminous acoustic … If you have ever developed a resistance to Renaissance polyphony, this could be the disc to make you think again" - The Financial Times "This recording does justice both to the genius of Victoria and to the musicality of Tenebrae" - BBC Music Magazine "This is a definitive modern Victoria Requiem, performed by a choir who relish its musical and expressive challenges" - Classic FM

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Trade / Mary Motorhead [DIGITAL ONLY]

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Featuring two new operas from composer Emma O’Halloran, with librettos by Mark O’Halloran Irish National Opera present Trade and Mary Motorhead. Featuring singers Oisín Ó Dálaigh, John Molloy (Trade) and Naomi Louisa O’Connell (MM) the Irish National Opera Orchestra are conducted by Elaine Kelly. TRADE In a guesthouse in Dublin’s north inner city, a vulnerable and confused young rent boy sits with a middle-aged client. The older man has blood on his shirt. A lot has happened since the two last met. Mary Motorhead: Mary Motorhead has been locked in a prison cell after stabbing her husband in the head with a 12-inch carving knife. While he lies in intensive care, Mary reflects on the events that have brought this turbulent rural marriage to such a crisis. ★★★★★ - "Ultimately, it's the razor-sharp combination of emotional directness and complexity that compels the audience to step into the characters' lives in all their fury violence, savage loneliness and agonisingly tender love." - BBC Music Magazine “Rarely, if ever, does every element - score, text, singers, instrumentalists, conductor, director, sets, costumes, lighting, sound design—all come together. This is that rarity.” - Los Angeles Times “Emma and Mark O’Halloran’s complex opera double bill Trade/Mary Motorhead is remarkable” - Irish Independent "Tenor Oisín Ó Dálaigh and bass-baritone John Molloy simply astonishing throughout." - The Arts Review

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Vaughan Williams, Grieg: Violin Sonatas

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Praise for Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Romances: Four stars “And while this is a very classical, traditional recording, it can please because of the virtuoso and technically flawless playing of the soloist” – Pizzicato His third album with Signum Records, internationally acclaimed violinist Charlie Siem is joined again by celebrated pianist Itamar Golan for their second recital album performing works by Grieg and Vaughan Williams, including a transcription of ‘Solveig’s Song’ by Siem himself. Charlie Siem is one of today’s foremost young violinists, with such a wide-ranging diversity of cross-cul- tural appeal. Siem has appeared with many of the world’s finest orchestras and chamber ensembles, includ- ing: the Bergen Philharmonic, the Camerata Salzburg, the Czech National Symphony among many others. For more than two decades, Itamar Golan has been partnering the most outstanding instrumentalists of our time. His work has brought him great critical acclaim, and he is one of the most sought-after pianists of his generation, collaborating with Vadim Repin, Maxim Vengerov, Julian Rachlin, Mischa Maisky among many others. ★★★★★ "This fascinating coupling works exceptionally well, more so in such excellent performances…beautifully recorded by Andrew Keener…those who are both attracted and intrigued by this thoughtful coupling can purchase this disc with full confidence" - Musical Opinion ★★★★ Performance ★★★★★ Recording "[Grieg's Violin Sonata No. 2] The central Allegretto tranquillo deftly balances a gentle nostalgia with spurts of zesty temperament, while the finale sparkles with the influence of Norwegian folk dance. Siem's moody transcription of 'Solveig's Song'…rounds off a stimulating recital" - BBC Music Magazine "Plenty of grit in this unusual sonata programme…His playing is wild and assertive in the Scherzo…the double stops lend a gritty, Prokofievian strength and determination…Itamar Golan matches him in assertiveness and power…Siem brings a melancholy tinge to the expressive melodies and exults in the joyful dances…there is gentle, expressive beauty to his Alegretto tranquillo" - The Strad

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Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

British violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen – described by the late Ruggiero Ricci following a masterclass as the “most exceptionally gifted young violinist I have ever encountered” – adds to her already prodigious reputation with a new disc of timeless works for strings by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Edward Elgar. Joined again the the Orchestra of the Swan under David Curtis, the centre piece of the programme is an enchanting performance of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending. Her sense of line and capacity to make things happen are both beautiful and strikingly individual ... The Lark Ascending's opening solo searches out an extreme degree of musical space in a way that's at once daring and mesmerising - BBC Music Magazine Superlative performances of Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending ... Highly recommended - Northern Echo This double homage to strings and English composers is engrossingly good - Sinfini Music

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Victoria: Tenebrae Responsories

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Tenebrae return to the sublime music of Tomás Luis de Victoria on Signum with this recording of his timeless Tenebrae Responsories. The works mix the words of the Gospels with other texts commenting on collective suffering written around the 4th century, and would traditionally have been performed as part of a moving service in which candles are slowly extinguished to mark the progress and suffering of Christ that forms the Passion story.

