{"title":"Signum Classics Sale 2026","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"vivaldis-women-635212069929","title":"Vivaldi's Women \/ Chandler, La Serenissima","description":"\u003cp\u003eLa Serenissima explore the sacred works of Vivaldi, many of which were composed for the Ospedale della Pietài – a Venetian institution that cared for unwanted children, which included a talented group of performers (the figlie di coro). The album includes several firsts, including a new recording of a 'lost' Concerto that has recently been credited to Vivaldi, and performances on a newly built Violin in Tromba Marina - an instrument thought unique to the Ospedale which Vivaldi composed for. La Serenissima is recognized as the UK’s leading exponent of the music of 18th-century Venice and connected composers. Uniquely, the group’s entire repertoire is edited from source material, and it has been praised for its ‘glorious and all-too-rare ability to make one’s pulse race afresh with every new project’ (Gramophone). La Serenissima has become synonymous with virtuosity, dynamism and accessibility, uncovering a plethora of new repertoire and making it available to all through live performance, high calibre recording work, education and outreach initiatives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell1_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eDuring his time at the Ospedale della Pietà, a Venetian institution that cared for disadvantaged children, Vivaldi wrote vocal works for the local orchestra and choir, as well as many concertos. From this oeuvre, la Serenissima’s CD presents a mixed selection. It convinces with ambitious, historically informed interpretations. Appropriate tempi, good soloists, and a conductor who knows how to keep a wonderful balance between rhythmic conciseness and sung-out melodies leave a more than positive impression. The violin concertos captivate with their interpretive coherence and rousing drive. Particularly noteworthy is the rather rarely heard violin concerto with organ and strings RV 541. Just as in instrumental music, Chandler uses all the tonal possibilities in sacred music to support the soloists with the orchestra. Jess Dandy’s darkly glowing alto is particularly impressive. The recording technique is exceptionally brilliant, a plus not to be neglected.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- \u003cem\u003ePizzicato\u003c\/em\u003e (Remy Franck)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012429697258,"sku":"635212069929","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4115386-2862229.jpg?v=1778241293"},{"product_id":"chopin-piano-concertos-nos-1-2-chamber-versions","title":"Chopin: Piano Concertos \/ Despax, Chineke! Chamber Ensemble","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing the acclaimed Brahms recording in 2021, Emmanuel Despax presents his sixth album with Signum Classics: Chopin Piano Concertos (chamber versions) with Chineke! Chamber Ensemble. “Chopin’s Piano Concertos are among his first and most significant points of departure, a marked liberation from the constraints of an early but short-lived respect for custom and tradition... I would say that the exceptional nature of this Chopin recording lies in the combination of the chamber music, quintet slimmed-down version of the Piano Concertos complemented by a pianist who plays with an almost epic size and grandeur.” (Bryce Morrison)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmmanuel Despax has gained worldwide recognition as a singular artist, whose interpretations bring a rare sincerity and imagination to the music. Chineke! was founded in 2015 by the double bass player, Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, to provide career opportunities for established and up-and-coming Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians in the UK and Europe. The Chineke! Chamber Ensemble comprises the principal players of the Chineke! Orchestra.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eChineke!'s accomplished and delightful playing forced at least this particular listener to pay greater than usual attention to music that can sometimes seem little more than a lengthy introduction to the piano-enriched score to come. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis is, then, a quite delightful and distinguished release with an individual character of its own. It has been expertly recorded, moreover, in first-rate sound. While, as we’ve noted, the chamber versions of the Chopin concertos have done rather well on CD over the years, the new disc can hold its own with any of the others and will certainly not disappoint anyone who buys it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e--MusicWeb International\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[The] brilliant young French pianist, Emmanuel Despax, already well known in Europe and according to \u003cem\u003eGramophone\u003c\/em\u003e magazine, “A formidable talent, fleet of finger, elegant of phrase and a true keyboard colourist”...collected five string players (the Cheneke! Chamber Ensemble) to perform Chopin’s two piano concertos with the orchestra reduced to a string quintet, so what we have here is effectively a piano sextet. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChopin’s orchestration has been much criticized over the last centuries...but since the piano plays almost continuously, this version with smaller forces is quite enjoyable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e--The WholeNote\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012430549226,"sku":"635212070024","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4080155-2816793.jpg?v=1778241303"},{"product_id":"puccini-la-boheme","title":"Puccini: La bohème \/ Byrne, Bizic, Vitulskis, Devin, Molloy, McAteer, Alapont, Irish National Opera Orchestra \u0026 Chorus","description":"\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Paris of love and art. A poet, a painter, a musician and a philosopher living hand to mouth in a freezing garret. Christmas cheer and a heart won by the girl next door. The tragedies of love and poverty. Puccini’s best-loved opera is touching, comic, realistic and romantic, true for any time in which deep bonds can flower in the face of adversity. Experience the power of Puccini's sublime score in this new concert performance by Irish National Opera, featuring celebrated Irish sopranos Celine Byrne and Anna Devin, in the roles of Mimì and Musetta.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012431401194,"sku":"635212070222","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4075299-2804875.jpg?v=1778247872"},{"product_id":"beethoven-violin-concerto-romances-635212070420","title":"Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Romances \/ Siem, Caetani, Philharmonia Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn his second album with Signum Records, internationally acclaimed violinist Charlie Siem is joined by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Oleg Caetani to perform works by Beethoven.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharlie Siem is one of today’s foremost young violinists, with such a wide-ranging diversity of cross-cultural appeal as to have played a large part in defining what it means to be a true artist of the 21st century. Siem has appeared with many of the world’s finest orchestras and chamber ensembles, including: the Bergen Philharmonic, the Camerata Salzburg, the Czech National Symphony, the Israel Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Philharmonia is a world-class symphony orchestra for the 21st century, based in London at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, resident in cities and at festivals across England, and streaming online.