Author Archive for Kathryn Marshall

New chamber works for horn by Etienne Cutajar

Posted by Kathryn Marshall on
 19 December, 2018

Divine Art Records will release a new album of chamber works for Horn in the spring of 2019 featuring Maltese horn player Etienne Cutajar. The program will include a range of major works from Beethoven and Brahms to contemporary compositions and also features Carmine Lauri (violin) and John Reid (piano). The recording has been produced under the auspices of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Cutajar is one of the leading horn players of today; he joined the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as associate principal horn in 2006, having guested with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Royal Opera House Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia among others. This work followed his appointment as first horn of the European Union Youth Orchestra.

 He also performed a solo part on Trever Pinnock’s recording of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 with the European Brandenburg Ensemble, released in 2007.

Cutajar is currently ​principal horn of Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he has held since ​2016.

Cutajar’s debut recording (‘Fantasie’ –Divine Art DDA 25050) included a major Charles Camilleri world premiere and received many plaudits. “The musicianship of this gifted young Maltese horn player is first-class throughout” – Musical Opinion

Divine Art’s CEO Stephen Sutton says “Our label has had a strong connection with Malta’s musicians for many years and I am delighted to anticipate this new recording from such as gifted soloist.”

‘MDINA’ will be released as Divine Art DDA 25189.

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New choral and vocal works from Lydia Kakabadse

Posted by Kathryn Marshall on
 11 December, 2018

Lydia Kakabadse, composer of the “instantly enjoyable” 2016 choral album ‘Cantica Sacra’, will soon record new choral and vocal works for her album entitled Ithaka. The name, Ithaka (a track from her choral work Odyssey), is symbolic of a person’s journey through life – a journey whose destination is the richness of wisdom, knowledge and experience.

The album includes two choral works which were commissioned: I Remember (for children’s choir with piano and violin) was commissioned by Forest Preparatory School for the Bellevue Education Northern Music Festival 2016; Odyssey (for SATB and harp) was commissioned by the Hellenic Institute at Royal Holloway University of London in celebration of the Hellenic Institute’s 25th anniversary in 2018. Odyssey, which symbolizes a musical journey through centuries of Greek history, culture and literature, includes both sacred and secular works, some of which are sung in Greek. Texts have been taken from a selection of Greek poetry representing successive eras, starting with Homer (around 800 BC) to Modern Hellenism.

The recording of Odyssey and I Remember by The Choir of Royal Holloway will take place in February 2019 at All Hallows’ Church, Gospel Oak, London.

The vocal works are for mezzo-soprano (or alto) with piano accompaniment, to be performed by Clare McCaldin and Paul Turner. They have been set to texts mainly from nineteenth century poets and include a diverse variety of themes. The style of music ranges from the recitativo of the Baroque era to minimalism. The songs will be recorded in March 2019 at St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, London.

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Métier album from London Myriad

Posted by Kathryn Marshall on
 28 November, 2018

The wind ensemble London Myriad  has signed with Métier (the new-music arm of Divine Art) and are producing an album of 20th century music for wind for release in mid 2019 (exact date not yet set). The recording includes one world premiere and several works of fascinating variety, for the quartet line-up of Julie Groves (flute), Fiona Myall (oboe), Nadia Wilson (clarinet) and Ashley Myall (bassoon). The album is to be titled ‘FOUR’ and will be issued as Métier MSV 28587. London Myriad have appeared on a Métier CD already, having contributed to the album ‘Twists and Turns’ featuring music by British composer Rob Keeley (MSV 28568). Plans for ‘FOUR | 2’ are already being considered.

Since its conception as a professional chamber group in 2004, the prizewinning London Myriad  has performed regularly both in the UK and internationally and is one of the leading wind ensembles of their generation in the UK today. All successful freelance orchestral and chamber musicians in their own right, the group has performed at prestigious venues such as the Purcell Room, St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the State Drawing Room in 11 Downing Street, as well as live on BBC Radio 3. They also regularly lead education workshops, champion new works for wind chamber ensemble, and perform music of all styles and genres for a wide range of events and functions.

Track list:
Divertimenti (Frank Bridge)
Quatuor (Jean Françaix)
Travel Notes 2 (Richard Rodney Bennett)
Deux Mouvements – MCMXXII (Jacques Ibert)
Trois Pièces Pour Une Musique De Nuit (Eugène Bozza)
Suite en Quatre (Claude Arrieu) – believed to be world premiere recording

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Métier signs guitarist Sam Cave

Posted by Kathryn Marshall on
 26 October, 2018

The British guitarist Sam Cave will release his debut album of contemporary works for guitar with Métier Records early next year. The young musician graduated from the Royal College of Music and is currently a visiting tutor at Brunel University in London. Sam has a busy solo and chamber concert schedule in Europe and further afield, having given over 30 world, European, and UK premiere performances of music by George Holloway, Darren Bloom, Gabriel Prokofiev, Lisa Illean and others. He is also an active composer, with performances of his works scheduled for 2018-2019 in Poland, Sweden and the UK – his music is published by Babelscores.