Tenebrae's previous disc of works by Victoria (Requiem Mass, 1605) won the BBC Music Magazine Award for Best Choral Album of 2012.

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Vidi Speciosam: Sacred Choral Music

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

In the 1970s the Bevan Family Choir, consisting of 10 siblings under the direction of their father Roger Bevan, released an album of choral music and toured the country, even making a documentary for ITV. Now, some of the children of those singers – 15 of the 53 first cousins…are set to release their debut album with conductor Graham Ross. The album is a celebration of their musical heritage and contains works by Stanford, Victoria, Palestrina, Tallis, David Bevan, Lobo and more. ★★★★ THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2023 SO FAR "[A] lovingly curated selection of works for voices… All received performances of exquisite subtlety and clarity" - The Times ★★★★ "The sound is rich and strong…I loved it…the blend is faultless…an album of joy" - Opera Now ★★★★ Performance "[Bevan's Magnificat] Lovingly performed. They are particularly good at strongly textured works…the works with intricate polyphony are pleasingly performed" - BBC Music Magazine

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Virgin and Child

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Early music consort Contrapunctus return to disc on Signum for the second release in their series centred on music of the Baldwin Partbooks (In the Midst of Life, SIGCD408). John Baldwin was a member of the choir of St George’s chapel, Windsor, and his transcriptions during the 1570s and 80s create one of the greatest surviving collections of Marian polyphony, composed during the reigns of Henry VIII and Mary Tudor. This volume explores texts celebrating Mary as mother of God, and on the Virgin and her Child.
Contrapunctus, led by Owen Rees, couple powerful interpretations with pioneering scholarship. Currently Vocal Consort in Residence at Oxford University, the ensemble’s first two recordings, Libera nos and In the Midst of Life, were both shortlisted for the Gramophone Early Music Award.

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Visions Illuminées

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Her third recital album on Signum Records, celebrated soprano Mary Bevan returns with a selection of French songs, featuring works by composers including Britten, Ravel, Debussy and Faure. “Over the years since the release of my debut album Voyages with Joseph Middle- ton in 2017, my passion for French mélodie has grown and deepened...The texts that composers of mélodie have set to music contain a depth and a mystery that I find fascinating and a source of repeated inspiration... My idea for the album began sim- ply with a desire to record Britten’s Les Illuminations, a work I feel closely connect- ed to, having performed it many times over the years and each time having found something new in it to interest me" - Mary Bevan The Week: The Best Albums of the Year so far ALBUM OF THE WEEK "A terrific disc…she is superbly supported by Joseph Middleton, 12 Ensemble and the Ruisi Quartet" - The Week ★★★★★ Performance ★★★★ Recording "Bevan and the conductorless 12 Ensemble move as one organism as she glides mesmerisingly over their ebbing and flowing pulse. The heart of the recital, though, is a radiantly searching performance of Britten’s Les illuminations…Bevan’s ability to combine warmth with refreshing vigour is to the fore in Chausson’s Chanson perpétuelle and the Debussy songs grouped by Holloway as Quatre mélodies de Verlaine. Her effervescence in Augusta Holmés’s delectable Serenades, another first recording, provides a sunny conclusion that perfectly balances the opening luminous nocturne of Fauré’s Clair de lune." - BBC Music Magazine ★★★★ "Refreshing…succulent, instrumental colouring…Warm, round tone and persuasive phrasing" - The Times ★★★★ "[Les Illuminations] Romping energy and shimmering brilliance of the performance by Bevan and the strings of Ensemble 12…Bevan has becoming a real master of French song; her diction is impeccable even in the most agile and rapid songs, and her singing in the quieter songs has a delicious tenderness and intimacy - as does the playing by pianist Joseph Middleton, Ensemble 12 and the Ruisi Quartet. In all this CD is a wonderful introduction to the perfumed, erotically charged world of French song at its height" - The Telegraph

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Vitamin C [DIGITAL ONLY]

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

“It’s been a while since my last album and I have chosen to record a few of the pieces that have had the most impact on me and given me the most comfort. God knows we all need a shot of something right now, and these pieces combine to form a monster dose of Vitamin C for the soul. Listening to Pogorelich playing Chopin’s 3rd scherzo at the Chopin competition, Gould keeping me company in the middle of the night with the B flat minor prelude and fugue or Sokolov performing the rarely played impromptu in London have been defining moments in my life,in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Every piece on this album has a similar story of inspiration and hope for me. Choosing the photo of mini me for the cover is my, perhaps slightly melodramatic, way of recognising that without this music, these musicians, the miracle of the 88 keys of a piano and a recording studio, my life would have been a pale imitation of the miracle that it has turned out to be.” - James Rhodes