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012433137898,"sku":"635212070420","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4118533-2862231.jpg?v=1778241316"},{"product_id":"brescianello-dallabaco-sammartini-vivaldi-zavateri-forza-azzurri-635212070529","title":"Dall'Abaco, Sammartini, Vivaldi et al: Forza azzurri! \/ Chandler, La Serenissima","description":"\u003cp\u003eLooking at the variety of Italian baroque instrumental music on offer to today’s listener, one could be forgiven for thinking that Vivaldi had faced little competition during his lifetime. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Whilst the volume of music that flowed from Vivaldi’s pen was unusually plentiful, many other composers were needed to fulfil the needs of the regional courts and churches throughout Italy. Expert early-music ensemble La Serenissima perform works by Lorenzo Gaetano Zavateri, Giuseppe Sammartini, Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco and Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello alongside works by Vivaldi on this new album of Italian Baroque masterpieces.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012434055402,"sku":"635212070529","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4140965-2899522.jpg?v=1778229805"},{"product_id":"schubert-sonata-in-a-major-fantasie-in-c-major-rondo-in-b-minor","title":"Schubert: Music for Violin \u0026 Keyboard \/ Mullova, Beatson","description":"\u003cp\u003eViktoria Mullova and Alasdair Beatson present their first release with Signum Classics. Performed on a period-style fortepiano and gut strings, the works presented on this recording span the final decade of Schubert’s life. Beginning with the Sonata in A of 1817, its lyrical, wistful opening giving way to a Viennese joy and exuberance. Closing with the Rondo in B minor of 1826, thrilling in its heroic journey through an abundance of themes, with twists and turns almost competitively athletic between the two instruments. At the heart of the recording, the Fantasie in C of 1827 – a music unutterably inspired, ravishingly beautiful, a tour de force of color and texture, an unpredictable and unparalleled dreamlike vision of another world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eViktoria Mullova is known internationally as a violinist of exceptional versatility and musical integrity. Her curiosity spans the breadth of musical development from baroque and classical right up to the most contemporary influences from the world of fusion and experimental music. Scottish pianist Alasdair Beatson works prolifically as a soloist and chamber musician. Renowned as a sincere musician and intrepid programmer, he champions wider repertoire with particular interest in Beethoven, Schumann and Schubert among others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSchubert’s three mature works for violin and piano make an ideal disc-length programme, the Duo Sonata (1817) expanding on the 18th-century models that informed the three ‘sonatinas’ of the previous year, before the full power of the tragic composer’s late music is distilled in the fearsome technical challenges of the B minor Rondo (1826) and C major Fantasy (1827). Viktoria Mullova lavishes her laser-like focus and intense musicality on these works, sometimes eschewing tonal beauty...in favor of fervent expressivity. Mullova remains faithful to her Guadagnini violin, gut-strung and played with a classical bow...blazing commitment and consummate musicianship on display from both players.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e--Gramophone\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012435103978,"sku":"635212070628","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4080156-2816794.jpg?v=1778239247"},{"product_id":"eastertide-evensong","title":"Howells, Taverner et al.: Eastertide Evensong \/ Nethsingha, Choir of St. John's College","description":"\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFollowing from Ash Wednesday, this album is the second live Evensong album from the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge and marks the next great season of the Church’s Year, Eastertide. This celebration of Jesus’s resurrection also initially spans forty days, taking us up to Ascension Day, and culminates on the fiftieth day with the Feast of Pentecost. Where the previous album reflected the tradition of using no organ from Ash Wednesday until the Gloria of the Easter Vigil, the instrument is fully utilized here by the Chapel’s organ scholars Glen Dempsey and James Anderson Besant. The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge is one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world, known and loved by millions from its broadcasts, concert tours and recordings. Founded in the 1670s, the Choir is known for its distinctive rich, warm sound, its expressive interpretations and its breadth of repertoire. Alongside these musical characteristics, the Choir is particularly proud of its happy, relaxed and mutually supportive atmosphere.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012435955946,"sku":"635212070727","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4075300-2804876.jpg?v=1778239265"},{"product_id":"when-sleep-comes-evening-meditations-for-voices-saxophone","title":"When Sleep Comes - Meditations for Voices \u0026 Saxophone \/ Forshaw, Short, Tenebrae","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eVirtuoso saxophonist Christian Forshaw is joined by a consort of Tenebrae singers, in an ethereal sequence of penitential settings for Passiontide. Combining elements of ancient and modern to stunning effect, Forshaw and Tenebrae bring new colors and context to music by Gibbons, Tallis, and Hildegard von Bingen in a series of new arrangements and compositions. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDescribed as “phenomenal” (The Times) and “devastatingly beautiful” (Gramophone Magazine), award-winning choir Tenebrae is one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles, renowned for its passion and precision. Award-winning conductor Nigel Short has earned widespread acclaim for his recording and live performance work with leading orchestras and ensembles across the world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\" id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell0_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\"\u003eThe disc is divided between original music by Christian Forshaw and his arrangements of music by other composers. The original music is solid, direct, and very listenable-to: his setting of the \u003cem\u003eIn Paradisum\u003c\/em\u003e from the service of committal sets the text with plainsong directness, while the soprano sounds like an additional member of chorus rather than an added spiritual presence. In fact, the delight of much of the disc is that it’s sometimes impossible to tell whether you’re listening to the saxophone or a soprano voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the music by composers other than Mr. Forshaw, it’s difficult to ignore the ghost of Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble in their famous (and famously successful) \u003cem\u003eOfficium\u003c\/em\u003e of 1994. But while there are undeniable echoes to and fro, Tenebrae and Forshaw put their own mark on what they do.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- \u003cem\u003eMusicWeb International\u003c\/em\u003e (Simon Thompson)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012436742378,"sku":"635212070826","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4075301-2804877.jpg?v=1778240216"},{"product_id":"davis-air","title":"Davis: Air \/ Bateman, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra","description":"Oliver Davis's seventh album Air with Signum brings together a stellar array of performers, including violinists Benjamin Baker and Kerenza Peacock, soprano Grace Davidson and tenor Jeremy Budd, alongside German ensemble the Hanke Brothers and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Paul Bateman. Oliver Davis graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 1994 and has since composed numerous concertos, ballet scores, albums, soundtracks and television scores working with many of the major London orchestras. Davis’ debut album Flight, recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra with soloist Kerenza Peacock, was released in March 2015 and quickly rose to number 2 in the UK Specialist Classical Charts with 5 star reviews in both the UK and US. In addition it was chosen as Featured Album of the Week on Classic FM and was broadcast daily on the station. Several pieces from the album Flight have been used for a ballet choreographed by Ma Cong for the Tulsa Ballet Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma.","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012437463274,"sku":"635212070925","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4080157-2816796.jpg?v=1778241346"},{"product_id":"j-s-bach-harpsichord-concertos-635212071021","title":"Bach: Harpsichord Concertos \/ Arthur, The Hanover Band","description":"\u003cp\u003e“JS Bach’s seven concertos for solo harpsichord \u0026amp; strings, BWV 1052-1058, occupy a significant place in the history of music, marking as they do the origin of the keyboard concerto genre. Collectively, they encompass the gamut of Baroque rhetorical expression; indeed, leaving aside the six ground-breaking ‘Brandenburg’ Concerts avec plusieurs instruments, it is difficult to think of a more diverse, revolutionary and technically refined set of instrumental concertos from the Baroque period.” -Andrew Arthur\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor their first recording on Signum Classics, The Hanover Band, directed by Andrew Arthur, present four of these revolutionary concertos, and dedicate this release to their Founder and Artistic Director, Caroline Brown (1953-2018). The Hanover Band’s players are amongst the finest in their field and the orchestra has built an international reputation for the excellence of its performances and recordings of eighteenth and nineteenth-century music. Andrew Arthur is best-known for his work in the field of historically informed performance, he is in great demand as a conductor, keyboard soloist and continuo player, working with many of the UK’s leading period-instrument orchestras and professional choirs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArthur stresses how much these works owe to Bach’s early immersion in Vivaldi’s set of concertos \u003cem\u003eL’estro armonico\u003c\/em\u003e, several of which he transcribed, and that Italian influence does indeed permeate the performances on this recording. There’s a triumphal warmth in the Hanover Band’s delivery of the D minor work[.]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArthur’s note on BWV 1054 indicates that he himself is aware of the danger that the harpsichord may be swamped, and in the \u003cem\u003eAdagio e piano sempre\u003c\/em\u003e of the D major work, the soloist is indeed allowed to breathe. In the joyous A major concerto the sonic balance is nicely resolved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e--\u003c\/em\u003eBBC\u003cem\u003e Music \u003c\/em\u003eMagazine\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012438511850,"sku":"635212071021","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4105798-2844560.jpg?v=1778240202"},{"product_id":"schubert-the-fair-maid-of-the-mill","title":"Schubert: The Fair Maid of the Mill \/ Glynn, Spence","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eChristopher Glynn continues his series of Schubert in English releases with a new recording of ‘The Fair Maid of the Mill’ (\u003cem\u003eDie schöne Müllerin\u003c\/em\u003e) with acclaimed Scottish tenor Nicky Spence. Set to a new translation by writer and director Jeremy Sams, Willhelm Müller’s direct and emotionally-charged poetry became the basis of Schubert’s first cycle to tell a complete story over the course of its 20 songs. Nicky Spence is one of Scotland’s proudest sons and his unique skills as a singing actor and the rare honesty of his musicianship have earned him a place at the top of the classical music profession. Nicky won a record contract with Decca records while still studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and then took a place as an inaugural Harewood Artist at the ENO. Christopher Glynn is a Grammy award-winning pianist, praised for his ‘breathtaking sensitivity’ (Gramophone), ‘irrepressible energy, wit and finesse’ (The Guardian) and ‘perfect fusion of voice and piano’ (BBC Music Magazine). He is also Artistic Director of the Ryedale Festival, where he has been praised as a ‘visionary’ and ‘inspired programmer’ (The Times).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Fair Maid of the Mill\u003c\/em\u003e [is] extraordinary: For the first time, as a native English speaker, I found myself understanding this song cycle on a more intimate and revelatory level...The meticulousness of word-for-word accuracy is traded for emotional accuracy. Playwright and director Jeremy Sams was commissioned to write this new translation, and his background in both opera and musical theater lends itself well to finding the right words to convey poetic, emotional, and dramatic honesty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTenor Nicky Spence’s own sense of crossover theatricality heightens the immediacy and intimacy of the cycle and Sams’s new texts with a verdant tenor that blooms and contracts in emotional fits and starts. (These beats are both offset and at times juxtaposed by pianist Christopher Glynn...) As the journeyman’s dream begins to collapse on itself...Spence spits out his pleas in a fit of jealousy and panic. The clarity with which he delivers the words makes it easy to slip into the language of Schubert’s work and tap into the small details that render the story so devastating at the end—try listening to him sing of how his love 'loves hunting green' without your throat catching a bit. It’s these small details that make this English \u003cem\u003eMüllerin\u003c\/em\u003e so rich and compulsively listenable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e--\u003cem\u003eVan \u003c\/em\u003eMagazine (Olivia Giovetti)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is the third in the Signum label’s sequence of Schubert song cycles using an English version of the texts by Jeremy Sams. His is in no sense a literal translation and is never in the least archly “poetic”, but is instead couched in relatively, plain, direct English which captures the spirit and directness of the original German while jettisoning any faux-Romantic or medieval archaisms such as “fain would I”. The translation is vernacular and quotidian but not modish or vulgar – and Sams does a fine job of reproducing the rhyming, strophic form of some songs, finding workable rhymes which do not sound forced, so in “Mine” we hear “sound, round, resound” and “found”, and “shine, wine, intertwine, combine” and “mine” sequentially to reproduce the effect of the German. The freedom of the English into which some songs are rendered might initially take the listener aback but a moment’s reflection will confirm the aptness and fidelity of Sams’ rendering; hence, the opening song begins “A miller loves to sit and dream of somewhere” rather than “To wander is the miller’s delight, to wander” or some such precious transliteration – and I know which I prefer. Sometimes the translation is both felicitous and amusing, as when in “Impatience” (Ungeduld) Sams picks up on the German: “ich möcht es sän auf jedes frische Beet\/ Mit Kressensamen” (I’d like to sow it in every fresh bed with cress seeds) and translates that colloquially as “I want to sow the words in watercress” so that it rhymes with “happiness” in the next line, and in “The Hunter” the miller girl’s cabbage patch (Kohlgarten) is transformed into a “strawberry bed” so that “fruit” rhymes conveniently with “shoot”. Certain lines impress themselves immediately upon the mind of the listener by their memorability, such as the alliterative “The sound of rushing water has mesmerised my mind” in the second song.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNicky Spence’s diction is so pellucid as to render the provision of the English texts almost superfluous but such thoughtfulness on the part of the label remains a welcome gesture. [Spence's] beautiful, flexible, easily-produced sound...never falters; his tone encompasses both sweetness and power as required and his knack of placing just the right emphasis or applying a momentary pause in the words without unduly disrupting the vocal line is apparent throughout. I particularly like the way he can introduce a desperate sighing note into his timbre without it turning mawkish. Christopher Glynn supports him with some of the most subtle and sensitive pianism I have even heard applied to this work; his playing is by turns as fluid, sparkling and turbulent as rushing water. He and Spence make an ideally matched partnership – fresh and immediate, presenting it in a manner which could easily win new adherents to this miraculous song cycle but, in Glynn’s words, is also capable of 'offering a new perspective to those who know it well.'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e--\u003cem\u003eMusicWeb International\u003c\/em\u003e (Ralph Moore)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012439331050,"sku":"635212071120","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4085595-2820053_0859c64c-f3f7-4c34-95b7-69990ec8869f.jpg?v=1778240239"},{"product_id":"handel-caio-fabriccio-hwv-a9-635212071328","title":"Handel-Hasse: Caio Fabriccio \/ Cunningham, London Early Opera","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe conductor and harpsichordist Bridget Cunningham brings back to life Handel’s pasticcio opera, Caio Fabbricio first performed in London in 1733 and based on an earlier opera by Johann Adolf Hasse (1732).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCaio Fabbricio is London Early Opera’s eighth album in the prestigious Handel Series with Signum Records and is a pasticcio opera, a brilliant and well-considered collection of some of the finest 18th-century Neapolitan arias by different composers, including Leonardo Vinci and Leonardo Leo, selected and arranged by Handel who composed his own dramatic recitatives. London Early Opera (LEO) is a vibrant, baroque group of instrumentalists, singers, music teachers, re- searchers, historians and musicologists on a voyage of rediscovery making glorious baroque music and op- era relevant today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs Artistic Director of London Early Opera, Bridget Cunningham is a leading exponent of baroque music and continues to create these outstanding recordings with Signum Records exploring Handel’s colorful life, influences and experiences which inspired his magnificent musical legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell3_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e Bridget Cunningham directs \u003cem\u003eCaio Fabbricio\u003c\/em\u003e brilliantly, leading from the harpsichord to energise the other players, and to give them space to exploit juicy passages. The singers’ virtuosity and rich characterisations are delightful; particularly good are rising stars  sopranos Miriam Allan and Anna Gorbachyova-Ogilvie and mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron. Each of the three has a vocal quality optimally suited to her character: Allan’s luminous core for the heroine Sestia, Gorbachyova-Ogilvie’s velvety textures for the lover Velusio, and Barron’s dark hues for the brutish ruler Pirro.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- BBC \u003cem\u003eMusic\u003c\/em\u003e Magazine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012441264362,"sku":"635212071328","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4105800-2844562.jpg?v=1778229847"},{"product_id":"the-complete-song-of-duparc-635212071526","title":"The Complete Songs of Duparc \/ Connolly, Spence, Thomas, Rendall, Martineau","description":"\u003cp\u003eMalcolm Martineau follows up his acclaimed complete song collections of Poulenc and Faure with an album celebrating the solo songs of Henri Duparc, performed by an acclaimed roster of British singers – Dame Sarah Connolly, Huw Montague Rendall, Nicky Spence \u0026amp; William Thomas. An iconic figure in the world of French music – his songs described as being ‘imperfect...but works of genius’ by Ravel and ‘perfect’ by Debussy – Duparc only composed a handful of works during the first half of his life: following a nervous disorder in 1885 at age 37 he lived for a further 48 years, orchestrating and tinkering with his songs, but publishing nothing new.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScottish pianist Malcolm Martineau is recognized at the highest international level as one of the UK’s leading accompanists, performing worldwide alongside the world’s greatest singers and with a discography of over 100 albums, including a number of award-winning recordings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\" id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell0_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\"\u003eWith four singers in the line-up, there is plenty of vocal variety. The lion’s share of the songs is allotted to Sarah Connolly who still has her voice in fine fettle. She perhaps displays a wider vibrato than in past, but the tone is beautiful and her expressiveness is undiminished, and her high notes ring out gloriously. She is allotted seven songs, while her three male colleagues have three each. But we shouldn’t forget the fifth participant, Malcolm Martineau at the piano. His role is just as important as the singers’, since these songs are no mere melodies with accompaniments but rather dramatic or narrative scenes, where the piano sets the scene and propels the action forward. In that respect Duparc is Wagnerian in his approach. Obviously we focus on the singer, but the piano part mustn’t be suppressed. Malcolm Martineau shows that he is a born director and keeps the proceedings on a tight rein.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- \u003cem\u003eMusicWeb International\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012443427050,"sku":"635212071526","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4105801-2844563.jpg?v=1778229832"},{"product_id":"lupo-fantasia","title":"Lupo: Fantasia \/ Fretwork","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of a Gold award from \u003cem\u003eDiapason\u003c\/em\u003e Magazine!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFretwork explores the somewhat overlooked English musical dynasty. The grandson of an Italian immigrant family brought to England under Henry VIII's reign, Thomas Lupo (1571-1627) was a talented composer, viol player and violinist who served in the Royal Court from the age of 16 until his death. His consort music for viols demonstrates a variety of moods and musical devices, with a clear parallel in places to some of the three-part music by his friend and colleague Orlando Gibbons.