The new album, to be titled ‘Refracted Resonance’, will be released in March 2019 (Métier MSV 28586) and will feature a range of contemporary works by several composers, including Christopher Fox, Tristan Murail, George Holloway and Horatiu Radulescu – some of whom are better known for their work in other genres but are contributing major works to the modern guitar repertoire. Sam also contributes one of his own compositions. All but one are world premiere recordings.

Most of the works have been recorded, with two final tracks to be recorded in November.

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‘Aeolus/untouch’ CD launch

Posted by Kathryn Marshall on
 4 October, 2018

Gráinne Mulvey and Christopher Fox will each perform an excerpt from their recent electronic ‘Aeolus/untouch’ album, as part of a CD launch event on 7 November in Dublin. Mulvey’s Aeolus was created to compliment an installation sculpture Spatial Reverberation by Mark Garry and refers to the Aeolus keeper of the winds in Homer’s Odyssey, while Fox’s untouch is the first of a two-part work for Thai gong percussion and electronic reconfiguring of those gong sounds.

For full details on the Kaleidoscope event and tickets, visit kaleidoscopenight.com.

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New chamber music album from Métier

Posted by Kathryn Marshall on
 25 September, 2018

Whilst political differences hamper relations with the government of Iran, its people, like most of us, just want to live as friends. One bridge which can span between cultures is music and so a new album of chamber music by two leading Iranian composers, coming soon from Métier (the new-music arm of Divine Art), certainly does just that. The recording includes works by Amir Tafreshipour and the legendary Fozié Majd.

Amir Tafreshipour was born in Iran but was brought up in Denmark where he studied music, before moving to London in 2001 where he obtained his PhD at Brunel University, studying with Christopher Fox. He now lives in Tehran. An album of his work for large ensembles was recently issued by Naxos.

Fozié Majd is a composer and researcher in the field of Iranian music. She is the first female Iranian composer to study in the west, studying at the University of Edinburgh and in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. Tafreshipour describes the idiom of Majd’s music as “a juxtaposition of bold Western contemporary musical ideas and Iranian music which blends very cleverly.

The new disc, ‘IN ABSENTIA’, is likely to be released in late spring of 2019 as Métier MSV 28576. Performers are Darragh Morgan (violin, and best known for his work with Mary Dullea and the Fidelio Trio); Patrick Savage (violin); Deirdre Cooper (viola) and Fiona Winning (cello). Most importantly this is not ‘world music’ to be placed in the ‘ethnic’ genre but excellent chamber music in its own right, blending elements of Iranian traditional music with western contemporary music.

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Happy Birthday George!

Posted by Kathryn Marshall on
 19 September, 2018

September 26th is George Gershwin’s 120th birthday.

Gershwin managed the divide between popular and classical music better than anyone else; writing his first hit song ‘Swanee’ in 1919 and ‘An American in Paris’ in 1928, at the age of 30. With his brother Ira’s witty lyrics, Gershwin wrote hit songs for stage and screen and his American opera ‘Porgy and Bess’ went on to become one of the most important American works of the 20th century. Gershwin died at the young age of 38; imagine the body of work he would have created if we didn’t lose him so early.

Big fans of the composer from Brooklyn, Piano À Deux – Robert and Linda Ang Stoodley – have assembled an album of collage excerpts from Gershwin’s ‘rhapsodic ballet’, solo piano pieces, and have written new transcriptions of his songs for four hands at one piano. Watch as the duo record Linda’s arrangement of Gershwin’s Prelude No. 3 and ‘The Man I Love’. The new album will be released early next year.

Want some Gershwin right now? Here are a couple of albums to check out:
Gershwin & Ravel: Music for Piano Duo – Goldstone & Clemmow
Finnissy: Gershwin Arrangements – Ian Pace

And find other Gershwin pieces, such as ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and ‘An American in Paris’ (the composer’s original piano duet versions) here.

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🙌 The debut single from soprano Esther Rayo and pianist Peter Grünberg is officially out now! Listen to “Al amor” from Fernando Obradors’ Canciones Clásicas Españolas, Vol. 1 on all top digital platforms today: listn.fm/estrellita [in bio] On 10 October, Métier is thrilled to present Michael Finnissy: Organ Works from acclaimed American organist Forrest Eimold! Don't miss Paul Hindmarsh's marvelous new piece in Classical Music Magazine on the importance of Britain's Brass Bands. A great primer for our new release, Discovering Wilfred Heaton! 3️⃣ Tracks from the 3 October release, Discovering Wilfred Heaton, are #nowplaying on Apple Music Classical and more! 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