Roger Quilter was born in Brighton on 1 November 1877, third son of Sir Cuthbert Quilter. He was educated at Eton and then studied for four years in Frankfurt-am-Main under the Russian teacher of composition, Ivan Knorr. Fellow students were Cyril Scott, Norman O'Neill, Balfour Gardiner and Percy Grainger. All these were composers of some reputation in their lifetimes, but only Quilter and Grainger produced work which is still performed regularly today. Quilter was a writer of songs, and virtually nothing else. There was an opera, Julia, and a couple of ballets, and the once well-known A Children's Overture. On the other hand, he composed more than one hundred songs. At least half of these remain in the repertoire, loved by performers and audiences alike. The songs on this release span more than 50 years and show Quilter in all his moods - light, exuberant, ephemeral, narrative, pensive, but always melodic. Few composers - especially song composers - can claim to have written works that have remained in print since they were first published more than a hundred years ago. Roger Quilter is one such, though the number of his songs still in print is regrettably small.

Mátyás Seiber studied composition at the Budapest Academy of Music under Kodály, from 1919-1924. At the time of his tragically early death, Seiber was one of the most respected teachers of composition in Britain. Antal Dorati entered the Hungarian Royal Academy of Music in 1920, at age 14. His illustrious career as a conductor has completely overshadowed his compositions. Bartok's Viola Concerto, commissioned by the Scottish violist William Primrose, was left in sketch form at the time of the composer's death. The eventual completion by Bartok's friend Tibor Serly has been the subject of debate ever since it's first appearance in 1949.

Mary Ann’s unique collection of contemporary Gaelic songs reflects a lifetime of musicmaking in the Scottish traditional music world, but also a hothouse classical music training and even a brief foray running the BBC’s Gaelic news service. She and producer-musician husband Nick Turner are based in Ardgour in the Scottish West Highlands where they run their Watercolour Music studios, home to her various roles as writer, TV and radio broadcaster, choral director, producer, and performer. A chivvier, an encourager, an in-the-mix partner all her musical life, including her time with the seminal Gaelic supergroup Cliar, Mary Ann is finally stepping forward- An Dan is her debut solo album. “It’s important to any living culture that new songs are composed and performed. An Dan, from one of Gaelic music’s most talented figures, may surprise some- in the best possible way. A very classy album.” (Arthur Cormack) “Scottish singing doesn’t get much better than this. A wonderful singer and excellent choice of songs in Scottish Gaelic.” (D. W.)

"• Captivating harp tunes from Ireland, Scotland and Cape Breton, with a variety of instrumental accompaniments. • Booklet notes in English and German. • “Without doubt... [some] of the finest Celtic harp I've ever heard. Aryeh... captures a feeling of warmth and comfort that will charm and delight anyone. ... emotionally charged and skillfully rendered...” - Ben Kettlewell (Alternate Music Press)"

Glaschu is the new studio album from urban Gael, now highland resident, Mary Ann Kennedy. Dedicated to Glasgow, the album features songs and poetry celebrating life in Glasgow from the past and present. Mary Ann’s debut solo album, ‘An Dàn’, confirmed her place as a composer and songwriter as well as performer, released on ARC to critical acclaim in July 2017. She writes: “I grew up in the southside of Glasgow, in a city rich in languages and cultures, and as part of Scottish Gaels’ biggest urban diaspora. It was something of a strange and wonderful upbringing for me and my sister, feeling part of a big community but at the same time- in terms of peers at least- sometimes feeling like the only Gaels in the village. Things change, and it’s a joy to see today at the bottom of the street where I grew up, one of Glasgow’s three Gaelic schools. You can take the girl out of Glasgow, but never Glasgow out of the girl, and in the spirit of Gaels’ eternal need to sing about home, this is my Gaelic love-song for the city in all its guises- the voices of arrivals in search of a new life and of those, like me, born and bred there with Gaelic as our first language.”

Golden Bough celebrates its 36th Anniversary as a Celtic Music trio this year. rooted in the traditional music of the seven Celtic nations (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, The Isle of Man, French Brittany and Spanish Galicia), Golden Bough has become a popular and in-demand group on both sides of the Atlantic. Since their formation in 1980, this trio of modern day minstrels has travelled great distances to numerous countries to bring their music to enthusiastic folk fans the world over. Bakcing themselves on an array of acoustic instruments - Celtic harp, guitar, octave-mandolin, mandolin, accordion, violin, penny-whistle and bodhran, they blend their voices in the pristine harmonies that have become a Golden Bough trademark. In the recording studio, as well as on stage, Golden Bough captures the essence and joy of traditional music. "The group has made a name for itself...Thus the two concerts on the weekend were sold out...They create, in a wonderful way, the connection between the old and the new world, not only musically, but also the spirit. Once in stride, they heated up the public and didn't get away without four encores." - Holsteinischer Courier, Germany

"The Welsh composer wrote three half hour symphonies of which the First Symphony launches the trilogy in an outburst of effervescence and exuberance. It was a commission from the Llandaff Festival and was premiered by the CBSO conducted by Hugo Rignold in the year in which the same forces recorded the John Blow Meditation and Music for Strings for Lyrita.

The composer's description of the First Symphony is apt: a work of energy, colour and affirmation. Here is positively blazes and rocks with a sanguine power which momentarily recalls Tippett's propulsive Second Symphony, William Schuman's Third Symphony finale and the thrawn and rowdy bustle of the Easter Fair of Stravinsky's Petrushka. Earlier movements show the lavishly stocked and brooding influence of Bax.

The Second Symphony might easily be dubbed 'The Mystical' or, given the Welsh DNA of the piece, 'The Druidic' or 'Taliesin'. Mathias was always something of a magus when it came to the orchestra and had a facility for rapidly grasping of atmosphere. The three movements glimmer and shimmer with the essence of Summer. This is expressed through the easy-wheeling progress of the stars in a summer sky in the middle movement. This process rises majestically from ease to effort in an antiphonal crest of brass fanfaring at 4:49 onwards (tr. 3). The all-conquering onrush of summer is expressed through the finale the score for which carries the superscription: "My ark sings in the sun / At God speeded summer's end / And the flood flowers on." Throughout Mathias's orchestration rings, chimes and peals through a world often noticeably indebted to the Bax symphonies.

When [Nimbus] launched this [William Mathias] series it may have seemed a left-field choice but the results repay the listener in bell-haunted spells, enchanted coinage and sturdy Celtic magic."

-- Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International

Noel McLoughlin the Limerick, Ireland-born singer, guitarist and string player spent his early years in Ireland playing traditional folk music with various groups in countless sessions, festivals, concerts, etc. In the 1970s he joined several Irish folk bands, among others Cromlach (later Celtic Tradition) with whom he recorded his first album in 1984. Afterwards, he concentrated on performing mainly as a soloist, playing guitar and singing Irish and Scottish folk songs, touring throughout Europe and the USA. Since 1989 he has recorded numerous albums of the most popular Irish and Scottish songs and ballads. After many international tours and broadcasts as a soloist, he now prefers to tour with a small group, with occasional solo performances. The incredible success of his recordings is due to Noel’s impressive but soft voice. A best-selling ARC Music artist, this is the long awaited brand new recording of old and new Irish songs by one of the most acclaimed singers of Irish and Scottish folk.