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Vivaldi • Handel

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Signum Records are proud to present the debut orchestral recording from Grace Davidson, one of the UK’s leading British sopranos specialising in Baroque music. She is joined by some of Europe’s leading Baroque musicians from the Academy of Ancient Music to perform a selection of works by Handel and Vivaldi, with performaces led by violinist Bojan Čičić under artistic director Joseph Crouch.

Grace won the Early Music Prize while studying singing at London’s Royal Academy of Music. Since then, she has worked with the leading Baroque ensembles of our day, singing under the batons of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Paul McCreesh, Philippe Herreweghe and Harry Christophers. Her discography includes a decade of CDs with The Sixteen, many of which feature her as soloist – Handel’s Jeptha (as Angel), Dixit Dominus, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, Pianto della Madonna, and the Lutheran Masses of Bach.
Davidson is outstanding for her seraphic purity and evenness of tone - Gramophone The voice is radiantly fresh and clean - The Times Grace Davidson…voice seems to have been especially created to sing baroque music - Cross Rhythms Each performance carves out an atmosphere of thoughtful, reflective poise capturing the settings' interior spirit - Classical Source

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Vivaldi Opus 8 Vol. 1

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Baroque giants La Serenissima return with VIVALDI 8 – VOLUME 1: their new recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, among other concerti for ensemble by Vivaldi. Recognised for ‘whipping up a storm with Vivaldi’, La Serenissima is ‘one of Britain’s best-loved chamber orchestras’ (The Telegraph) known for their outstanding performances, championing a host of neglected Italian baroque composers. Uniquely, the group’s entire repertoire is edited from source material by founder and violinist, Adrian Chandler OSI. ★★★★★ Performance ★★★★★ Recording - "Be prepared to be enthralled by the energy and audacity of this version" - Gramophone ★★★★ Performance ★★★★★ Recording - "Chandler, like all pieces, approaches them with a carefree musician's mood, a strong ensemble sound and a crisp bite ... there is no question that Chandler has fullypermeated the music in all it's facets." - Fono Forum ★★★★ - "[Adrian Chandler's] performance is absolutely polished, refined, and full of color. He also displays absolute mastery of the instrument and commands an instrumental group completely committed to the works recorded around its undisputed leader." - Spanish Classical Music Magazine

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Vivaldi Opus 8 Vol. 2

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Baroque giants La Serenissima return with VIVALDI 8 – VOLUME 2, following their previous instalment in February 2025 of Vivaldi 8 Volume 1. Recognised for ‘whipping up a storm with Vivaldi’, La Serenissima is ‘one of Britain’s best-loved chamber orchestras’ (The Telegraph) known for their outstanding performances, championing a host of neglected Italian baroque composers. Uniquely, the group’s entire repertoire is edited from source material by founder and violinist, Adrian Chandler OSI. ★★★★★ - “After being obsessed by the composer and his music world for more than 30 years, Chandler by now is Vivaldi incarnate” – The Times “[Chandler] and his musicians could not sound more at home, more free to be themselves, than they do here.” - Gramophone

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Vivaldi: Sleep (Digital Only)

Price range: £8.00 through £9.75

Following the huge success of their recent album release ‘Timelapse’ (Jan 2021), Orchestra of the. Swan presents Vivaldi Sleep, a project that was initiated by the orchestra during the first national lockdown of 2020. Eleven artists from a broad range of genres – including klezmer, folk, electronica and jazz – were invited to add a solo part in response to the orchestra’s recording of the second movement of Autumn from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Guest artists recorded their solo parts at home and were given free rein to start prior to the orchestra’s recording and continue after it had finished if they wished. Manipulation of the source material was also allowed. Formed in 1995, Orchestra of the Swan is a British chamber orchestra which, under the artistic direction of David Le Page, is passionate about audience inclusivity and blurring the lines between genres through its adventurous and accessible programming. This album demonstrates this ethos exactly.

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Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

With its vivid poetry and technical ingenuity, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons was ground breaking at the time of its release and to this day remains as influential and transfixing as ever. In this recording, violinist Kati Debretzeni directs the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in an energetic, historically informed performance. From the commanding heat of the Summer sun, to Winter’s foreboding darkness, the power of Vivaldi’s masterpiece is inescapable. The booklet includes a ‘Guided tour of the Four Seasons’, allowing listeners to follow the poetry that inspired Vivaldi as they hear the performances on the disc, including additional composer’s notes from Vivaldi’s own scores. This is a recording of the evergreen Four Seasons to remember and return to. The playing is sublime. Kati Debretzeni is a breath of fresh air at any time of the year. The chamber ensemble from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, led here by Alison Bury, includes a core of players that has been there from its formation who continue to play with the same joyful camaraderie and artistic precision - Gramophone Debretzeni sets out to highlight the descriptive aspect of the music by finding many more colours and contrasts in the orchestral texture than are usually heard, and the period instruments give the familiar movements a new attack, making the work sound as fresh today as the day it was written - Classic FM
This is probably one of the noteworthy period-instrument 'Seasons' recordings - Early Music Review

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Vivaldi’s Women

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

“Apart from a short period (1717-19) spent in Mantua under the patronage of Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt, Vivaldi never held a full-time post in church or at court; for a composer of Vivaldi’s talent and standing, this was most unusual. That said, he was employed for significant periods by the Ospedale della Pietài, a Venetian institution (founded c.1340) that cared for unwanted children, often illegitimate or physically disadvantagedii. The Pietà’s performers were taken from a group of women known as the figlie di coro, who sang and played the violin, violin in tromba marina, viola, viola d’amore, cello, violone, viol, double bass, theorbo, mandolin, harpsichord, organ, oboe, flute, recorder, chalumeau and clarinet. The Pietà developed a strong reputation for its musical performances, engaging the finest composers and teachers of the day. It was important to ensure that the standards were high; after all, these entertainments were most popular with Venetians and visitors alike whose donations provided a welcome extra source of revenue. In addition to the many fine vocal works, Vivaldi also contributed many concertos that could be used to replace parts of the liturgy in church services. Amongst these are almost certainly all of his concertos for violin and obligato organ, presumably designed to show off the magnificent instrument that the Pietà had purchased in 1708. We are extremely grateful to the Vivaldi scholar Michael Talbot for sharing his findings. As so much of Vivaldi’s sacred output seems to have been created whilst deputising for others, one can only imagine the riches that would have poured forth from his pen had he been given a church post. The quality of the music contained within his sacred oeuvre is breath-taking and it is a great tragedy that the evidence points to a large tranche of this repertoire having been lost over the years. It is interesting on this last point to note how few of the great composers since 1750 have been violinists. One can only hope that the time is now ripe for Vivaldi’s genius as a church composer to be fully recognised” ★★★★ Performance ★★★★ Recording "This collection of sacred vocal and instrumental works written for the female performers of Venice's Pietà exploits a host of unusual instruments and vocal timbres…La Serenissima's playing is lithe and efficient throughout" - BBC Music Magazine "The Concerto for viola d'amore, RV394, shows off the range of a specially commissioned new Italian-style instrument…from luthier Dan Larson. Chandler makes the most of its fine-spun, silvery tone in the slow movement…Jess Dandy is a game soloist in the wonderfully fiery Cur sagittas, luscious breadth of tone spilling over and softening" - Gramophone

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Voyages

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Soprano Mary Bevan and pianist Jopseph Middleton perform a programme exploring the genius of Baudelaire and Goethe, and how texts by them unlocked very speci c musical landscapes in settings by Debussy, Duparc, Chausson, de Bréville, Séverac, Fauré and Schubert. Praised by Opera for her “dramatic wit and vocal control” in stand out performances on opera and concert platforms, Mary Bevan is a winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist award and UK Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent

Pianist Joseph Middleton specialises in the art of song accompaniment and chamber music and has been highly acclaimed within this eld. Described in the BBC Music Magazine as “one of the brightest stars in the world of song and Lieder”, he has also been labeled “the cream of the new generation” by The Times and “a perfect accompanist” by Opera Now. ★★★★ A beautiful programme… they include plenty of intriguing and little-known songs that more than deserve these excellent interpretations - Primephonic Bevan’s purity of tone and discreet yet telling way with words can be by turns unnerving and alluring in the Baudelaire settings… Middleton, as one might expect, is marvellously insightful, playing throughout with weight as well as grace and subtlety - Gramophone "Bevan's creamy, velvet tone is continually seductive, while her upper register is achingly beautifull when hushed, yet also soars radiantly in Debussy's Cinq poèmes de Baudelair…In short, this "invitation au voyage" should most definitely be accepted" - BBC Music Magazine "To sum up: a fascinating journey through Baudelaire’s and Goethe’s poetic landscapes, under the guidance of Helen Abbott’s expertise and the sensitive music-making of Mary Bevan and Joseph Middleton" - Musicweb International ★★★★ ½ "Bevan's warm tone and sensitivity to the nuances of the words and music create a consistent mood throughout the album, and the restrained accompaniment of pianist Joseph Middleton sustains the feeling of veiled mystery that Bevan successfully conveys…Bevan's expressive interpretations and smooth delivery reveal her profound artistry and love for this repertoire" - All Music

