Reviews

Rose’s musical aesthetic is tonally based, but is far afield from anything resembling traditional functional harmony. The composer has developed his own harmonic language, and I find his musical idiom both innovative and pleasing. Skaerved and Mathews play together with impeccable precision and skill. Both Skaerved and Mathews are masters of their instruments, and apart from the inspired music heard herein, are well worth hearing in their own right.

Metier’s work to search out interesting, vibrant new music continues with this coupling of music by two composers. There are two individual voices here. Hearing them together enables us to appreciate the strengths of each of them. Fascinating and stimulating.

[Blunt’s] music is both approachable and rewarding on a deeper level. Wonderfully imaginative from concept through to realization, and presented here in miraculous beauty by the Manchester Camerata. Glorious. The recording is superb. This is a tremendous success from all viewpoints.

The 19 works collected here form a wonderfully balanced sequence of pieces large and small. Although the prevailing mood is elegiac-to-wistful, there are plenty which remember John’s engaging, pithy sense of humour. The musical styles are many and varied, from the formally dramatic, the abstract, and straightforwardly tonal. Beautifully performed by all four players and recorded to match.

Roe’s songs are almost defiantly, aggressively tonal and folk-like, like paintings by Grandma Moses popping up at an exhibition of dour minimalist artists. Stephen Varcoe lavishes crisp diction… Varcoe and the soprano Anne Marie Sheridan are ideally characterful. Robin Tritschler… is convincingly romantic.

This is music with gravitas, but melodic and made easy on the ear by the skill of the composer. It’s (mostly) a long way from the jazz/easy listening music of Henry Mancini. Serious music (it’s not lightweight classical film fare) but listenable and with a spring in its step.

The music of Vyacheslav Artyomov is deep, ultimately spiritual and brilliantly crafted. Brilliantly impressive…played with notable commitment and technical aplomb. – (5 stars)

This engrossing DVD showcases five attractive scores together with the silent films for which they were written. The entire package has been thoughtfully curated and is attractively presented. Each film is uniquely fascinating but the thread that connects them is Ed Hughes’s skilfully conceived and delightfully accessible music which receives unstinting advocacy from all the performers here.

A fitting memorial to John McCabe, one in which his friends, colleagues and former students pay him homage in some beautifully performed music. As a whole this is a wonderful set of pieces, with a great variety of styles and make up of ensemble, but throughout the performances are excellent. Peter Lawson’s piano playing is thoughtful and at times evocative of McCabe’s own style, whilst John Turner’s tone is, as ever, beautiful throughout, with the same being true of both that of Linda Merrick and Alistair Vennart, with all performers having a significant part to play in my enjoyment of this disc.

This is an ingenious recital, excellently planned and played. With a spacious but focused recording set-up, strands come through with clarity. This is a challenging and successful recital.

All three works presented are valuable and the Camilleri concerto should now find a place in programmes that feature Bartok’s sonata. A thought provoking and rewarding issue.

Revelatory clarity… this excellent CD opens with the premiere (and so far, the only) recording of Charles Camilleri’s stunning Concerto for two pianos and percussion. The recital of these three excellent works is superb. The recording is ideal.

The ballet suites are a dark and sombre affair, epic in proportions and impressively bold. Yet they have their more introverted moments of profound reflection. Haunting, ghostly and ethereal are adjectives I would use to describe the general tenor. The soloists and choir are raptly intense and Kitaenko directs a sure-footed account. The imaginative and colourful orchestration [of Tempo Costante], drawing on a resourceful array of percussion, confers a kaleidoscopic sonic blend. The recordings sound fresh and vibrant. This captivating release will no doubt stir me on to explore more of this composer’s strikingly potent music.

The music takes full advantage, especially under Simmons’ hands, of the imaginative and emotionally evocative colouring of which the Abbey organ is capable. The repertoire is well chosen and makes for very satisfying listening. There’s no doubt about the power and grandeur of this magnificent pipe organ.

I have not heard anything from Cooman that was not well-crafted and engaging. Owl Night is that and a good deal more. It is orchestral-depth organ music in the grand tradition. I recommend this to anyone who loves the organ. Good music. Very good.

I enjoyed this CD immensely… superbly atmospheric and often gorgeous music. Beautifully played, well-presented and superbly recorded.

Robert Stoodley and Linda Ang are clearly capable of filling the shoes of their predecessors [Goldstone & Clemmow] on Divine Art. I expect this to be the first in another long line of excellent piano duo recordings.

The singing and accompaniment are top-notch. These performers obviously under¬stand the important role of the poetry in Art Song, so their accounts of these 52 songs display emotional depth and literary understanding. Listeners are sure to find others of interest—there is something for everyone here. Notes on the society, composers, performers, and texts. A lovely production.

Utterly intriguing. This marvellous collection of works for clarinet, performed by the excellent Heather Roche, certainly exemplifies the composer’s intense, playful and endlessly exploratory musical voice. Performance 5/5 Recording 5/5

I have always found much to enjoy and admire in Christopher Fox’s music. Heather Roche is a superb advocate for Fox’s clarinet works. Fascinating timbral contrasts. It is difficult to imagine Metier’s recorded sound could be improved.