Divine Art Announces Two Albums for Composer Robin Stevens

Divine Art Records is working with composer Robin Stevens on two new recordings to be released this year. The summer of 2019 (exact date to be announced) will see the release of an album of works for wind instruments, titled Prevailing Winds which involves a host of exceptional musicians including Richard Simpson (oboe – BBC Symphony Orchestra) and John Bradbury (clarinet – BBC Philharmonic).  The music in this collection is tonal and impressionist in nature, and represents the ‘lighter’ side of Stevens’ output.

Work is also in hand on an album of Stevens’ music for string quartet and quintet, the title yet to be announced.  Performed by the London-based Behn String Quartet, the epic and expressionistic String Quartet No. 1 was recorded on January 25, and the other two works, the Second String Quartet and the two-cello String Quintet, will be recorded in July (this album is being recorded in London by renowned engineer and producer Michael Ponder). 

Robin Stevens originally trained at Dartington Hall and the Royal Northern College of Music as a cellist, and for all of his composing career has been outside the London-centric compositional mainstream in Britain: arguably this has given him the freedom to find a richer, more distinctive creative voice. In the words of clarinettist John Bradbury: ‘’It’s remarkable that such an enormous range of music of such consistently high quality has flowed from a single pen.”

Prevailing Winds

Divine Art DDA 25194
Recorded on 27 and 28 February 2019, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
Engineer and producer: Richard Scott

Works

Sicilienne for Gillian (clarinet / piano)
O Brave New World (flute / cello)
Three Epigrams (bassoon / piano)
A Soldier’s Prayer (french horn / piano)
Reflections on a Scottish Theme (oboe solo)
Pandora’s Box (recorder/ bassoon / cello)
Variations on a 12-note theme (clarinet /piano)
Sound and Silence (alto flute solo)
Oceanic Lullaby (oboe / piano)
Jig (sopranino recorder/guitar)
Waltz for Pierrot (bassoon solo)
Grief’s Portrait (french horn / piano)

Artists:

Richard Simpson (oboe)
John Bradbury (clarinet)
Sarah Miller (flute / alto flute)
John Turner (recorders)
Lindsey Stoker (french horn)
Helen Peller (bassoon)
Janet Simpson (piano)
David Jones (piano)
Robin Stevens (piano, cello, guitar)