Antoni Gaud�'s monumental temple La Sagrada Familia is a universe within a building. It's mass of stone and metal is bathed in coloured light diffused from dazzling stained-glass windows. The colossal structure is supported by great pillars inspired by the shapes of tree trunks that reinforce the impression of a spiritual forest. Around the main access points to the basilica are three great facades: Nativity, Passion and Glory. Each is a visual world unto itself, stylistically apart yet united by Gaud�'s grandiose vision. These three facades are the inspiration of my three-movement A Gaud� Symphony, a sequence of narratives. The visual journey, from the representational to the abstract, is something I also tried to mirror in the music. When I visited La Sagrada Familia in October 2019 there was still scaffolding to support the work on the remaining towers. Whereas A Gaud� Symphony is inspired by that unique building, I hope that my musical structure can stand alone as an homage to Gaud� in it's own right. - Richard Blackford

Nadia Anjuman (1980-2005) was an Afghan poet writing during a period of turmoil. In 1995, when the Taliban captured Herat, her birthplace, women's liberties were drastically reduced. A gifted student, Nadia faced a future with no hope of education. With other women she attended an underground educational circle called the Golden Needle Sewing School. Meeting under the guise of learning how to sew, the meetings were in fact discussions on literature with Herat professors. The project was dangerous: if caught, the punishment could be imprisonment, torture or hanging. Nadia was 21 when the Taliban was ousted. While earning her degree in literature she published her first book of poetry. She married into a family who believed that, since she was a woman, writing brought disgrace on their reputation. Yet she continued to write. At the age of 25 she was beaten to death by her husband. The five poems I chose are wide-ranging and cover extremes of emotion: from love; to delight in being a poet; to despair at her lack of freedom; and even contemplation of suicide. � Richard Blackford

Antoni Gaudi's monumental temple La Sagrada Familia is a universe within a building. It's mass of stone and metal is bathed in coloured light diffused from dazzling stained-glass windows. The colossal structure is supported by great pillars inspired by the shapes of tree trunks that reinforce the impression of a spiritual forest. Around the main access points to the basilica are three great facades: Nativity, Passion and Glory. Each is a visual world unto itself, stylistically apart yet united by Gaudi's grandiose vision. These three facades are the inspiration of my three-movement A Gaudi Symphony, a sequence of narratives. The visual journey, from the representational to the abstract, is something I also tried to mirror in the music. When I visited La Sagrada Familia in October 2019 there was still scaffolding to support the work on the remaining towers. Whereas A Gaudi Symphony is inspired by that unique building, I hope that my musical structure can stand alone as an homage to Gaudi in it's own right. � Richard Blackford

Saint-Saënss' favorite pupil, Gabriel Faure, wrote in his obituary of his teacher of the "serene regions" his music often inhabited, "where violence and paroxysms are unknown, where gravity, wit, charm, and smiling tenderness rule side by side." In this, he was echoing his teacher's own response to the world around him: "Are smiles and graces to be ignored by all"... Happiness is disapproved of in the music of our time... Long live sadness! Long live boredom!" To which Roger Nicholas responds, "Long live keys, tunes, clarity, and playfulness! Long live the music of Camille le Grand!" This release is the second of two volumes of original compositions and arrangements for piano duo and duets by Camille Saint-Saëns. "The two pianists are perfectly in tune with one another at all times. This is thoroughly enjoyable and well recorded with some interesting cover notes. I really look forward to hearing volume 2..." (Jonathan Welsh)

David Matthews writes: “My Ninth Symphony began in a modest way in December 2015 when I wrote a little carol for the solstice for my wife Jenifer, with words about the coming of spring. One day in January I was playing it on the piano and, beginning to improvise, I thought “I can turn this into something bigger, and why not a symphony?” I felt a little uneasy about using such a simple tune for a symphony, particularly with this number, but I was reminded of Nielsen’s Sixth, whose almost naïve opening leads to much more serious events. So my tune, now in C major instead of its original G, began to explore more complex and darker regions as my sonata-form first movement progressed. The coda gently brings back the carol, which moves unexpectedly into A flat major and a solo violin melody at the end. I began the ‘Variations for Strings’ with two preliminary ideas. The first was that my chosen chorale theme should appear at the end rather than the beginning. Since the words of the chorale are a prayer for a peaceful night, it seemed appropriate that the chorale should be the culmination of the piece, while the variations might be seen as reflecting the activities of the day. The second idea was that the string writing should be as diverse as possible, and that all 24 players should on occasion be used as soloists. Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola is one of my favorite works of his. I have always loved the special relationship between the two soloists: rather than rivalry, there is a sense of coming together in friendship. I have tried to express the same harmonious qualities in my own Double Concerto.”

