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Of the five English composers featured here, only two are really known at all – the intriguing Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (for his cantatas inspired by on the epic poem, Song of Hiawatha, by American Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) and Rutland Boughton (for his fairy tale opera The Immortal Hour), but all wrote wonderful music in Romantic style.

Born in 1857, Rosalind Ellicott became one of the leading female composers of her generation, having much success with performances in the 1880s before moving from orchestral to chamber music. Comparatively little of her work has survived apart from a few songs and instrumental works, including the Piano Trio No. 1 included here. James Cliffe Forrester, composer of the delightful Folk Song Fantasy, was less prolific, concentrating on his teaching career, but has a fine impressionist voice. Harry Waldo Warner studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London as a pupil of Orlando Morgan and was well known as a violist and member of the very successful London String Quartet. He composed two operas, over a hundred songs and several chamber works, including this Trio for piano, violin and cello.

These world premiere recordings of rarely heard but masterful compositions are played with sensitivity and panache by the excellent Australian ensemble Trio Anima Mundi – Kenji Fujimura (piano), Rochelle Ughetti (violin) and Noella Yan (cello). This acclaimed Trio is one of Australia’s finest chamber ensembles and since its founding in 2008 it has won several international awards, including the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Prize. The Trio has often unearthed and performed unjustly forgotten works as well as playing some of the newest pieces of today.

—John Pitt

@divineartrecordingsgroup

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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 “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