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn 2021, Fretwork celebrated its 35th anniversary. In the past three and a half decades they have explored the core repertory of great English consort music, from Taverner to Purcell, and made classic recordings against which others are judged. In addition to this, Fretwork have become known as pioneers of contemporary music for viols, having commissioned over 40 new works. The list of composers is like the roll call of the most prominent writers of our time: George Benjamin, Michael Nyman, Sir John Tavener, Gavin Bryars, Elvis Costello, Alexander Goehr, John Woolrich, Orlando Gough, Fabrice Fitch, Peter Sculthorpe, Sally Beamish, Tan Dun, Barry Guy, Andrew Keeling, Thea Musgrave, Simon Bainbridge, Poul Ruders, John Joubert, Duncan Druce and Nico Muhly. The group now frequently presents programmed consisting entirely of contemporary music.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThomas Lupo was one of the earlier exponents of the viol consort as well as being a violinist. He came from a musical family which was first brought to England by Henry VIII to enhance his court music. The Lupo family, like others which came over at this time were Sephardic Jews, probably from Portugal.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis is a delightful collection of pieces. They are very varied in their moods. Some are playful and fast moving, such as 2, 8, 10 and 14. Some are slow and melancholy, such as 5, 13 and 15, and some show sudden changes in mood such as 13 and 17. The scoring also varies, from three to six instruments, and even when Lupo scores for only thee instruments, they can be any combination of treble, tenor and bass. He can rejoice in a rich texture with only three instruments, as in 5, or be lighthearted with five or six instruments, as in 8, 14 and 18. Curiously, the richest sound he likes comes from five rather than six instruments, so that 3, for example, sounds positively Brahmsian.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFretwork, who play here, are one of the two leading viol consorts of our times, the other being Phantasm. I tend to find Fretwork rather plainer in their music-making, and possibly closer to how these pieces would have been played at the time. Phantasm tend to be more nuanced, even perfumed, and closer to the style of more recent chamber music. Both are valid. Fretwork here play with evident enjoyment and the recording is good.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAlthough Lupo turns up fairly frequently on mixed programmes, this is only the second disc dedicated to him that I am aware of. The other is a 1996 disc by The English Fantasy on ASV Gaudeamus. That offers a rather similar programme but it has been long deleted so Fretwork currently have the field to themselves. Fans of viol consorts need no encouragement; others would find this a good place to start.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e--\u003cem\u003eMusicWeb International\u003c\/em\u003e (Stephen Barber)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012444475626,"sku":"635212071625","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4080158-2816797.jpg?v=1778239275"},{"product_id":"the-library-vol-4","title":"The Library, Vol. 4 - Standards \u0026 Hits for Classical Choir \/ The King's Singers","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the fourth volume in our The Library EP series. The idea behind it is to explore, maintain and grow our library of close-harmony repertoire. “Close-harmony” is arguably the part of our work for which we are best known, and our library of thousands of pop, jazz and folksong arrangements is one we’re always determined to nurture. The track-listing for each volume in the series is designed to celebrate old favorites alongside brand new arrangements created especially for these recordings, which we hope will become the ‘old favorites’ of the future. The King’s Singers were founded on 1 May 1968 by six choral scholars who had recently graduated from King’s College Cambridge. Their vocal line-up was (by chance) two countertenors, a tenor, two baritones and a bass, and the group has never wavered from this formation since.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012446474474,"sku":"635212071823","price":5.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4101924-2842889.jpg?v=1778250412"},{"product_id":"the-crown-scotting-cummings-orchestra-enlightenment","title":"The Crown: Heroic Arias for Senesino \/ Scotting, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe countertenor Randall Scotting’s debut album on Signum Records – with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Laurence Cummings – explores repertoire composed for the (in)famous countertenor Senesino, featuring works by composers including Ariosti, Oralandini, Giocomelli and Gaj.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA dramatically persuasive and intensely musical interpreter, Randall is recognized for winning over audiences with his stunning vocal beauty, stylish singing, and charismatic stage presence. He has become a sought-after artist by some of the world’s most esteemed opera houses. Recent performances include the Royal Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. A distinctive ensemble playing on period-specific instruments, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s values are to question, challenge and trailblaze. They have worked with conductors including Elder, Rattle, Jurowski, Iván Fischer and John Butt. There’s no orchestra quite like this one.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWATCH THIS LIVE Q+A WITH RANDALL SCOTTING, PRODUCED IN COLLABORATION WITH ARKIVMUSIC!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/streamyard.com\/e\/6mkbnzrki6t3\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012447424746,"sku":"635212071922","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4119068-2862233.jpg?v=1778239026"},{"product_id":"santtu-conducts-strauss-philharmonia-orchestra","title":"Santtu Conducts Strauss \/ Philharmonia Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003eSanttu conducts Strauss is a 2-volume album featuring four works by Richard Strauss conducted by Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, two of which are live recordings of Santtu’s 2021\/22 opening concert and first concert as Principal Conductor at Royal Festival Hall. Eine Alpensinfonie and Also sprach Zarathustra are live recordings of Santtu’s opening concert of the 2021\/22 season, and his first concert with the Philharmonia as Principal Conductor. The concerts received great reviews. Tim Ashley (The Guardian) said “With the Philharmonia on tremendous form, Rouvali proved a fine Straussian, measured in his approach, and careful in his attention to detail and colour”. Rebecca Franks (The Times) awarded 5-star reviews: “There were “wow” moments aplenty as the Philharmonia laced up its hiking boots and happily hit every waymark in Strauss’s mountain journey: the glorious sunrise, the resplendent summit, the violent storm with wind machine, thunder sheet and organ.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFounded in 1945, the Philharmonia Orchestra creates thrilling performances for a global audience and has premiered works by Richard Strauss, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Errollyn Wallen, Kaija Saariaho and many others. The Philharmonia has an extraordinary 77-year recording legacy, and has recorded around 150 soundtracks, with film credits stretching back to 1947. In the 2021\/22 season the Orchestra performs in Romania, Spain, Finland, Greece and Germany. Santtu-Matias Rouvali is a Finnish conductor and percussionist, and is currently principal conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Rouvali continues his relationships with orchestras across Europe, including with the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Munich Phillharmonic and the the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003eThis is an Alpine Symphony where the thrills are just that much more thrilling, the sublime moments more sublime, the lyrical line more lyrical. I’d place this Alpine Symphony beside the Karajan, and it comes in much better sound. I consider every performance here nothing short of a triumph, so the strongest recommendation naturally follows.