Franz Liszt is of course the father of Romantic pianism and his Sonata in B minor is a tour-de-force of whirlwind phrasing and technical demands. Julius Reubke was one of his favored pupils, whose Sonata in B flat minor is very much in the same mould, and a real challenge to any pianist. Here we present the sonatas of master and pupil together for the first time, admirably performed by celebrated English pianist Anthony Hewitt.

The expressive and picturesque music of Fran�ois Couperin ("The Great"), one of the central figures in French baroque-era music, has had a deep impact on many later composers. One of these is British composer Graham Lynch (b. 1957) whose music covers a wide range of styles. His harpsichord music is not derived from Couperin - he does not copy it's style and ornaments - but is the nearest we have to an equivalent: highly expressive, well articulated and full of imagery. Finnish harpsichordist Assi Karttunen specializes in both baroque and contemporary music. This is her fourth published recording.

This album derives from a 1998 release from Forsyth Brothers (Manchester) featuring works published in their Recorder Catalogue. It was then called ‘John and Peter’s Whistling Book’. For this new version, remastered in 2022, several extra tracks have been added. The album features the recorder at its most scintillatingly bright – most of the music here, though very recent, is melodic, tuneful, often in dance form, and witty – for example Bullard’s suite inspired by favorite foods from around the world. Two small forays into modernism are provided by superb pieces by Richard Whalley and Kevin Malone. John Turner is one of the world’s most respected and skillful recorderists, with a long history of recordings, publications and premieres, including regular appearances with the Academy of Ancient Music, the Early Music Consort with David Munrow, English Chamber Orchestra and Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Peter Lawson has also enjoyed a long and illustrious career; he taught at Chetham’s School of Music for almost 40 years and has a large and impressive discography to his name.

In 1847 Franz Liszt visited Istanbul (then Constantinople) and performed several recitals on an Erard piano specially shipped for him to play. He spent a month there and gave several concerts including two in the Sultan's palace. He was f�ted and praised highly; at that time the city was a hub of Western culture and a frequent destination of Italian and French opera companies, so Liszt's operatic transcriptions found a receptive audience. Turkish-American pianist Zeynep Ucbasaran created a selection of works from Liszt's program which were broadcast throughout Europe in 2011 and performed live to great acclaim. Now this recital is committed to a recording which celebrates not only great music but also what was Liszt's final year as a virtuoso performer. Zeynep Ucbasaran began music studies in Istanbul at the age of four, then in Hungary and Germany before moving to the USA to obtain her degrees in Piano Performance. She has won multiple awards and performed in many parts of the world. She naturally has an affinity with the musical culture and heritage of her native Turkey.

Composer and conductor David Ellis (b. 1933) is an important figure in British music. + During his student days in the 1950s, he, along with his then fellow students Peter Maxwell Davies, Harrison Birtwistle, Elgar Howarth, Alexander Goehr and John Ogdon formed the groundbreaking New Music Manchester Group. + From 1977-86 he headed music for BBC North. + This illustriously artist-adorned album contains several of Mr. Ellis’ compositions for string orchestra, works ranging from the light and (almost) easy listening, to sterner more concentrated works in post-classical idiom.

- Carson Cooman (b. 1982) is an American organist and composer with a catalogue of hundreds of works in many forms. - His music has been performed on all six inhabited continents in venues ranging from the Carnegie Hall stage to the basket of a hot air balloon, and appears on over forty recordings. - As a specialist in the performance of contemporary organ music, this new album will be of interest to organ enthusiasts; it contains traditional forms (Preludes and Fugues and Symphony) in new writing for today. - Simmons' previous disc, DDA 25116, was called 'a benchmark recording' - Classical Music Sentinal.

Acclaimed organist and teacher Carson Cooman is one of America's most gifted and prolific composers working today in relatively traditional styles, his music having featured on more than 40 CDs to date. This album is the third in a new Divine Art label series; the previous programs featured chamber music with brass (‘Rising at Dawn’ and solo organ works (‘Litany’). Here we have some of Cooman’s most exquisite, traditionally written and highly Romantic music for orchestra. The works on this album offer examples of accessible, original new music that is neither bland or shallow.

