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The title of this rich disc alludes to England and its music. Cuckmere: A Portrait is the transformed score for a film about a river, the idiom a sort of cheerily naturalised minimalism. Repetition leads to free-floating metrics in the piano trio Media Vita, based on John Sheppard’s motet; historical revisiting is the formative principle of the Sinfonia (Smith conducts). The technique recalls Peter Maxwell Davies; the sensibility is different.

—Paul Driver

@divineartrecordingsgroup

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Don't miss both of our new Métier new releases on Deezer's New Classical Picks Playlist! ▶️ Listen now in our bio link. Today, Métier presents a “monumental” (The Wire) 4-disc box set from pianist Ian Pace in commanding performances of music by composer Michael Finnissy (b. 1946). On all platforms today at listn.fm/finnissypiano Métier Records is thrilled to release “Because They Have Songs” from composer Edward Cowie and featuring Gerard McChrystal and Richard Shaw! Out now on all platforms ▶️ listn.fm/becausetheyhavesongs “This monumental piano release features Michael Finnissy’s Verdi Transcriptions plus English Country-Tunes, and other compositions inspired by 19th century music. Soloist Ian Pace is a leading interpreter of Finnissy’s work, and has played his complete output for piano. Finnissy’s output is prolific, political and complex – he’s a leading late modernist.… luxuriant but challenging textures of the school often called new complexity.” —Andy Hamilton, The Wire Marvelous new MusicWeb International review for Edward Cowie: Because They Have Songs, before its release this Friday! “Buller is a composer who knows how to imbue feelings with ample warmth, colour and tension that keep the ear immersed in his sonic worlds. The musical language is largely tonal, with some roots in sacred choral traditions, yet with sufficient harmonic pungency to provide underpinnings of meaning to Leah Lax’s empathetic, urgent texts in the two extended works.… Conspirare, led by founding Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson, respond to all of Buller’s emotional gestures with utmost cohesion and flexibility, and the soloists – basses Michael Hawes and Simon Barrad and soprano Emily Yocum Black – are first-rate.” —Donald Rosenberg, @gramophonemagazine “This performance will stay with me for a long time; it is both exquisitely beautiful and inherently melancholic.” —Edward Breen, Gramophone on Haitham Haidar's #Zaytoun Don't miss Ryan de Ryke and Daniel Schlosberg's recording of “Looking to Euridice” from Doug Lofstrom's song cycle, “Myths and Accidents” in @Deezer's top Classical New Release picks playlist! [in bio] Available today from the Diversions label — Myths and Accidents: Vocal Music of Doug Lofstrom! 🎶➡️ listn.fm/mythsandaccidents “I first met Ryan De Ryke and Daniel Schlosberg in 2014 when they appeared in my composition class at Columbia College Chicago. … I contacted them later and suggested we might record some of my songs. The first batch we tried was Three Sandburg Songs, which I had just finished.” —Doug Lofstrom