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Wagner Without Words

Price range: £12.00 through £21.00

Pianist Llyr Williams explores Wagner’s rich and evocative sound-world from a different perspective.
Featuring insightful arrangements of Richard Wagner’s operas by Franz Liszt and Glenn Gould (as well as Williams’ own arrangement of music from Parsifal), at the centre of the programme is a selection of Wagner’s own piano pieces – many of which were written earlier in his compositional career, hinting at the grand operatic masterworks which were yet to come.

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Walton and Shostakovich String Quartets

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Following their successful Dvořák cycle with Signum Records, Albion String Quartet are back with a selection of string quartets by Walton and Shostakovich, recorded in 2021. The concept: to juxtapose two masterpieces written in the same year in the immediate aftermath of war (1946) by composers inhabiting two entirely different social and political worlds in the Soviet Union and Britain respectively. Formed in 2016, the Albion Quartet brings together four of the UK’s exceptional young string players who are establishing themselves rapidly on the international stage. Recent engagements from the 2017-18 season included performances at the Louvre in Paris, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Robert Schumann Gesselschaft in Frankfurt, Båstad Festival in Sweden, Festival of Music in Franconia and Rhine Valley Music Festival in Germany, as well as the Hay Festival in the UK. The members of the quartet play on a fine collection of instruments, including a Stradivarius and Guarnerius. The best string quartet recordings of 2022: EDITORS CHOICE "I was instantly stuck by the sheer vividness - both the compelling committed playing and the immediacy of sound - of this superb chamber album from the Albion Quartet" - Gramophone CRITICS CHOICE "This is just a fantastic recording. It sounds great, the playing erudite and courageous, and quite simply the best thing I've heard all year. The architecture and pacing throughout the album are so well judged, and the excruciating yet exhilarating journey through these musical and emotional states captures the dichotomy of those times - and these times - so well. For this the Albion Quartet and their production team deserve high praise" - Gramophone ★★★★★ Performance ★★★★ Recording "The Albion Quartet pace, phrase, point and colour Walton's volatile textures and agile rhythms with all the sensitivity and energy they require. Yet they are equally successful in the fiercer more unpredictable contrasts in the Shostakovich…The Signum Recording…has tremendous presence and dynamic range" - BBC Music Magazine

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War & Peace

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

As the centenary of the Great War approaches, the choir of Jesus College Cambridge present a new recording titled War & Peace – a beautiful and moving collection of choral works that are united in various ways by the experiences and impact of war.

Praise for the Choir of Jesus College Cambridge’s previous release, ‘Journey into Light’: “It’s a performance of full, rich sounds from a group who are among the unsung heroes of a collegiate choir circuit currently dominated by the larger colleges.” - BBC Music Magazine
"The Jesus singers give a glowing account in this rewarding programme. Supple, sensitive direction by Mark Williams" - BBC Music Magazine

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When Sleep Comes

Price range: £8.00 through £14.00

Virtuoso saxophonist Christian Forshaw is joined by a consort of Tenebrae singers, in an ethereal sequence of penitential settings for Passiontide. Combining elements of ancient and modern to stunning effect, Forshaw and Tenebrae bring new colours and context to music by Gibbons, Tallis and Hildegard von Bingen in a series of new arrangements and compositions. Described as “phenomenal” (The Times) and “devastatingly beautiful” (Gramophone Maga- zine), award-winning choir Tenebrae is one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles, renowned for its passion and precision. Award-winning conductor Nigel Short has earned widespread acclaim for his recording and live performance work with leading orchestras and ensembles across the world. "Thought-provoking and beautifully recorded disc" - Gramophone 5 stars "Taken as a whole, the album offers a soothing journey through the stillness of the hours or darkness" - Choir and Organ "Victoria Meteyard's duetting with Forshaw is terrific in Short's reworking of Hildegard von Bingen's "O Vos Imitatores", and "straight" takes on music by Victoria and Owain Park are beautifully done…the performances can’t be faulted, and the acoustic of All Hallows, Gospel Oak, casts a warm glow over proceedings" - The Arts Desk

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