A composer with an oeuvre of hundreds of works, American born Carson Cooman (b. 1982) excels in all genres, including solo instrumental works to operas, and from hymn songs to orchestral works. Cooman’s work has been performed on six continents and on over forty recordings. Along with his impressive compositional career, Cooman boasts virtuosic organ talent. He has had over 130 new works composed for him. This new release focuses on music in the style of the Renaissance and early Baroque, and features esteemed organist Erik Simmons.

Born on March 6 1928 in Blackburn, Lancashire to working class parents of Scots and Welsh ancestry, Stevenson is an extraordinary figure: a composer-pianist in the grand tradition who always worked with the highest ideals and fierce integrity. He composed nearly 500 piano pieces that are colourful and approachable.

Cilia Petridou was an accomplished pianist until her career was ended by major surgery, since when she has concentrated on composition. Moving with her family to the UK, she was hugely affected by the Turkish invasion of north Cyprus which destroyed their home town of Famagusta;her music is often informed by that political and social tragedy and also by the landscapes of Cyprus, ancient literature and the Greek Orthodox liturgy. This double album is in two parts: The Asmata is a collection of songs inspired by the poetry of Anyte of Tegea, divided between two sopranos. A small vocal ensemble then presents the Byzantine Doxology, a new setting of Orthodox liturgical texts. Most is sung in Greek and is suffused, even in the case of a setting of Emily Dickinson, with the musical traditions of that country.

The title ‘Sappho, Shropshire and Super-Tramp’ reflects three major threads (though not all) in this exceptional album of new English art-song made with the English Poetry and Song Society. Shropshire is represented by several settings from Housman’s ‘A Shropshire Lad’ has been among the most popular sets of poems for composers since its publication in 1896. From the ancient world, Sappho’s writings were set by Ivor Gurney, recently discovered, edited and published by Richard Carder. Super-tramp is the exceptional hobo-turned-gentleman poet W.H. Davies. Altogether 12 composers and 52 songs, some in cycles and some stand-alone items, make this a feast of new and fascinating work for the song lover. Performed by top soloists Sarah Leonard and Johnny Herford, accompanied by Nigel Foster, who has been described as ‘today’s Gerald Moore’.

British composer Roy Heaton Smith (1928-2014) was a student of Richard Hall and Noel Walton. During his student days, he won a Royal Philharmonic Prize as well as a scholarship from the Royal Academy. Smith wrote an enormous catalog of music in many different genres and styles. While his early works were published, later in his life he devoted himself to teaching and no longer published his compositions. This release is the first album totally devoted to his music, and all of these recordings are receiving their premiere on this release.

• Carson Cooman (b. 1982) is one of America's most prolific and talented composers; his work appears on over twenty labels. music has been performed worldwide in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to a hot air balloon basket. This is the third CD of Coomans music to be made by Erik Simmons. Tfeatured instrument is the Main Organ of Laurenskerk, Rotterdam, Netherlands built by & Son in 1973,the largest entirely mechanical action instrument in Europe.

Jonathan �stlund is a Swedish composer who has recently been living in London. He has manifested an avid interest for music from an early age and has pursued his passion with a BA and MA in Composition at the Lule� Tekniska Universitet, in Sweden. He has studied under the artistic guidance of Prof. Rolf Martinsson, Prof. Jan Sandstr�m and Prof. Sverker Jullander, among others, and has so far completed approximately 80 works, including several orchestral pieces and a Piano Concerto, and has been awarded many prizes in international competitions. This double album features vocal, instrumental and chamber music with inspiration from nature, especially the mysteries of the night, evoked in some works by wordless vocalise. A team of top European soloists (several of whom also gave the world premieres of these works) were gathered to present this album. �stlund's music is very accessible and tonal and often full of wit and humor, and always atmospheric.

On this CD we present works by three well-known modern composers, Iannis Xenakis, Michael Finnissy and Morton Feldman, together with pieces by three young British composers whose work deserves more recognition. Philip Howard is a pianist of extraordinary talent, who copes with the fierce demands of these works with aplomb.