Reviews

Chai’s fascinating manipulation of her instrument is just so admirable… her inimitable and meticulous finger acrobatics make for a very exciting listen. Her unparalleled attention to detail and mesmerizing ability make for interpretations that warrant repeated listens.

Mr Honeybourne’s playing on this disc is an absolute revelation. Baines’s harmonic language is even more unsettled and searching than the Frenchman’s {(Debussy)}, and at times Scriabin will come to mind. The Five Songs, performed with sensitivity and clarity by Gordon Pullin, are quite a find and in addition this new disc includes a lengthy homage to Baines by Robin Walker in a brilliant and dramatic essay entitled At the Grave of William Baines. This then is a disc which anyone with an interest in British music should snap up.

When I first saw this album was due to be released,, I knew I had to get my ears exploring. Sarenilo stood out for its energy which grabbed my attention from the opening gesture, and Sandglass was a mesmerising and hypnotic work. Overall, there is a really personal and curious musical voice… this music is truly inviting.

I can say here without the slightest hesitation that this is a rather indispensable offering, exceptional piano music of its time by one we should now re-remember and rejoice to hear… a very original and bold brush of beautiful exceptionality. Bravo.

The music of William Baines: fleeting, evanescent, enigmatic, shadowy, suggestive, full of tenderness and longing that leaves one wishing there was so much more of it. The positive recommendation for this CD can only be wholly enthusiastic.

This is a precious album. Duncan Honeybourne’s gripping performances reveal a composer of genuine fibre. Regard for nature and belief in inspiration’s flow makes Baines’s music so special.

Every piece on the disc is well-crafted and designed to showcase the skill of the performer, and Skærved certainly has skill to spare in this repertoire. The combination of Skærved’s performance excellence with the very high quality of the violins he uses here and the well-composed music make this disc a pleasure to hear.

This fine disc is a tribute to the late Sir John Manduell. There is much variety on this disc, and much to be treasured. Extensive notes seal the deal. Recommended.

Sir John Manduell (1928-2017) was highly revered by people in the music and broadcasting professions… These are strong and radiant performances.You will find this very nicely performed and expertly recorded.

A fine second release from British pianist Beville that gives us a good picture of his keyboard abilities. A a wide range of tempos, dynamics, and articulations, all exceptional on this disc. The recorded piano sound is good, and along with the pianist’s detailed booklet essay, it completes a quite satisfying recital.

Beautifully compiled disc. The individual pieces on this disc all have their own fine, individual qualities. Sir John’s has individuality of a remarkable and personal kind. There’s a gentle humour, a special sense of timing, a harmonic language which is rather more modal than tonal within phrases but with a hint of key at cadences, and an elegant shaping of the phrases overall. The playing and singing on the whole album are completely compelling, showing a very strong and convincing sense of engagement.

A most auspicious debut recital, this. [Violetta Fialko] selects here a colorful array of solo keyboard works that illuminate her capacity for realizing distinct, musical personalities within a defined idiom.

Edward Cowie take[s] you on a journey through musical landscapes that you never imagined could exist. I thought that I had heard everything there was to hear – evidently not! Apparently unrelated subjects marry together surprisingly well in Cowie’s music. His creative musical form comes through as uniquely his own. The seven performers are absolute virtuosi. They have no need of me to ratify their brilliance.

The pianism is top-notch. Iman is a fierce and forceful advocate for the material and that he handles it with both understanding and technical skill. For those to whom material like this appeals, this release will be very welcome indeed.

The music, like much of Wagner’s, is tonal but pushes the bounds of tonality: Cook has clearly studied Wagner and absorbed, to some extent, the harmonic world in which his later operas, such as Tristan, exist. Helen Lacey sings feelingly, and Paul McKenzie’s piano accompaniment is sensitive and emotionally involved.

There’s a strong concept behind Blue Sounds. Avoiding the saturated chromaticism favoured by modernism, this is music both to ponder and enjoy.

Reeves takes the idea of blue and stretches it as much as he can.. something of a technical tour de force. Hicks’ playing is very impressive.

Métier is quickly becoming one of my favorite record labels, showing a commitment to really GOOD new music that doesn’t sound like an explosion in a metalworks factory. These are interesting pieces, worth checking out. [Sound Dunes] is an EXCELLENT piece of music—so good, in fact, that it is worth the price of the full album.

This multifaceted CD will appeal to listeners who have a strong interest in how today’s composers think about and rethink various instruments (including the voice) and traditional forms.

Rhona Clarke’s music on this disc covers a wide range of expression, and reveals a composer of rare gifts, , revealing a sensitivity to word-setting exceptional amongst living composers. Fascinating and in many ways quite original. A most interesting and very worthwhile disc, well presented and finely recorded.