Publisher Julien Hamelle snapped up Faur�'s Berceuse following it's first performance in February 1880. It's success was no flash in the pan either: it sold over 700 copies in the first year and became probably Faur�'s most frequently transcribed piece. Faur�'s Violin Sonata No. 1 claims to be regarded his first masterpiece. He began it in the summer of 1875, shortly after his 30th birthday, and finished it the following year and it was first performed in Paris in January 1877 by the violinist Marie Tayau, with Faur� playing the piano part. Today this work has such a firm place in the repertory, it's hard to imagine how bold and adventurous it must have seemed at that time. By August 1916, when Faur� began his Second Violin Sonata, he had seen much and suffered much: not only the outbreak of war, but his increasing deafness which he tried to hide, not always successfully. Ultimately, of course, we do, and may find ourselves marveling at what a powerful and impressive work this self-effacing 71-year-old has produced. In 1897 Ravel began a Violin Sonata, but got no further than the first movement. Ravel's single movement, in sonata form, juxtaposes modal writing, as at the opening, with more chromatic harmonies, including two passages of downward sliding chords that sound like Delius. The joins may not always be totally convincing, but there is no mistaking Ravel's way with a lyrical idea. Ravel's Berceuse, dedicated to his friend Roland-Manuel's son, born the previous 20 June, has an unassuming grace worthy of it's dedicatee, and it's contrasts, as in the early Sonata movement, are largely between modal and chromatic harmonies. The score is marked 'semplice' and the violin is muted throughout, as in Faur�'s own Berceuse.

Composer John York writes about his new release with Nimbus Music Publishing: "I felt a need, and relished the opportunity, to exploit my admiration for Clarke's idiosyncrasies after having performed the Sonata so many times throughout my life - and the Dialogue with Rebecca Clarke, written in 2007, for the fine Moldovan violist Mikhail Mouller, was enormous fun to write. There are some recognizable motifs and rhythms, lifted from the sonata and re-used, combined with my own original themes, and my harmonies sometimes follow her general example. I wish I could really have had a conversation with the composer - but this concert showpiece has to make do..."

During the 18th century, Louis Marchand was the most famous French organist, and renowned throughout Europe. Therefore, in the year of the 350th anniversary of his birth, it is appropriate to record his best organ music on a historic instrument that has been sympathetically reconstructed in modern times. French organ music from the period of Louis XIV to the Revolution has always held fascination for performers and listeners alike. The kaleidoscope of colours, the rich and varied styles, and the sheer exuberance of the music never fail to captivate. Yet, performance practice of this music has never been fully understood. David Ponsford has spent much of his career studying this repertoire, resulting in his book French Organ Music in the Reign of Louis XIV (Cambridge University Press, 2011). The present series of recordings on the most important historical organs in France, including the music of Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers, Louis Couperin, Nicolas-Antoine Leb�gue, Andr� Raison, Jacques Boyvin, Fran�ois Couperin, Nicolas de Grigny, Louis Marchand, Louis-Nicolas Cl�rambault, up to composers of the Revolution such as Balbastre, Beauvarlet Charpentier and Lasceux, is therefore the fruit of many years of research by a seasoned performer whose aim is to combine technical brilliance with intellectual understanding, to bring the music alive with authority and meaning.

Thanks to the tireless advocacy of the pianist Simon Callaghan, the music of the Derbyshire-born Roger Sacheverell Coke has started to emerge from the obscurity in which it has languished since the composer's death in 1972. Despite showing considerable early promise, Coke remained an outsider in British musical life. His three cello sonatas frame the years 1936 to 1941 a very productive period in Coke's life. Composed towards the end of 1941, the third sonata was 'affectionately dedicated to Kinkie Halswell', an individual whose identity remains unknown. The sonata represents a further stage in Coke's musical development, not least in the ambitious first movement. Exhibiting a stronger adherence to sonata form than it's two predecessors, the movement explores new sound worlds with complex thematic material, muscular piano writing, fervent cello lines, and rapid shifts of mood and tempo, with periods of mysterious sotto voce fragmentation. The overriding tone is one of alienation and instability, the minor key in the ascendant until an unexpected shift to A major brings the movement to a surprisingly optimistic conclusion.

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 realization of a choice and refined ear, and the product of a deep thinker and inner�tranquility'. It is that satisfying synergy of elegant lyricism and rhythmic energy which distinguishes the keyboard works of pianist and composer Alan Richardson. [Paul Conway] The Sonata for two pianos was not published during the composer's life. Nimbus Music Publishing is grateful to the Richardson Estate for permission to make it available in this edition.