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003e-- Fanfare\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012448440554,"sku":"635212072028","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4182495-3142345.jpg?v=1778234507"},{"product_id":"the-psalms-nesthingha-st-johns","title":"The Psalms \/ Nethsingha, Choir of St. John's College, Cambridge","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Choir of St John’s have received glowing praise for their previous releases, culminating in the choral prize at the 2017 BBC Music Magazine Awards for their debut release of works by Jonathan Harvey. The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge is one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world, known and loved by millions from its broadcasts, concert tours and recordings. Founded in the 1670s, the Choir is known for its distinctive rich, warm sound, its expressive interpretations and its breadth of repertoire. Alongside these musical characteristics, the Choir is particularly proud of its happy, relaxed and mutually supportive atmosphere, which as of 2022 invites their first female scholars.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the consistent features of the St John’s recordings that have come my way has been the excellence of the documentation. This latest release is no exception. The booklet contains a general introductory essay about the Book of Psalms by Rev, Andrew Hammond, the College Chaplain. He also contributes short notes on each of the chose psalms while the organist John Challenger furnishes succinct details about the composer of the chants to which each psalm is sung. As usual, though, at the heart of the booklet is an absorbing essay by Andrew Nethsingha. On this occasion he discusses such matters as how psalm chants should be pointed and, of especial relevance, gives us insights into how the psalmody developed at St John’s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe recorded sound is very good indeed. It’s also remarkably consistent given that producer Chris Hazell and engineer Simon Eadon recorded the choir in five different sessions over four years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is another fine addition to the distinguished discography of Andrew Nethsingha and the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- MusicWeb International\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012449292522,"sku":"635212072127","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4123021-2867434.jpg?v=1778241379"},{"product_id":"into-the-light-cantus","title":"Into The Light: Christmas Music for Low Voices \/ Cantus","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter two successful albums on Signum Records, the American vocal ensemble Cantus present their first Christmas album, \u003cem\u003eInto The Light\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe “engaging” (New Yorker) low-voice ensemble Cantus is widely known for its trademark warmth and blend, innovative programming and riveting performances of music ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Into the Light” reaches into pockets of brightness and the anticipation of a happier New Year as the sun anxiously arcs back to longer days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCantus, an\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ea cappella\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eensemble featuring the deeply rich resonances of eight distinguished male voices, ushers in the holidays most unconventionally. Though several favorites are represented, the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003estatus quo\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis turned upside down. A heavy investment of arrangements and adaptations surfaces and in the most extraordinary way. Rhythmic textures also cut across a wide range of grains, providing an irresistible élan. Note cutoffs, dynamics and tempos are immaculate while chording is uniquely contemporary and full of positivism…\u003cem\u003ethis\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis what adds such special luminescence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs an example, Cantus captures the pulsating essences of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eAguinaldo Carols\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewith its jazzy verve. Christmas is nuanced inside Joni Mitchell’s 1971 bittersweet\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eRiver\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewhich leans to the heavier gravity of the album, including the nostalgic\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe Toast the Days\u003c\/em\u003e, penned by Minnesotan Linda Kachelmeier. A special treat is Chris Foss’ World Premiere take of Clement Clarke Moore’s epic poem that sparkles with quixotic notes and unusual vocal dynamics...this piece holds the listener in deep fascination, and it renders big smiles and a chuckle or two! On another dimension Reginald Bowens tips his hat to\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eI Saw Three Ships\u003c\/em\u003e, giving the traditional English melody a sassy Manhattan Transfer‑like lilt that lifts the piece onto the page of modernity. Traditional music from around the world is also respectfully represented. Occasionally Cantus utilizes an instrumental accompaniment, such as the guitar (and energized\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eChildren Go!\u003c\/em\u003e) or the percussive woodblock (a spirited\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMensaje de Paz\u003c\/em\u003e) that adds to the album’s variety.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCantus brings thoughtful reminder of hope and happiness as we glance inside the portal of the future. Though a minuscule light beams at this time of year, the apex will broaden as we ring in 2023.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCantus is a shining, pulsating octet…perfect in precision, innate in integration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- ConcertoNet\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012451291370,"sku":"635212072325","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4118867-2867399.jpg?v=1778241360"},{"product_id":"divine-music-an-english-songbook-iestyn-davies-joseph-middleton","title":"Divine Music - An English Songbook \/ Davies, Middleton","description":"\u003cp\u003e“Inspirations and imaginings, evolving, changing English usage, landscapes, friendships and passings lie behind this album... Loosely, the songs we’ve selected embrace multiple interpre- tations and nuances of ‘divine’. As well as, I could argue, that sentiment of English song and English speaking composers embodying the [Blake\/Parry] ‘Jerusalem-Builded-Here’ trope. The world I came from (singing in choir stalls), along with how countertenors are perceived generally, has been hard to escape. So here perhaps I’m taking on the challenge. As well as an opportunity to include songs written for me that for some while I’ve been needing to put down on disc.” (Iestyn Davies) ‘Divine Music’ marks Iestyn Davies’ third recital album on Signum Classics. The ‘Four Songs’ (Purcell\/ Adès), Spoons Aria (Adès), Four Traditional Songs and Old Bones (Muhly) are world premiere recordings. Muhly’s Four Traditional Songs were also written dedicated to Iestyn Davies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003eIt’s lovely to hear Butterworth’s Shropshire Lad songs in this pairing, a countertenor voice adding a wan fragility to ‘Is my team ploughing?’ and a wistful sense of perpetual youth and innocence to ‘The lads in their hundreds’.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003e-- Gramophone\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012453126378,"sku":"635212072523","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4201743-2977091_7917917d-9420-4438-b3cc-5a8ce0b13994.jpg?v=1778233926"},{"product_id":"walton-string-quartet-in-a-minor-shostakovich-string-quartet-no-3-in-f-major","title":"Walton: Quartet in A; Shostakovich: Quartet no. 3 \/ Albion Quartet","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing their successful Dvořák cycle with Signum Records, Albion String Quartet are back with a selection of string quartets by Walton and Shostakovich, recorded in 2021. The concept: to juxtapose two masterpieces written in the same year in the immediate aftermath of war (1946) by composers inhabiting two entirely different social and political worlds in the Soviet Union and Britain respectively.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormed in 2016, the Albion Quartet brings together four of the UK’s exceptional young string players who are establishing themselves rapidly on the international stage. Recent engagements from the 2017-18 season included performances at the Louvre in Paris, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Robert Schumann Gesselschaft in Frankfurt, Båstad Festival in Sweden, Festival of Music in Franconia and Rhine Valley Music Festival in Germany, as well as the Hay Festival in the UK. The members of the quartet play on a fine collection of instruments, including a Stradivarius and Guarnerius.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\" id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell2_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFounded in 2016 and led by Tamsin Waley-Cohen, the Albion Quartet pace, phrase, point and color Walton’s volatile textures and agile rhythms with all the sensitivity and energy they require. Yet they are equally successful in the fiercer, more unpredictable contrasts in the Shostakovich, all the way from the deadpan perkiness of the opening to the searing outburst in the middle of the finale that sounds like some hysterical lament for the fallen. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e-- BBC Music Magazine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012454994154,"sku":"635212072721","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4140709-2899525_8e881c01-054c-4853-b994-06a80b72f3d0.jpg?v=1778234440"},{"product_id":"locke-the-little-consort-fretwork","title":"Locke: The Little Consort \/ Fretwork","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn November 2022 Fretwork return for the second instalment of their cycle of works by Matthew Locke. Matthew Locke was born 400 years ago in 1622, and while he is often ranked as one of England’s finest composers, he is still unaccountably neglected: his music may not be as immediately appealing as his immediate successor, Henry Purcell, nor as wide-ranging as William Byrd, yet his forceful musical personality and luxuriant technique place him in the first echelon of English composers, with his works described by Richard Boothby of Fretwork as having a “quixotic, capricious restlessness that is constantly challenging the listener to follow his argument ... a thrilling musical ride”. Accompanying Fretwork on continuo for this recording are David Miller (archlute and theorbo) and Silas Wollston (harpsichord). The cover of the album bares an inscription in the walls by the choir stall of Exeter Cathedral, thought to have been carved by the composer during his time as a member of the choir there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn most of the suites, Fretwork exploits the textural and percussive effects of the theorbo and harpsichord - both played with terrific flair - which articulate the all-pervasive dance rhythms. In the serene F major Suite No. 6, omitting the continuo highlights the sparse transparency of the three-part texture and Fretwork ‘play plain’ its interlaced melodies, weaving them into a sheer fabric of sound.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe players obviously relish these convivial musical conversations and the album makes for felicitous listening and, for the uninitiated, a perfect introduction to Locke’s viol consorts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- BBC Music Magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn intriguing recording: on first playing, I found this album difficult to get into, an experience. However, with repeated listenings it did it start to reveal its true – and beautiful – self. These ‘Pavans, Ayres, Corants and Sarabands’ by Matthew Locke are strange things indeed. It is the strangely shifting, uncanny edge to Locke’s music that is his trademark – and Fretwork here transform it into something beguiling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost intriguing are the fleeting moments when Fretwork do not sound like a viol consort. Locke’s designation of the book as ‘for viols or violins’ acknowledges that the viol was soon to be usurped by the violin; here, Fretwork embody this historical juncture through a flexibility and agility of stroke.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- Gramophone\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012456009962,"sku":"635212072820","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4140966-2902857.jpg?v=1778207287"},{"product_id":"chilcott-canticles-of-light-635212072929","title":"Chilcott: Canticles of Light \/ NFM Choir","description":"\u003cp\u003e‘Darkness to light is a theme which continues to engage artists, musicians, philosophers and thinkers through time, and this theme, coupled with thoughts of remembrance, hope, redemption and acceptance is the thread that ties together all the music performed on this recording.’ - © Bob Chilcott ‘Canticles of Light’ is Bob Chilcott’s ninth album on Signum Records. Featuring celebrated composers including Cecilia McDowall, Francis Pott and James MacMillan each work has been carefully selected by conductor and professor Agnieszka Franków-Zelazny, with the final track written especially for the NFM Choir. Hailed by The Observer as ‘a contemporary hero of British choral music’, composer and conductor Bob Chilcott has enjoyed a lifelong connection with singing and choirs. As a composer he has a large catalogue of music published by Oxford University Press that reflects his broad view of musical styles and genres.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012456960234,"sku":"635212072929","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4160850-2922277.jpg?v=1778231687"},{"product_id":"falkenberg-debussy-the-moons-symphony-alsop-parry-london-symphony-orchestra-london-voices","title":"Falkenberg: The Moons Symphony \/ Alsop, London Symphony Orchestra","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eInternational award-winning composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg has composed a dynamic new work that merges music and science. The seven-movement symphony dramatizes past, present and future moon explorations, and highlights discoveries that have been made in our search for other worlds that could possibly sustain life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThrough seven exhilarating movements, concertgoers will experience a stunning space adventure that focuses on the stories of these fascinating moons. But what uniquely defines this symphony is its planetary core message which culminates in the 7th movement, dedicated to Earth-Moon. This final movement offers a discovery of a different kind and provides a unique opportunity to view our planet united and whole, from the surface of the Moon, a breathtaking, life-changing experience referred to as THE OVERVIEW EFFECT. The impact of such a privileged sight has inspired a call to action from Astronauts and as a result  has propelled them to share this profound perspective shift with all of us here on Earth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThrough the persuasive and powerful forces of music, the symphony offers Earthlings a chance to contemplate who and where we are in the universe. In 42 minutes they will be taken on an emotional journey, marveling at the wonders of these moons, the beauty of our planet, and possibly even experience their own perspective shift as crew-mates aboard this spaceship we cruise, Earth. This is the story of THE MOONS SYMPHONY.