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Archive for News – Page 11

Galina Ustvolskaya

Galina Ustvolskaya Centenary

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

14 January, 2019

June 17, 2019 is the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Russian composer Galina Ustvolskaya. Known, rather unfairly, as ‘The Lady with the Hammer’ due to her regular use of uncompromising and heavy rhythms and massive chord clusters, her music actually has a great deal of variety and uniqueness, setting her apart from just about every other composer, but her teacher, Shostakovich, recognised her talent and said that in fact she could teach him more than he could teach her.

To celebrate the centenary, Divine Art will release a new recording of Ustvolskaya’s two major works for violin and piano – the Sonata and the Duo. Performed by violinist Evgeny Sorkin and pianist Natalia Andreeva, the album is due for release in mid-May (Divine Art DDA 25182).

Pianist Andreeva, whose doctorate was based on the music of Ustvolskaya, previously recorded the complete solo piano music (Divine Art DDA 25130).

Tags : Evgeny Sorkin, Galina Ustvolskaya, Natalia Andreeva

John Joubert

John Joubert Dies at 91

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

9 January, 2019

We are very sorry to learn of the death of composer John Joubert at the age of 91. A music academic at the universities of Hull and Birmingham for 36 years, Joubert took early retirement in 1986 to concentrate on composing and remained active. Though perhaps best known for his choral music, particularly the carols Torches and There is No Rose of Such Virtue and the anthem O Lorde, the Maker of Al Thing, Joubert composed over 160 works including two symphonies, four concertos and seven operas. One of his most recent works (perhaps the very last) was written for recorder player John Turner and premiered at last year’s Alwyn Festival. Turner had been planning to record this and other works by Joubert and Alwyn which we hope will appear on Divine Art in the near future and which will now be our tribute to this great composer.

Exequy by John Joubert (DDA 25166)

Two Discount Sets

Two New Discount Sets

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

3 January, 2019

Save 25% off the original prices of two multi-volume recording series when you purchase our new discount sets of music by Michael Finissy and Carson Cooman.

Handel: Suites for Harpsichord, volumes 1-3

Handel: Suites for Harpsichord, volumes 1-3

SET 10013

Schubert: "Unauthorised" Piano Duos, vols 1-3 (discount set)

Schubert: “Unauthorised” Piano Duos, vols 1-3 (discount set)

SET 10012

Tags : Carson Cooman, Discount Sets, Michael Finnissy

January Album of the Month

January 2019 Disc of the Month

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

2 January, 2019

Grainger/Fortmann/Lieuwen/Nelson: Orchestral works

Our monthly ‘featured album’ for January 2019 is a superb orchestral concert by the Moores Symphony Orchestra of Houston Texas, conducted by Franz Krager. It includes works by Percy Grainger (arranged by Merlin Patterson), Peter Lieuwen, Robert Nelson, and Thomas Fortmann. Enjoy this superb album (CD or digital) half price during January!

Grainger/Fortmann/Lieuwen/Nelson: Orchestral works

Among the orchestras run by academic institutions, that of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, Texas, is among the most accomplished and is of a very high professional standard. Here they present for new works, all of which are very approachable, enjoyable and varied – from the dynamic Etruria Symphony of Swiss composer Thomas Fortmann) to the lovely new orchestration of Percy Grainger’s pastoral ‘Lincolnshire Posy’.

Happy New Year

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

31 December, 2018

Best wishes to all our customers, artists and supporters for a super 2019!

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.

Tags : Etienne Cutajar, horn, MDINA

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 25^th 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.

Tags : choral, Ithaka, Lydia Kakabadse, vocal

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 20^th 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

Tags : FOUR, London Myriad Ensemble, wind ensemble

New digital music site for Germany

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

27 November, 2018

A new digital music platform has recently opened in Berlin. IDAGIO will service the German speaking community specifically and the entire Divine Art group catalog is available at www.idagio.com

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.

Tags : guitar, Sam Cave

‘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.

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.

Tags : Amir Tafreshipour, chamber music, Darragh Morgan, Fozié Majd

Happy Birthday George!

Posted by Kathryn Marshall on

19 September, 2018

September 26^th is George Gershwin’s 120^th 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 20^th 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.

Tags : George Gershwin, Piano À Deux

AUTUMN SALE

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

11 September, 2018

The 2018 autumn sale starts on Friday September 14. Special prices available to all newsletter subscribers at 20% off all audio (digital and CD). Not a subscriber? Go to the link at the bottom of the homepage and sign up for your special voucher code!

Tags : price, sale, special

New Russian Piano Music volumes coming soon

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

4 September, 2018

The many fans of our Russian Piano Music series may be wondering what new additions will be coming in the future, as it is 18 months or so since the last volume (12) was released. The good news is that preparations are well under way for three more instalments in the series, all featuring the work of well known composers. Alfonso Soldano (whose Bortkiewicz CD was very well reviewed) will play music by Tchaikovsky (vol. 13) and Rachmaninov (vol. 14) while another very fine young Italian pianist, Stefania Argentieri, presents an album of music by Prokofiev. The three new albums are likely to be available from the summer of 2019.

