After 25 years, this Bela Bartok album is seeing the light of day! The Global Music Network originally recorded this album in 2000 but unfortunately went out of business before the recording could be released. I am delighted that First Hand Records now presents these recordings for all Bartok fans... I am convinced that that the revised version of the Bartok Viola Concerto is a more effective and stronger work than the original version of the concerto and no doubt closer to Bartok's intent. The Duos are also delightful to play and hear in these excellent arrangements of Peter Bartok. (Paul Neubauer)

Shura Cherkassky (1909-1995) was a Russian-American concert pianist known for his performances of the romantic repertoire. He was one of the last pianists to come from the Golden Age of Pianism, whose playing was characterised by a virtuoso technique and singing piano tone. Cherkassky early on in his career earned a reputation for spontaneity, creativity, and technical perfection in his playing. His sound was unique and became almost instantly recognisable and was famous for never playing the same piece the same way. In addition to the standard virtuoso repertoire, especially that of Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff, Cherkassky also performed works by Hofmann, Hindemith, Morton Gould, Britten, Luciano Berio, Alban Berg, Stockhausen, Boulez and other 20th century/contemporary composers. The stimulus of a live audience always produced a more compelling performance from Cherkassky than he would give in a recording studio. Presented here are all the recital performances, totalling over five hours, which he gave at the Ambassador Auditorium between 1981 and 1989, published for the first time.

N the 18th century, Europe experienced a profound musical transformation from the Baroque to the Classical period. At the centre of this period stands Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. He emerges as a fascinating and highly influential figure in music history, embodying the transition from the Baroque to the Classical and Romantic periods. Throughout his life, C.P.E. Bach composed over three hundred keyboard works. His foray into organ music was significantly influenced by his association with Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia (1723-1787), sister of his employer King Frederick and recognised as one of the most enthusiastic collectors, performers, and composers among the women of the 18th century. The princess, had an organ installed in her living room to immerse herself in the 'learned style' epitomised by Bach's father. It cannot be coincidence that the first four of Bach's five organ sonatas were composed in 1755, the same year Amalia's organ was installed. These compositions represent a departure from traditional forms, emphasising an expansive expressive range and harmonic innovation. Only the five sonatas listed in Bach's own catalogue have been included in this recording. Amidst the flourishing creativity of the Classical period, a fascination with mechanical music swept across Europe. Esteemed composers such as Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart embraced this trend, creating compositions that enhanced both public and private musical experiences.

Heino Eller (1887–1970) is the founding father of Estonian professional instrumental music, both as a masterful and original composer, and as a teacher of composition over half a century. His output of around 300 titles is almost exclusively dedicated to instrumental music. Though Eller wrote three symphonies, around a dozen symphonic poems, six string quartets and four piano sonatas, he is nevertheless essentially a master of the small form. Eller’s music is characterized by a bright pantheistic lyricism and a Nordic restraint in expression, whilst retaining a philosophically charged, at times epic undercurrent. This magnificent album is the first ever devoted to Eller’s music for violin, about half of which is represented here — including the demanding second of his two sonatas for violin and piano, the remarkable, hyper-expressionist Fantasy for solo violin, and the most popular, emblematic work in Estonian repertoire for the instrument, Pines.

This abum contains the premiere recording of 6 Sonatas, Op. 63, originally published in 1737 (edition published by Atelier Philidor in 2021). The compositions are exquisite and expressive and have not been heard since the mid- 18th century since the engraved score has only recently been discovered. They are quintessentially French in their general musical style, making extensive use of prescribed ornamentation. The pardessus de viole enjoyed a considerable vogue in France towards the middle of the 18th century. For too long the pardessus de viole, which has an almost indentical range to the violin, has been commonly regarded - even without being heard - as a kind of toy instrument. Now we know otherwise after experiencing how similar, except for it's different register, the pardessus instrument is to all the other members of it's family, including the familiar bass viol. The recent discovery of Boismortier's Op. 63 for two 6-string pardessus de viole is an exciting and important find and FHR are very happy to publish the first recording.

Night Fancy is Michael Butten’s second release on FHR, his previous being the critically acclaimed recording of works by John Dowland [FHR84]. Butten, one of the UK’s leading guitarists, has won many solo guitar competitions including 1st prize at Ivor Mairants Guitar Award and recently the 2nd prize at the 2023 Francisco Tarrega Competition. The title of the album Night Fancy, was the original title of Britten’s Nocturnal after John Dowland, Op. 70, which is featured on the recording.

This recording contains two compostions by Welsh composer Matthew Owain Jones, String Quartet No. 1, 'Deletia' and Wind Quintet along with his arrangement of nine movements from Carl Nielsen's ballet Aladdin, Op. 63 for chamber ensemble. All three works on this album are premiere recordings and performed by Denmark's leading chamber ensemble Ensemble MidtVest. Jones is widely regarded as a unique, visionary musician and educator. Alongside composition, Jones is one of the leading violists and violinists of his time, recording 25 solo and chamber albums to date, premiering numerous concertos and commissioning dozens of works.

The young violinist Conor Gricmanis and his early music ensemble Noxwode, have recorded rare and beautiful violin sonatas by the early Italian Baroque composer Marco Uccellini for FHR. His sonatas for violin and continuo contributed to the development of an idiomatic style of writing for the violin (including virtuosic runs, leaps, and forays into high positions), expanding the instrument’s technical capabilities and expressive range. This stylus fantasticus genre is evident in this recording, providing ample opportunities for the soloists and ensemble to personalize their interpretations. On this recording, Gricmanis plays what is believed to be the oldest fully playable violin in the world, a 450 year old Andrea Amati made in 1572.

The Future is Female is a three-volume series, which celebrates and highlights women composers from the 17th century to the present day. These albums encompass 30 compositions by women from around the globe and include many new commissioned works and world première recordings. Most pianists grow up with the classical canon, which has always excluded women composers as well as composers of color. It is still standard practice to perform recitals consisting entirely of music written by men. The Future is Female aims to be a corrective towards rebalancing the repertoire. It does not attempt to be exhaustive, in any way, and the three albums in this series represent only a small fraction of the music by women which is waiting to be performed.

Chopin sans Chopin is Adam Golka's highly personal tribute to Frederic Chopin, featuring works inspired by Chopin instead of music by the master himself. The album includes a plethora of international composers of the 19th and 20th centuries, including choices inspired by Golka's Polish-American background and unique family history. The album includes a world premiere recording of the 1894 Mazurka in E minor by Natalia Janotha (1856-1932). This is Golka's fourth solo album on FHR.

Michael Finnissy's output for the guitar spans almost 60 years of his career and represents an enormous contribution to the repertoire of the instrument from one of Britain's most significant composers. Published a few days before Finnissy's 80th birthday, this bold and ambitious album celebrates this milestone by bringing together all of his works for solo guitar and guitar ensemble for the first time, in performances by Finnissy's collaborators and led by new music virtuoso and tireless guitar explorer Sam Cave.