CAREER ANTHOLOGY VOL. 1 1923-28

CAREER ANTHOLOGY VOL. 2 1929-40

A unique disc from one of Scotland's most dynamic and versatile groups – the Scottish Ensemble is a tight-knit band of outstanding string players from around Europe who perform regularly together under Artistic Director, Jonathan Morton. This disc – one of their first solo releases following acclaimed discs with artists such as Alison Balsom and Toby Spence – contrasts Vivaldi's timeless Four Seasons with Piazzolla's tango-inspired The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

Combining Vivaldi and Piazzola together like this underlines the meteorological and cultural differences between Mediterranean Europe and the heart of South America. To have them performed side by side creates a fascinating programme of similarities and contrasts.

Rescued from the vaults, ArkivMusic reissues a long lost Christmas Treasure! The Musical Christmas Tree from Morton Gould is an orchestral holiday classic. Featuring Holiday standards, this unique release includes many of Morton Gould's own arrangements as well as original compositions written for the holidays, including "Winter" from the Burchfield Gallery and "Skiers Waltz" from the Cinerama Holiday Suite.

GOULD: FALL RIVER LEGEND, INTE

This two-disc set contains two of Michael Hurd’s chamber oepras, The Aspern Papers, and The Night of the Wedding. The Aspern Papers is based on the novella by Henry James, with libretto by the composer. The Night of the Wedding is a one act chamber opera based on Frank Witney’s Nuit de Noces. Some artists featured on this album include the Ulster Orchestra under the direction of George Vass, pianist Simon Lepper, conductor Ronald Corp, and many talented vocalists.

Scottish Ensemble’s new release fuses together French and Japanese influences. Featuring works by Debussy and Takemitsu, instrumental color and textures are explored through these works. Scottish Ensemble is the UK’s only professional string orchestra. They are built around a core twelve members, and are known throughout the United Kingdom for their virtuosic and ambitious programming. ”…a scintillation of ace soloists who combine bracing energy, flexibility and precision, breathing and moving as one.” (The Observer)

MOON, WIND AND STARS MORTON G

Under the directorship of Jonathan Morton, Scottish Ensemble adds the Tchaikovsky Serenade, regarded by the composer as one of his finest works, to it's impressive Linn discography. Imbued with the classical spirit of Mozart, but with Tchaikovsky's style to the fore, the Serenade contains some strikingly effective scoring and an exhilarating Finale the ensemble relishes. SE brings the same level of precision and finish you would expect from a string quartet; this is particularly evident in the elegiac third movement, one of Tchaikovsky's most inspired musical moments. This recording also marks the premiere of Jonathan Morton's 2013 transcription of Shostakovich's Quartet No. 2. Drawn to the work's large, epic scale and the richness of it's sound-world, Morton was keen for the ensemble to tackle this masterpiece from the chamber repertoire. With his arrangement Morton adds to SE's enviable reputation for Shostakovich transcriptions established by the late Rudolph Barshai. Re-defining the string orchestra, Scottish Ensemble inspires audiences with vibrant and powerful performances. Scottish Ensemble is the UK's only professional string orchestra, built around a core of twelve outstanding string players. The ensemble is known both in the UK and internationally for it's versatility and ambitious programming. Performing standing up, the individual layers bring an energetic and passionate dynamic to every performance.

Christopher Roberts’s five intimate and virtuosic movements/pieces for a trio of double basses are here performed by the composer and two other virtuosos of the instrument, Mark Morton and James Bergman. This music, much of it inspired by the composer’s life in Papua New Guinea (where he ran off to after Juilliard to study music’s “natural prosody”), subtly extends the double bass’s standard playing techniques with such expressive elements as bowing patterns inspired by the sound of hornbills in flight. Famed bass virtuoso Bertram Turetzky called Trios “A magnificent piece! There’s nothing like it. Roberts has a truly original voice.” And composer Michael J. Schumacher declared that “Roberts has arrived at a new American music by traversing the heart of Papua New Guinea...and the result is something unique.” Writing in The Wire magazine, Julian Cowley called this recording of Trios “An elegantly reverberant, harmonically rich and gracefully delineated composition for resonant strings.” Writing in Seattle’s The Stranger, Christopher DeLaurenti proclaimed this CD “A remarkable disc.... Recommended.” And noted music critic and author Greg Sandow wrote, “Trios for Deep Voices is thoughtful music, beautifully worked out, and very absorbing to listen to. It’s wonderfully individual, both in its sound and its construction. Clear some space in your life, both literally and figuratively, and give it a listen.”