Conductor Simon Crawford-Phillips leads the Västerås Sinfonietta on their new concept album; 'Scotland'. The principal work is Mendelssohn's famous 3rd Symphony; the 'Scottish'; coupled with two interesting contemporary works with strong bonds to Scotland: Helen Grime's "Elegiac Inflections"; and Peter Maxwell Davies' 'Strathclyde Concerto No. 10'.

Stína Ágústsdóttir is considered one of Iceland’s best jazz artists and nowadays she’s just as established in Sweden. She is known for her energetic live performances, not only in Scandinavia, but also in her previous home of Montreal. She has been nominated for the Icelandic music prize a few times, both for her album, Jazz á íslensku (Jazz in Icelandic, 2017) and for The Whale (2021). Jazz á íslensku has already become a classic in Iceland and has been used in Icelandic language lessons and is played frequently on the radio. Stina has been living in Sweden since 2011 and plays with artists such as Maz Schultz, Håkan Brosträm, Erik Söderlind, Simon Berggren, Henrik Linder, Joel Lyssarides and Kjetil Mulelid. Stina, herself, says about her album: “In 2016 I got seriously ill and needed to put my life on hold. I managed to get back on my feet, with the help of family and friends, and the music on the record is about this journey from darkness towards light. The songs reflect the many sides of a human being, both the pretty and the ugly, and that it’s ok to be a mess and need help.”

Shortlisted for the Gramophone Awards!

Following the success of their last album, Timelapse, this new album from Orchestra of the Swan is a collection of extraordinary works connected by ideas of pilgrimage, contemplation, exploration and enlightenment through the works of composers such as Richter, Respighi, Britten, Piazzolla, Brian Eno, Nico Muhly, Joy Division and more. As with Timelapse, the joy is to be found in discovering the surprising and delightful connections between culturally disparate and musically contrasting time periods. Labyrinths have been an important part of humanity’s cultural landscape for thousands of years; from the Ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur to the intriguing stories of Jorge Luis Borges and Umberto Eco. Our overwhelming desire to find patterns and ‘the hidden truth’ is perhaps nowhere more evident than in the subversive and complex vistas of music. Formed in 1995, Orchestra of the Swan is a British chamber orchestra which, under the artistic direction of David Le Page, is passionate about audience inclusivity and blurring the lines between genres, through its adventurous and accessible programming.

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’s passionate Sixth Symphony is dedicated to the memory of the writer George Mackay Brown, with the ‘very special musical virtuosity’ of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in mind. It is one of his most beautifully expressive works and, whilst not untroubled, reaches moments of serene beauty. Composed for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, Time and the Raven is a brilliant and exciting collage, whilst few contemporary works enjoy such popularity as the magical An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise.