Following the huge success of their award-winning debut release ‘Clychau Dibon’ back in 2013, Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita release their long-awaited second album SOAR. The album takes flight on the wings of the osprey, the magnificent bird of prey recently returned to Wales after centuries of absence, which makes its annual 3,000 mile migration from the coasts of West Africa to the estuaries of Wales, soaring like music and dreams over man-made borders, on its innate and epic journey of endurance. Drawing deep on their own diverse traditions and transforming them with remarkable synergy, audiences the world over have been captivated by Catrin and Seckou’s exhilarating live performances. Entrancing, mesmeric, intricate and ethereal, this is remarkable music. “A sublime duo of two artists who are masters of their instruments… musicality and architecture at work.” (Simon Broughton, London Evening Standard)
In the Poet's Garden: Choral settings by John Rutter of Shakespeare, Wordsworth, James Weldon Johnson, Charles Causley and others. John is joined by The Cambridge Singers, Melanie Marshall, Roderick Williams, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Taplow Young Voices, Catrin Finch and Matthew Jorysz (solo piano) in this recording of choral works by John Rutter. I'll make me a world; London Town; Dancing Tree; Three Shakespeare Songs; When music sounds. John Rutter writes: Any composer interested in vocal and choral music is both inspired and nourished by poetry. Second only to music, words are my great love, and from my earliest years I have enjoyed seeking out poetry that seems to invite musical setting. This album brings together some of my recent choral music where the words provided the first inspiration and the music followed.
Whilst the English composer Edmund Rubbra is best known for his symphonic output, he composed a good deal of vocal music, and wrote songs throughout his compositional life. Rubbra studied with Cyril Scott and Gustav Holst, and was a great friend of his contemporary Gerald Finzi. The songs are notable for their variation in accompaniment (less than half are set for piano, the rest for harp, string quartet, string orchestra, or full orchestra). This album contains all his published songs with piano and harp accompaniment, and includes the first and last songs of the composer’s output. Lucy Crowe, Claire Barnett-Jones, and Marcus Farnsworth are the three singers on the album, Catrin Finch (harp) and Iain Burnside (piano) the accompanists. Timothy Ridout (viola) joins for the Two Sonnets by William Alabaster, Op. 87.
CONTENTS:
Rubbra: Rosa Mundi, Op. 2
Rubbra: Cradle Song, Op. 8 No. 1
Rubbra: Nod
Rubbra: Orpheus with his Lute, Op. 8 No. 2
Rubbra: Who is Silvia? Op. 8 No. 3
Rubbra: Out in the dark, Op. 13 No. 1
Rubbra: It was a lover, Op. 13 No. 3
Rubbra: The Night, Op. 14
Rubbra: Rune of Hospitality
Rubbra: A Duan of Barra
Rubbra: A Widow Bird Sate Mourning, Op. 28
Rubbra: A Prayer
Rubbra: Songs (2), Op. 22
Rubbra: In Dark Weather, Op. 33
Rubbra: Invocation to Spring, Op. 17 No. 2
Rubbra: Two Sonnets by William Alabaster
Rubbra: Songs (2), Op. 4
Rubbra: A Hymn to the Virgin, Op. 13 No. 2
Rubbra: The Jade Mountain, Op. 116
Rubbra: Nocturne, Op. 54
Rubbra: Salve, Regina, Op. 119
Rubbra: No Swan So Fine, Op. 91
Rubbra: Fly Envious Time, Op. 148
Rubbra: Psalms (3), Op. 61
Rubbra: Dear Liza, Op. 7
REVIEW:
Soprano Lucy Crowe and baritone Marcus Farnsworth sing with tonal beauty, clear diction, and great sensitivity for the music and text. Pianist Iain Burnside is a marvelous collaborator, as are harpist Catrin Finch and violist Timothy Ridout. The booklet includes complete song texts and superb liner notes by Jonathan Clinch. [Rubbra] his songs are the product of a thoughtful and sensitive composer, and well worth exploration.
Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita: Echo - Music for Harp & Kora
Bendigedig
CD
$20.99May 27, 2022
ECHO celebrates the tenth anniversary of an extraordinary partnership between two virtuosos whose previous releases include 2018’s album SOAR and their 2013 debut Clychau Dibon. ECHO marks the third part of this remarkable trilogy. The harp and kora share centuries of history, and Catrin and Seckou create a unique dialogue in a musical alliance of rare empathy, inspired by differences and similarities. Their atmospheric magic crosses genre boundaries, from folk and world music to classical and contemporary as their fingers flow like opposing tributaries into a single river of sound. ECHO is the tender triumph of an extraordinary musical partnership that combines harp and kora, the modern and traditional, different cultures and common humanity.
Double You - Irish Music for Violin & Harp / Aoife Ní Bhriain & Catrin Finch
Bendigedig
CD
$20.99Oct 27, 2023
Dublin native Aoife Ní Bhriain is one of her generation's most versatile and gifted violinists, a dazzling musician who commands both the classical world and her Irish traditional heritage. From across the Irish Sea and the west coast of Wales, harpist Catrin Finch has also built an impressive classical career and ventured into unchartered musical territory, most notably through her international award-winning collaborations. Double You, their debut album as a duo, features an exquisite collection of new compositions that draw inspiration from various genres, taking listeners on a captivating journey on the wings of the bees across the Irish Sea and inspired by the cultures of their home countries.
Catrin Finch releases Notes to Self, her first solo album in a decade, featuring personal tracks dedicated to her 13-year-old self. Accompanied by letters, the album reflects on her 40-year career, exploring vulnerability, transformation, and life under public scrutiny. As a gay woman, cancer survivor, and mother, Finch channels her struggles and triumphs into music, marking a bold, introspective evolution in her artistry.
