Portraits for Guitar brings together bold contemporary voices and rich cultural traditions from the Afro-Cuban, Caribbean and European sound worlds. Performed by Ahmed Dickinson Cardenas and Helen Sanderson, this unique album weaves together rhythm, vivid colour, contrast and a deep sense of travel and place into an irresistibly compelling and engaging narrative.

This album brings together sacred choral works by composers united by a shared philosophical and theological outlook, offering a sequence that explores stillness, meaning, and the deeper resonance of text through music. Drawn together by a love of music, of philosophy, and of the Christian tradition, their approach is shaped in part by the teaching of Leon MacLaren, a self-taught polymath whose search in pursuit of life's deeper questions informed a distinctive understanding of sound, listening, and creativity.

Spanning a century of musical thought, this compelling recital explores a rich dialogue between tradition and innovation and revealing how composers reimagine the past to create new artistic worlds. In music deeply rooted in the national identities of Bulgaria and Italy, the sequence begins with a work reminiscent of a 19th century tone poem, travels through 'New Music' of the late 20th century, and contemporary avantgarde works.

This CD is a natural successor to the first volume of quartets by Rose recorded by the Tippett Quartet on Convivium Records in 2024. There is a close relationship between the two works on the previous disc and the two quartets here released in that all four make use of Baroque or Classical forms but all adapted into new guises thus preserving the logical integrity of those forms without rendering them hackneyed or lacking in interest.

“At just 9 years of age Luca had already toured the world with Libera Boys Choir. A featured soloist on Aled Jones' track Vespera and Kurt Bestors' Ave Maria he has also been invited to perform at many charity events. In 2022 Luca was Runner Up in BBC Young Chorister of The Year. He has a large following on social media and high praise from industry professionals including Katherine Jenkins, who claimed he "has a God-given voice". This debut album directed by Robert Lewis with The Hennessey Brown Music Collective includes many fresh arrangements of Luca’s favourite music.”

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Astro Cats is a virtuosic and colourful piano cycle in which each movement is inspired by a different breed of cat (domestic, wild, and even one imaginary). Given that the world often seems divided between dog and cat lovers, following the release of Carbon's work Astro Dogs, many people suggested the idea of a cat cycle. The composer has had both dogs and cats over the years, and as with the previous work, the pairing of each breed with a zodiac sign meant that the composer took inspiration from close friends and family who shared the sign. The moods of the pieces vary widely, and John Carbon has taken strong inspiration from the kinetic behaviour of cats, with their pouncing, crouching, sprinting, as well as elements of the hunt and their mysterious, crafty nature. The result is a rich musical exploration of the feline world, projected through the full possibilities of the piano.

Celebrating the rich musical heritage of University College, Durham, this album brings together works by Edward Bairstow and Francis Jackson alongside a new commission by Ben Rowarth, and the first complete recording of Amy Beach's Four Canticles. In music of faith, remembrance and renewal, it honours alumnus David Knowles, and reflects the devotion and creativity that continue to shape Durham's choral tradition.

Imperial College Chamber Choir and conductor Patrick Allies present This Place, a beautifully-curated programme of choral works exploring themes of home, belonging, spiritual refuge, love, respite and peace. While the theme relates principally to the repertoire, it also acknowledges the chamber choir's own position within Imperial College London, and the musical home that it's members find in the choir.

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This collection of string music by Hugh Shrapnel is a powerful, humane response to poetry, history and social unrest. From the poetry-inspired lyricism of The Hazel Nut, through the turbulent, searching drama of Nascence, to the powerful narrative of Easter Rising, these works explore struggle, awakening and the possibility of peace.

Performed by Tanya Houghton, Jennifer Sturgeon, Jenny Bourke and Lynda Barrett, Sweet Chance is a lyrical journey for harp, flute and voice, inspired by artistic relationships forged through travel and chance encounters. From Parisian inspiration to a Belfast home, this recital programme ranges from Britten's Interlude to songs newly arranged with harp accompaniment, and Alwyn's virtuosic flute and harp duet, Naiades.

This thoughtfully sequenced recording explores sacred music written in the sixteenth and twenty-first centuries. It includes a famous madrigal, a starting point for a mass setting by Philippe de Monte, positioned alongside well-crafted, but previously unrecorded music from the same period. They are complemented by striking contemporary pieces by female composers, including Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Cecilia McDowall, Melissa Dunphy, Rosa Elliott and Kerry Andrew.

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If any composer from the last hundred years can be said to have redefined the piano sonata, that composer is John White. A unique figure in British music, his vast compositional output documents a long involvement with the worlds of dance, theatre, experimentalism and electronica as well as with that of the concert hall. (Dave Smith, Senior Lecturer in Music, University of Hertfordshire.) "I write a lot for piano for two main reasons: being a pianist allows me to be in touch with a rich and exciting repertoire, which gives me a great variety of role models in terms of vocabulary and gesture with which to formulate and 'clothe' the ideas which come to me and seem to need expression. Being an idealistic rather than a "career" composer, I find the piano a handy vehicle for the uttering ('outering') of compositional thought, in that the inspiration goes directly into a performable medium without the salesmanship required for getting ensemble pieces played." (John White, in conversation with Sarah Walker. The New English Keyboard School: A Second 'Golden Age' Leonardo Music Journal Vol. 11 2001)

Composer of the comic Franklin chamber opera Benjamin, John Carbon (born 1951) has created a large catalogue of vocal and instrumental work that has been widely performed and recorded by internationally recognized artists. His dramatic concertos have been praised for their "dazzling kinetic virtuosity" (Fanfare Magazine) and their "many moments of genuine beauty." (American Record Guide) "John Carbon's vivid and engaging style is on full display in this collection of orchestral and chamber works. Carbon has long had a particularly affinity for the dramatic and expressive possibilities of concertos, and four of his significant works in that genre, played here by superb soloists, comprise the bulk of the album. The powerful symphony Inner Voices" and the pictorial chamber suite "Ghost Town Sketches" round out this collection." (Carson Cooman)