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Babel is a dramatic cantata based on the stories of Noah's Flood and the Tower of Babel, with a thrilling and colourful score using organ, piano and percussion. Babel uses the chorus extensively to narrate both stories, as well as to evoke the terror of the Flood, the exuberance of the construction of the tower, and of course the multi-lingual babble of languages to which they are condemned. In addition to set pieces, such as the Nimrod baritone aria, and the soprano aria, 'Do not fear the largeness of the showers', the three soloists often sing together as the other-worldly voice of God. The instrumental forces are relatively modest, with the piano duet supported by the sustaining power of the organ, backed by two percussionists. This sound world is redolent of those Britten masterpieces for amateur choirs, ensembles and audiences, which have inspired many composers since, and to which I too am gratefully indebted.

In Buenos Aires, Tango is described as the forbidden dance and in this performance the violin and piano capture not only the sound but also the essence of Tango creating an evocative dance between the instruments. The violin has the lead melodic material and the piano has some really exciting riffs and plays the supportive role guiding their interplay. Clarissa's Tango starts with a short, cadenza-like introduction on the solo violin, the tango is cast in rondo form, with the central C section moving from the home key of D minor to D major. It's an ebullient duet that makes virtuoso demands on the solo violin, from extreme high tessitura passages and multi-stops to fast passage work as the violin elaborates on the main tango melody. [Richard Blackford]

Echo, the first of three songs, was written as a memorial to my friend Sandrey Date who died in 2020. In September 2021 I conducted it at a concert in his honour given by the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, for which Sandrey was a Trustee and Musical Adviser for many years. It opens with a short cello prelude whose theme is developed as short commentaries between the three verses. It opens with a short cello prelude whose theme is developed as short commentaries between the three verses. The baritone melody, also derived from the cello's, rises to a passionate climax on the words "Come back in tears, O memory." The chorus takes the lead in the second verse, with the baritone commenting simply on the contemplation of Paradise. The final verse builds once more to a climax on the words "Pulse for pulse, breath for breath," before dying gently away. I wrote the second two songs at Carolyn Date's invitation and was glad of the opportunity to explore more of Christina Rossetti's spiritual poems. The second song Uphill, opens once again with the solo cello playing a descending sequence marked pesante. I loved the call-and-response structure of this poem, the chorus answering the simple questions of the traveller/pilgrim whose destination is unknown. On his final question, "Will there be beds for all who seek?" the chorus erupts in a joyful response, "Yea, beds for all who come!" and repeat the words in joyful counterpoint. A Hope Carol opens with the wordless chorus singing rhythmically, like pealing bells. The baritone's melody is less straightforward dropping from B-flat minor to A-minor in the first verse. The celebratory mood continues with the cello depicting both the sounds of angels and birds in counterpoint to the chorus. In the final verse the chorus sing the main tune, with the baritone providing a descant before coming together for the final bars. Richard Blackford, October 2023

In Buenos Aires, Tango is described as the forbidden dance and in this performance the violin and piano capture not only the sound but also the essence of Tango creating an evocative dance between the instruments. The violin has the lead melodic material and the piano has some really exciting riffs and plays the supportive role guiding their interplay. Clarissa's Tango starts with a short, cadenza-like introduction on the solo violin, the tango is cast in rondo form, with the central C section moving from the home key of D minor to D major. It's an ebullient duet that makes virtuoso demands on the solo violin, from extreme high tessitura passages and multi-stops to fast passage work as the violin elaborates on the main tango melody. [Richard Blackford]

This release features three compositions for string quartet which were composed within the same thirty-year period. Each of these composers’ musical careers were either fractured or prematurely terminated by the ravages of war, and each of these composers passionately opposed such military conflicts. Vienna-born violinist Fritz Kreisler joined the Austrian army during World War I. After his traumatic experiences, he sought refuge in the United States, and wrote his String Quartet in A minor which clearly reflects those years of conflict and the period just after. Alexander Zemlinsky lived in Prague during World War I, but after moving to Berlin in 1923, he was forced to leave Germany a decade later. When he presented his String Quartet in E minor for consideration for performance, it was rejected. The manuscript was preserved in the Library of Congress, and was finally printed in 1997. After World War I, Erwin Schulhoff returned from the army a changed man with a new political and musical orientation. He turned to the musical avant-garde in Germany, and began to cultivate contemporary musical styles including Expressionism, Dadaism, and Neoclassicism. The Five Pieces form a suite which reflects Schulhoff’s cosmopolitan background.

Richard Blackford writes of his composition Niobe: "Niobe was commissioned by the Czech Philharmonic and first performed at the Rudolphinum, Prague, on November 11th, 2017. The violin soloist was Tamsin Waley-Cohen and the Czech Philharmonic was conducted by Ben Gernon. Niobe, daughter of Tantalus and wife of King Amphion of Thebes, gave birth to seven sons and seven daughters. At the annual celebration in honour of Leto, goddess of motherhood and protector of the young, Niobe boasts that she is greater than the goddess by virtue of the fact that Leto only has two children, Apollo and Artemis, whereas she has seven times as many. Leto, enraged, sends Apollo to kill all her sons, and Artemis to kill all her daughters. Her husband Amphion, devestated, kills himself. Niobe is turned into stone on Mount Sipylus and, as she weeps ceaselessly, waters cascade down her rock face."