Richard Blackford : The Better Angels of Our Nature (2013)For Oboe and String OrchestraDuration: c. 14 minutesFormat: 40-page A4 saddle stitched sheet musicScore and parts available on hire • Available on CD, NI6338“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” The inspirational plea for reconciliation from Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address on March 4th 1861 was my starting point for a fifteen minute concerto for oboe and strings for the virtuoso oboist Emily Pailthorpe, to whom the work is dedicated. It is divided into two continuous movements, separated by Taps, the bugle call which is played traditionally for funerals or at sunset.” Richard Blackford"This is a really enjoyable disc containing four memorable and entertaining pieces. The performances are all expertly done with fine contributions from the soloists."John Whitmore, MusicWeb International

Duration: c. 29 minutesFormat: 64-page piano / 20-page recorderFor me, as for many children, the first musical instrument was the recorder. My father brought one home for me when I was three. Through playing the recorder, I learned to read music to a decent standard at an early age, which was very helpful. Although I ranged across a multitude a woodwind instruments before going on to become a composer, I never stopped playing the recorder. So, in 2009, when Leanne Nichols of the Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra asked me to write a concerto for Michala Petri, I was very happy to take on the commission. My only problem was that I was doing a lot of travelling at the time, but I soon found a way around this. I took two recorders with me everywhere. One was a soprano (descant) instrument;the other was a digital recorder. Whenever I was able to find the time, I would try out ideas for the concerto and make recordings, building up an archive that I could refer back to. My favourite location for this strange activity was the church of Furnas on the little island of São Miguel, in the Azores. I was in there for several hours and recorded a lot of new material, all of which eventually found its way into the piece. I met Michala for the first time in Hong Kong about a week before the premiere of Concerto Incantato. I told her that when she arrived on the scene as a child wonder recorder player, in the 1970s, I determined absolutely not go head to head with her in the recorder world. She is a few years younger than me and my mind was almost made up already, but she influenced my choic eof career markedly, nudging me towards composing, rather than performing. I won’t say I’ve never looked back, but when I hear Michala playing, I think I made the right decision.   [Richard Harvey]

Bebop Riddle, for expert marimba soloist, is virtuosic, playful, dance-like, nuanced, and nimble. A bit like Stravinsky and Bartok crossed with Bebop, with an occasional hint of a Big-Band-like brass fill, the composition unfolds chains, links, collisions, alterations, and deviations. Like an engine with several kinds of motors, wheels and cogs, the music churns and hops along at a fast tempo, unfurling a chain-link of transformations, variations and outgrowths. Musical connections are orbital; sounds cross-fertilize and establish relationships which, in turn, create new intersections, amalgams, and fulcrum points. The spirit of this work is that no two chords, motives, lines, phrases, rhythms are exactly the same. Everything is transforming - everything is an amalgam.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Paul Conway writes: "In 2017 Martin Jones visited the National Library of Wales, and uncovered manuscript scores of these and many other piano works written by the young Dan Jones. "The depth and range of the works presented on this release suggest that Jones was a natural composer for the piano and until his symphonic odyssey had begun, he used this medium, along with that of the string quartet, for some of his most profound utterances." The two movements which comprise the Sonatina in A minor (1943) have the heft and scope of a fully-fledged sonata, so the diminutive title is surely a reflection of the brevity of the score rather than an indication of lightness or insubstantiality. The shadowy opening Tragico con moto movement is in thrall to the swaying, arpeggiated idea with which the music begins. The following movement opens with a solemn theme and continues with a series of variations that ranges from fluency and nobility to reticence and, ultimately, bluff geniality."

