Manuel de Falla (1876-1949) is the most highly regarded Spanish composer of the 20th century. This recital contains de Falla's complete original works for solo piano performed by the celebrated British pianist Martin Jones. "Martin Jones as a recording artist has been part of my listening experience for almost as long as I've been collecting LPs and CDs. Seeing his distinguished and still active career celebrated by Nimbus Records in this way is a true delight." (Dominy Clements, Musicweb-International) Martin Jones has been one of Britain's most highly regarded solo pianists since first coming to international attention in 1968 when he received the Dame Myra Hess Award. The same year he made his London debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and his New York debut at Carnegie Hall, and ever since has been in demand for recitals and concerto performances on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a prolific recording artist and his many major projects include the complete solo piano works of Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, Grainger, Stravinsky, Korngold, Szymanowski, Granados, Guastavino, Mompou, Ernesto Halffter, Joaquin Nin, Has G�l, Jean Fran�aix, Jean Roger-Ducasse, and Alan Richardson.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Mark Anderson writes: "This recording offers the listener an interconnected view of romantic and postromantic repertoire for two pianos, much of it unknown and even unpublished, until now. The best-known work here is Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.56b but there are other works included that deserve wider circulation and exposure. The two sets of variations by Carl Reinecke (1824-1910) are exquisite examples of 2-piano writing and exhibit attractive traits of the Leipzig School, at times providing strong echoes of Schumann and J.S. Bach, quite overtly in his Variations on a Sarabande by J.S. Bach. Likewise, the two sets of previously unpublished works by Julius Rontgen (1855-1932), whose early works are well-rooted in that same Leipzig School, reveal a mastery of composition in the 2-piano genre, an area in which he is currently unknown. Chamber music, concerti and even symphonies, alongside the growing popularity of his solo piano music, are well known genres for Rontgen. However, this recording presents R�ntgen's debut as a composer in the 2-piano medium. In our opinion, his success is as astounding as the obscurity of these works is bewildering."

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

The four string quartets largely span Christopher Wright's adult composing career (of 40 years), from his early twenties to the present, and are the only single genre to which he has consistently returned. Each quartet was conceived as a non-programmatic abstract piece of music; however, the first and fourth are "descriptive" in that they were inspired by specific landscapes: respectively, the East Suffolk Coast and Beacon Fell Lancashire. Only the fourth quartet has a title and four distinct movements.

From the artists: "Our objective in creating this new arrangement was to remain as faithful to the original as practically possible. We set out to embrace not only the capabilities of the two pianos but also their limitations - we wanted to create a true piano work, rather than a less-than-satisfactory imitation of the orchestral version. We first performed our arrangement at St John's Smith Square in London in 2017 and for the next five years we worked to refine the textures and to create something comfortably pianistic while incorporating as much of Rachmaninoff's intention as is feasible. We sought inspiration from the composers own arrangement of the Symphonic Dances Op.45, from his two Suites for two pianos Opp.5 and 17, and from his four-hands version of The Rock Op.7. We hope that our arrangement will be enjoyable to all pianists who have a love for Rachmaninoff's music. The much-loved Adagio will serve as a great challenge for musicians of diploma level, while anyone who has enjoyed performing the Suites will surely enjoy this new challenge."