The first album from the Choir of St John's with their new music director - Christopher Gray. Leaning into the college's well-established tradition of championing new music, at the heart of the programme are two triptychs: James MacMillan's Cantos Sagrados, composed 35 years ago, and Joanna Marsh's Echoes in Time, commissioned by the College in recent months. There is also a new choral work by Helena Paish and a new organ work by Martin Baker alongside existing works by Roxanna Panufnik and Dobrinka Tabakova. The commissioned works were conceived with the distinctive environment of St Johns' Victorian chapel (designed by George Gilbert Scott and consecrated in May 1869), it's organ and it's fine, world-famous choir which has done service since it's post-Restoration establishment in the 1670s.

William Byrd was one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance. He was widely admired in his own time both at home and abroad and the influence he had on future generations of composers was immense. This programme explores the music of his influences, his colleagues and his pervading faith. In his 400th anniversary year, Byrd’s legacy is marked by the commission of two new pieces from acclaimed composer Dobrinka Tabakova, bringing his musical heritage firmly into the modern day. The two premieres, Arise Lord into thy rest and Turn our captivity, highlight the beauty of modern polyphony and showcase The Sixteen in a new light. The programme also features works by Van Wilder, de Monte, Clemens Non Papa and, of course, Byrd himself.

This album marks the culmination of two special Hallé collaborations and includes four major pieces from one of the most distinctive of current British compositional voices. Delyana Lazarova (Hallé Assistant Conductor 2020-23) and composer Dobrinka Tabakova (Hallé Artist in Residence 2022-23) were both born in the historic city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Working together for the first time during their time with the orchestra they formed a strong musical connection in which the Hallé musicians displayed a close understanding of the intricacies and dialect of Tabakova’s musical language. This album contains two of Tabakova’s major orchestral works. The three-part Earth Suite, which the composer says was inspired by ‘the overwhelming force of Nature’, recently drew ‘exquisite playing’ from the Hallé (Bachtrack, April 2023).

Orpheus Comet features fast rhythmic material combined with atmospheric transparent orchestrations and a glorious climax featuring quotations from Monteverdi. The two significant concertos for strings and soloists included on this album solidified Tabakova’s reputation as an outstanding contemporary voice and display the composer’s close affinity with string instruments. Ukrainian-British Maxim Rysanov, is one of Tabakova’s longest collaborators who premiered the Concerto for Viola and Strings in 2004, a piece described as being ’saturated with an inner, captivating and natural energy’ (Culture Magazine, Nov 2004). The Concerto for Cello and Strings (whose score was described as ‘gorgeous’ by the Daily Telegraph, Australia) is here performed by Guy Johnson, one of the most exciting British cellists of his generation.

Dance of the Night Sky, Black Oak Ensemble's third album on Cedille, aims to expand the boundaries of the string trio repertoire, offering listeners a vibrant collection of contemporary works including four world premiere recordings, all by British women composers. Comprising of violinist Desiree Ruhstrat, violist Aurelian Fort Pederzoli, and cellist David Cunliffe, the Black Oak Ensemble has been praised for their "insightful, committed and masterful performances" (ClassicsToday) and "fierce eloquence" (London Times). The album opens with the world premiere recording of Shirley J. Thompson's Dance of the Night Sky, written for Black Oak Ensemble and premiered at the 2024 Cedille Soiree gala, showcasing the composer's distinctive style, which has also marked historic occasions including Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. The concept for the album was borne from an accidental Google search for "soccer" and "British composers," leading to the discovery of Thompson's Concerto for Football and Orchestra. This sparked a deeper exploration of string trios by British women and the idea to highlight the eight composers on the album, each bringing a unique voice to the string trio repertoire. With vivid musical imagery ranging from a steam train station in Zimbabwe in Carol J. Jones' bulawayo railway to the enigmatic poetry of Friedrich Nietzsche in Grace-Evangeline Mason's Into The Abyss, I Throw Roses-both world premiere recordings - the album showcases a multigenerational array of commissions. Sally Beamish's The King's Alchemist comprises four variations on the French folksong "L'Homme Arme" while exploring the story of John Damian, a European alchemist at the court of Scottish King James IV who donned wings to fly to France from Scotland's Stirling Castle (he didn't make it). Dobrinka Tavakova's Insight blends the voices of the string trio into a singular sound, evoking instruments such as the accordion and a brass fanfare. Recently appointed Master of the King's Music, Errollyn Wallen is one of the 20 most-performed living composers. Making Hay, in it's world premiere recording, takes her arrangement of J.S. Bach's Prelude in E Major from Book 1 of The Well Tempered Clavier and transforms it into a virtuosic display for string trio.

After Piazzolla Reflections, (ALPHA664), Latvian accordionist Ksenija Sidorova devotes this new recording to Bach and compositions influenced by his music - starting with the famous Concerto BWV 1052, which has inspired so many adaptations for piano, violin and even heavy metal guitar, "so I don't think a version for an instrument with two keyboards will surprise anyone!" says Ksenija. The programme also includes Sergey Akhunov, a composer who featured on her previous album, with a work inspired by Bach's Chaconne BWV1004; Beyond Bach by Gabriela Montero, the Venezuelan pianist and composer famous for her improvisations; and Horizons by the Anglo-Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova. The programme is completed by Bach's Chorale Prelude Ich ruf zu dir, which has accompanied Ksenija since childhood: 'I think this organ piece works particularly well on the accordion. Both instruments use bellows, but the accordion offers a much more flexible dynamic range. You can really let the music breathe.'

As 1st prize winner of the 2022 ARD Music Competition, the Barbican Quartet is one of the most sought-after young string quartet formations. The internationally composed ensemble is now releasing it's debut album on GENUIN: "Manifesto on Love", with works by Leos Janacek and Robert Schumann. The contrast between Schumann's expansive musical lines and Janacek's nervous surfaces and ecstatic outbursts could not be greater - yet the Barbican Quartet unites them as expressions of human need for love, for togetherness. Two works of the most intimate musical genre played at a phenomenal level!