Richard Blackford :The Great Animal Orchestra, Symphony for Orchestra & Wild Soundscapes (2014)For Symphony Orchestra and Sampling KeyboardA collaboration with Bernie KrauseDuration: c. 30 minutesFormat: 88-page A4 perfect bound study scoreScore and parts available on hire • Available on CD, NI6274“I have never heard anything quite like this symphony, but, then, there has never been anything quite like this symphony … This music speaks with great eloquence, authority and immediacy, but not only on behalf of human beings: it speaks also for the natural world, casting light upon humanity’s often less than felicitous relationship with our fellow creatures.” ​​​​​​​Gramophone“This is an entertaining, sometimes moving work, a real achievement for both Richard Blackford and Bernie Krause expertly realised by Martyn Brabbins and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.”The Classical Reviewer (Bruce Reader)

Classical Music

Paul Conway writes: "In 2017 Martin Jones visited the National Library of Wales, and uncovered manuscript scores of these and many other piano works written by the young Dan Jones. "The depth and range of the works presented on this release suggest that Jones was a natural composer for the piano and until his symphonic odyssey had begun, he used this medium, along with that of the string quartet, for some of his most profound utterances." The Preludes are among the earliest music contained in this collection, and it is possible that he soon took to, and cultivated, other forms, such as the Fantasia, because they gave him greater opportunities for varied expression. Veiled and restrained, the Prelude in D minor (1933) contains a brighter central section, which is recalled in tranquility in a tiny coda. The Thema con variazioni in D flat (1941) presents a simple and serene rising and falling melody, and then proceeds to weave a series of richly ornamented variants upon it's undulating contours. The delicate, hesitant closing section sets the seal on one of Jones's most exquisite, beautifully proportioned piano pieces."

Paul Conway writes: "In 2017 Martin Jones visited the National Library of Wales, and uncovered manuscript scores of these and many other piano works written by the young Dan Jones. "The depth and range of the works presented on this release suggest that Jones was a natural composer for the piano and until his symphonic odyssey had begun, he used this medium, along with that of the string quartet, for some of his most profound utterances." The Fantasia in E flat minor (1944) is delightfully eclectic, alighting fleetingly upon assorted styles and modes of expression in it's magpie invention. The Lento malinconico (1949) expresses nobility and tenderness, as well as defiance and, finally, dignity and acceptance."

When playing and hearing BEBOP RIDDLE II the virtuosity, flexibility, and energy of superstar jazz upright-bass players Charles Mingus, Ron Carter, and Ray Brown leap to ear and mind. This force, intersected with other specific musical perfumes formulate a unique sonic palette. Thomas said, "I love how music talks with music." Imagine the pointillistic intricacy and contrapuntal, conversational, interlocking-lines of J.S. Bach's keyboard music crisscrossed with Bill-Evans-and-Thelonious-Monk-like harmonies, then further overlapped with the energy of bebop's fast tempo, rapid chord changes, mood shifts, and instrumental flair. Thomas braids these auras (there are no musical quotes in the composition) into a personal, nuanced amalgam that captures the spirit of improvisation, at turns whimsical, soulful, vivacious, reflective, and animated. Thomas said, "There is a lifeforce when one musician speaks in music with another. Even if from time to time one musician is silent, there is still an animated spirit and energy." She writes on her score, "Full of spirit; Enthusiastic inner-life for each note, line, and hocket." This refined composition is a 7-minute conversation between cello and piano as well as a conversation between composer and some of her musical idols. Thomas is composing a series of "Bebop Riddles" all of which are completely independent, unique works. Bebop Riddle I is for solo marimba. Thomas dedicates this work with admiration and gratitude to Ellen Highstein to honor her longstanding leadership of the Tanglewood Music Center. Commissioned by the Tanglewood Music Center and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Richard Blackford : ArrangementCarnival of the Animals (2014)For Symphony Orchestra (no pianos)Music by Camille Saint-SaënsDuration: c. 22 minutesFormat: 128-page A4 perfect bound study scoreScore and parts available on hireAvailable on CD, NI6274“Saint-Saëns’ brilliant original score is given whole new persona in Richard Blackford's subtle and colourful makeover for classical symphony orchestra. The essence of the original music is maintained, but the fresh new orchestral garb gives a new and intriguing perspective on the animals pictured within. An old friend one hasn't seen for a number of years suddenly appears from around the corner...” Martyn Brabbins