Tags : Alfonso Soldano, Russian PIano Music, Stefania Argentieri

The Passing of a Great British Artist

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

25 August, 2018

One of the finest British artists passed away earlier this year. Dennis Creffield, who was perhaps best known for his commissioned drawings of every cathedral in England, has work in the collections of major international institutions, such as the Tate Gallery, The British Museum, Arts Council of England, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and more.

Two of his paintings were used for the album ‘De Profundis – The Art of Dying’: “The Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem” and “View of the Old City of Jerusalem”.

Learn more about Creffield in The Guardian’s obituary.

Tags : De Profundis

Composer Naji Hakim praises new album

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

23 August, 2018

“Simon Leach’s CD “Embrace of Fire” at the organ of the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Manchester is a must! It includes top class interpretations of a contrasted program of my works. Very poetical all the way through, with colourful registrations, in perfect balance with the excellent and expressive playing of great artists such as Benedict Holland, violin and John Turner, recorder. The plainsong introductions by tenor Ranald McCusker add a very prayerful flavor to the recording. I’m so proud of this CD and feel privileged to discover in it a grand premiere recording of my Toccata on the Introït for the Feast of the Epiphany.” – Naji Hakim

‘Embrace of Fire’ will officially be released on September 21, but is now available for pre-order.
Performed by Simon Leach, Benedict Holland, John Turner, and Ranald McCusker.

Tags : Embrace of Fire, Naji Hakim, Simon Leach

Christmas in the Greek Tradition

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

22 August, 2018

The new recording from Divine Art for this year’s Christmas season celebrates the Greek tradition of singing carols on Christmas Eve (the “Kalanda”). Greek-Cypriot composer Cilia Petridou has written many carols, settings of texts by Greek authors and a full program of these is presented on the new album ‘The Mystery of Christmas: Carols of Joy and Celebration’ (Divine Art DDA 25186) which will be released in November. The composer has been resident in the UK for many years; her earlier Divine Art production was a double album of vocal and chamber works which received glowing reviews (‘Sounds of the Chionistra’ – Divine Art DDA 21226). Written mainly for solo voices, the singing is shared by three fine sopranos: Jenni Harper, Lesley-Jane Rogers and Alison Smart, all accompanied by pianist Sarah Down. The final two tracks feature all three in beautiful trio carols.

Tags : carols, Christmas, Cilia Petridou

Jonathan Östlund: Voyages

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

21 August, 2018

We are delighted to announce the release of the double digital album “Voyages”, showcasing new original music written by the acclaimed composer Jonathan Östlund. This album, scheduled for release in February 2019, is a collection of exciting new repertoire including works for solo instruments, vocal, various chamber ensembles, organ works, as well as works for symphony orchestra, and features top international artists and ensembles. Exploring “Voyages” we discover personal journeys, both geographical as well as introspective, and a particular memory of time, with unique events and treasured memories… – the dramatic twists are interwoven with meditative passages, enthusiasm meets longing and the reflections upon the passage itself of time, in the voyage through Life.

Jonathan Östlund’s previous double album under Divine Art, “Lunaris” (DDA 21226), released in 2016 and currently in-demand and available via all major platforms, received top recognition; John Pitt, of New Classics, described Östlund’s music as “timeless and sophisticated…”, Huntley Dent, of Fanfare, appreciated that “Östlund’s signature, like Debussy and Schumann in the great tradition, merges atmosphere, mystery, fantasy, and fairy tale”, and Jan Hocek, of His Voice, contoured Östlund’s writing by affirming that “Jonathan Östlund writes music with natural poetic melodies and highly sophisticated harmonies, blending tradition with contemporary expression.”

Östlund received a BA and MA in Composition from LTU in Sweden, and has been awarded such honours as the First Prize at ‘Leicester Symphony Orchestra Composer’s Competition’, the ‘Public’s Choice Award’ at ‘Oslo Grieg Festival’, and has been selected as winner in the category ‘Most Distinguished Musician’, as well as receiving a ‘Special Mention’ at the IBLA Grand Prize. He has composed approximately 100 works, including several orchestral/symphonic compositions, a Piano Concerto and a Violin Concerto.

Tags : Jonathan Östlund, Lunaris, Voyages

Two versions of Charles Avison’s Opus 9

Posted by Divine Art Recording Group on

18 August, 2018

In the baroque era, composers often prepared two or more versions of works for different instruments to accommodate those without access to everything. Charles Avison was one such composer. His Opus 9 Concerti Grossi were advertised as being playable in several ways with optional continuos, substation of instruments etc. and even as keyboard solos. The chamber orchestra and string quartet versions can be compared – the former played by the Avison Ensemble (divine art dda 21211) and the latter by The Georgian Concert (diversions ddv 24108). (Note: The Georgian Concert quartet is not the modern standard, but consists of violin, viola, cello and violone.) The quartet version is possibly the earliest work written specifically for string quartet in England.

Tags : Avison Ensemble, Charles Avison, Opus 9 Concerti Grossi, The Georgian Concert