"In December 1982 my old friend Norman Peterkin passed away in his sleep at the age of almost 96 in a Guildford hospital. for so many years he had seemed immortal that I could scarcely believe the news. At first the grief was personal, but later I realized that he had been making a significant contribution to many different aspects of British music for over sixty years and so the loss was thus more widespread. Latterly he had been known in two roles: as a 'grandad' figure for the Music Department of Oxford University Press and as the composer of the song, 'I heard a piper piping'. He had outlived most of the contemporaries who might have remembered other facets of his life, e.g. his contributions to musical life in far flung parts of the old Empire, and his work in the 1920s with the composers' circle in Liverpool. To begin with his own compositions were written in a style similar to that of Grieg, but he was open to all the contemporary influences in music and literature - to Debussy and Delius and to Yeats and Maeterlinck. Another significant influence was the music of Cyril Scott, whose First Piano Sonata of 1909 made a great impression on the young Peterkin and was to remain a favorite with him. History will give Norman Peterkin an unusual position in the hierarchy of twentieth century British music and musicians. For some of his songs he will be known as a subtle, imaginative composer of considerable distinction. As a publisher he will always be associated with Hubert Foss, but as one who was known as a poet in music and a musician in publishing he will have a niche all his own." (Alastair Chisholm)

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"His early education took place at Crypt Grammar School in Gloucester. National Service with the Intelligence Corps involved a posting to Vienna, where he developed a burgeoning passion for opera. He studied at Pembroke College, Oxford (1950-53) with Sir Thomas Armstrong and Dr. Bernard Rose and became President of the University Music Society. In addition, he took composition lessons from Lennox Berkeley, whose Gallic sensibility may be said to have influenced Hurd's own musical language. Hurd's love of literature and the human voice illuminated a natural talent for wordsetting. Hence his catalogue is dominated by choral and vocal works, including operas, 'pop' cantatas, songs and anthems. He was especially noted for his many scores for children and amateurs, and his care to ensure that the material he wrote was within the reach of non-professional singers and accompanists accords with his conviction that composers should adopt a practical approach to their craft. These 'rhythmic and harmonies subtleties' are readily discernible in Hurd's choral works. The sacred and secular examples presented here range from brief anthems to substantial settings of his favorite poetry. They are all indicative of a desire to engage singers and listeners instantly and a natural aptitude for enhancing the text." (Paul Conway)

This two-disc set contains two of Michael Hurd’s chamber oepras, The Aspern Papers, and The Night of the Wedding. The Aspern Papers is based on the novella by Henry James, with libretto by the composer. The Night of the Wedding is a one act chamber opera based on Frank Witney’s Nuit de Noces. Some artists featured on this album include the Ulster Orchestra under the direction of George Vass, pianist Simon Lepper, conductor Ronald Corp, and many talented vocalists.

Iain Ellis Hamilton (1922-2000) dedicated his life to composition after being awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in 1947. Three works are presented on this release, and are indicative of the wide variations in Hamilton’s catalogue. The Bermudas, Piano Concerto No. 1, and Cantos for horn, tuba, harp and orchestra are recorded on this album. The recordings on this album were taken in 1973, 1961, and 1965, respectively.

Franz Reizenstein showed gifts as a pianist and composer from early childhood. In 1930 he went to the Berlin State Academy to study with Paul Hindemith and Leonid Kreutzer, but was forced to leave Germany upon Hitler’s rise to power. He arrived in London where he studied at the Royal College of Music. In the years following the war he built a successful career as a concert pianist. A respected teacher, he served as professor of piano at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Manchester College of Music. Reizenstein held a strong and often expressed belief in the importance of giving young musicians the opportunity of playing contemporary music during their early training. His related wish that music teachers would make more use of worthwhile teaching pieces by present-day composers bore fruit in a number of pieces for children and inexperienced players that appeared at regular intervals throughout his oeuvre, several of which are featured on this release.

Michael Hurd was born in Gloucester in 1928, the son of a self-employed cabinetmaker and upholsterer. National Service with the Intelligence Corps involved a posting to Vienna, where he developed a burgeoning passion for opera. He studied at Pembroke College, Oxford with Sir Thomas Armstrong and Dr. Bernard Rose and became President of the University Music Society. Hurd's love of literature and the human voice illuminated a natural talent for word-setting. Hence his catalogue is dominated by choral and vocal works, including operas, 'pop' cantatas, songs and anthems. He was especially noted for his many scores for children and amateurs, and his care to ensure that the material he wrote was within the reach of non-professional singers and accompanists accords with his conviction that composers should adopt a practical approach to their craft. This release is volume two of Michael Hurd's choral music, and also includes his complete solo songs for voice and piano.

This tribute to Humphre Searle captures the essence of his creative output. It was given by his friend and fellow composer Peter RAcine Fricker, who declared he had been "fortunate to have known a person with such wit, warmth and wisdom". "His music can be, and often is, dramatic and powerful but it can also be tender and warm and it can also show those elemtns of comedy and parody which he delighted in himself..."

Alan was a complete musician - a composer, performer, teacher, and a person of extraordinary natural musicality. Small wonder then that he was viewed with profound respect by all those within the musical profession who were privileged to come into contact with him... As a pianist one was struck by his innate rhythmic verve, a facet which indeed radiated through all his compositions - but perhaps the quality above all else that will be remembered was that which can best be described as a mezzo voce bel canto, the realisation of a choice and refined ear, and the product of a deep thinker and inner tranquillity'. It is that satisfying synergy of elegant lyricism and rhythmic energy which distinguishes the keyboard works of pianist and composer Alan Richardson. (Paul Conway)

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