Composer John York writes about his new release with Nimbus Music Publishing: "I felt a need, and relished the opportunity, to exploit my admiration for Clarke's idiosyncrasies after having performed the Sonata so many times throughout my life - and the Dialogue with Rebecca Clarke, written in 2007, for the fine Moldovan violist Mikhail Mouller, was enormous fun to write. There are some recognizable motifs and rhythms, lifted from the sonata and re-used, combined with my own original themes, and my harmonies sometimes follow her general example. I wish I could really have had a conversation with the composer - but this concert showpiece has to make do..."

In celebration of the diversity and the mission statement of the Royal Albert Hall on the occasion of the venue’s 150th anniversary, the BBC Radio 3 commissioned Dance Foldings for orchestra, for which the commission prompt was to reflect the arts and sciences as they are now. Composers were free to choose their own subject, so long as there was a clear link to the sciences or to other art forms. The musical materials of Dance Foldings for orchestra take as their starting point the metaphors, pairings, counterpoints, foldings, forms and images inspired by the biological "ballet" of proteins being assembled and folded in our bodies.

Pianist and conductor Vladimir Feltsman is one of the most versatile and constantly interesting musicians of our time. His vast repertoire encompasses music from the Baroque to 20th-century composers. A regular guest soloist with leading symphony orchestras in the United States and abroad, he appears in the most prestigious concert series and music festivals all over the world. Born in Moscow in 1952, Mr. Feltsman debuted with the Moscow Philharmonic at age 11. In 1969, he entered the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory of Music to study piano under the guidance of Professor Jacob Flier. His debut at Carnegie Hall established him as a major pianist on the American and international scene. A dedicated educator of young musicians, Mr. Feltsman holds the Distinguished Chair of Professor of Piano at the State University of New York, New Paltz, and is a member of the piano faculty at the Mannes College of Music in New York City.

The main purpose of this edition is to assist those "desirous of learning" with some suggestions and information that might be helpful in the process of learning, understanding and performing the works of Bach. These suggestions should not be taken as a "must" to follow, but are simply meant to assist in the comprehension and practical execution of The Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) and to encourage further exploration. This Edition is available in 2 Books, or as 48 separate 'Preludes and Fugues' scores

The main purpose of this edition is to assist those "desirous of learning" with some suggestions and information that might be helpful in the process of learning, understanding and performing the works of Bach. These suggestions should not be taken as a "must" to follow, but are simply meant to assist in the comprehension and practical execution of The Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) and to encourage further exploration. This Edition is available in 2 Books, or as 48 separate 'Preludes and Fugues' scores

The main purpose of this edition is to assist those "desirous of learning" with some suggestions and information that might be helpful in the process of learning, understanding and performing the works of Bach. These suggestions should not be taken as a "must" to follow, but are simply meant to assist in the comprehension and practical execution of The Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) and to encourage further exploration. This Edition is available in 2 Books, or as 48 separate 'Preludes and Fugues' scores.

The main purpose of this edition is to assist those “desirous of learning” with some suggestions and information that might be helpful in the process of learning, understanding and performing the works of Bach. These suggestions should not be taken as a “must” to follow, but are simply meant to assist in the comprehension and practical execution of The Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) and to encourage further exploration. This Edition is available in 2 Books, or as 48 separate ‘Preludes and Fugues’ scores.

The main purpose of this edition is to assist those "desirous of learning" with some suggestions and information that might be helpful in the process of learning, understanding and performing the works of Bach. These suggestions should not be taken as a "must" to follow, but are simply meant to assist in the comprehension and practical execution of The Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) and to encourage further exploration. This Edition is available in 2 Books, or as 48 separate 'Preludes and Fugues' scores

The main purpose of this edition is to assist those "desirous of learning" with some suggestions and information that might be helpful in the process of learning, understanding and performing the works of Bach. These suggestions should not be taken as a "must" to follow, but are simply meant to assist in the comprehension and practical execution of The Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) and to encourage further exploration. This Edition is available in 2 Books, or as 48 separate 'Preludes and Fugues' scores

The main purpose of this edition is to assist those "desirous of learning" with some suggestions and information that might be helpful in the process of learning, understanding and performing the works of Bach. These suggestions should not be taken as a "must" to follow, but are simply meant to assist in the comprehension and practical execution of The Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) and to encourage further exploration. This Edition is available in 2 Books, or as 48 separate 'Preludes and Fugues' scores.