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLearn more through the project's \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/musichfstudios\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eYouTube channel\u003c\/a\u003e!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGrowing up in the Barossa Valley, composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg had a better view of the starry night sky than most. Such a view doubtless inspired this seven-movement choral symphony, a majestic evocation of three moons circling Jupiter, two orbiting Saturn and one from Uranus, as well as our own moon. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn inquisitive and intrepid explorer, Falkenberg involved astronomers and astronauts in her quest to summon up each moon as vividly and accurately as possible. This research is reflected not only in the music but in the economically expressive sung texts which she also composed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOut of hundreds of moons, Falkenberg’s choice illustrates enormous diversity: from Jupiter’s volcanic Io to oceanic depths of its sister Europa, then to the vast expanses of Saturn’s Titan, the mighty geysers of tiny Enceladus, the enormous canyons of Uranus’ Miranda and the magnetic force of Jupiter’s Ganymede. Finally, and most importantly, the symphony celebrates earthrise as seen from the surface of the moon, issuing a heartfelt call for all humanity to unite. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUnabashedly cinematic in style, Falkenberg’s score naturally pays homage Holst’s ground-breaking depiction of the planets, while also echoing film music great John Williams and occasionally Bernard Herrmann. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFalkenberg’s passionate and creative adaptation of the film music genre is firmly embraced by the committed artistry of the London Symphony under Marin Alsop and the warm cohesion and crystalline diction of the London Voices directed by Ben Parry, who recorded the choral music separately due to COVID restrictions. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Moons Symphony \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoffers a precious and timely perspective on our own fragile planet that we would do well to heed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-- Limelight\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012458336490,"sku":"635212073025","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4129457-2878294.jpg?v=1778247905"},{"product_id":"beethoven-quartets-vol-1-late-string-quartets-635212073322","title":"Beethoven: Quartets, Vol. 1 - Late String Quartets \/ Calidore Quartet","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Calidore Quartet begin their new cycle of Beethoven's complete String Quartets with the Late Quartets, a 3-volume set of Opp. 127, 130, 131, 132, 133 \u0026amp; 135. Performances of the Calidore String Quartet are renowned for their “deep reserves of virtuosity and irrepressible dramatic instinct” (New York Times). Their unique “balance of intellect and expression” (Los Angeles Times) is complemented by the feeling that “four more individual musicians are unimaginable, yet these speak, breathe, think and feel as one” (Washington Post). After over a decade of performances and residencies in the world’s most esteemed venues and festivals, the release of numerous critically acclaimed recordings and lauded with significant awards, the Calidore String Quartet is recognized as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of a vast repertory; from the cycles of quartets by Beethoven and Mendelssohn to works of celebrated contemporary voices like Grygory Kurtag, Jörg Widmann and Caroline Shaw.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012467183850,"sku":"635212073322","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4169814-2935177.jpg?v=1778231692"},{"product_id":"vaughan-williams-grieg-violin-sonatas-635212073421","title":"Vaughan Williams \u0026 Grieg: Violin Sonatas \/ Ciem, Golan","description":"\u003cp\u003eCharlie Siem returns with a new recording of Violin Sonatas, accompanied by his regular recital partner Itamar Golan – featuring Vaughan Williams' Violin Sonata in A Minor and Grieg's Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major, Op. 13. Charlie Siem is one of today’s foremost young violinists, with such a wide-ranging diversity of cross-cultural appeal as to have played a large part in defining what it means to be a true artist of the 21st century. Siem has appeared with many of the world’s finest orchestras and chamber ensembles, including the Bergen Philharmonic, Camerata Salzburg, Czech National Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, London Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked with top conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Edward Gardner, Zubin Mehta, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir Roger Norrington, Libor Pešek and Yuri Simonov. International festival appearances to date include Spoleto, St. Moritz, Gstaad, Bergen, Tine@Munch, Festival Internacional de Santa Lucía, and the Windsor Festival.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012467773674,"sku":"635212073421","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4170016-2951456.jpg?v=1778231352"},{"product_id":"visions-illuminees-635212073520","title":"Visions illuminees \/ Bevan, Middleton, Ruisi Quartet","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn her third recital album for Signum Records, celebrated soprano Mary Bevan returns with a selection of French songs, featuring works by composers including Britten, Ravel, Debussy and Faure\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“Over the years since the release of my debut album Voyages with Joseph Middleton in 2017, my passion for French mélodie has grown and deepened...The texts that composers of mélodie have set to music contain a depth and a mystery that I find fascinating and a source of repeated inspiration... My idea for the album began sim- ply with a desire to record Britten’s Les Illuminations, a work I feel closely connect- ed to, having performed it many times over the years and each time having found something new in it to interest me”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012468560106,"sku":"635212073520","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4177081-2957001.jpg?v=1778231348"},{"product_id":"a-most-marvellous-party-bevan-spence-middleton","title":"A Most Marvellous Party: Tribute to Noël Coward \/ Bevan, Spence, Middleton","description":"\u003cp\u003eTo mark the 50th anniversary of Noël Coward's death, celebrated musicians and regular Signum artists Mary Bevan, Nicky Spence and Joseph Middleton join forces for this album of works by Coward and his contemporaries. Featuring songs such as Parisian Pierrot and The Man I Love, the album comprises of a collection of solos, duets and instrumental songs by composers such as Ned Rorem, Liza Lehmann, William Walton, and Benjamin Britten.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012470165738,"sku":"635212073728","price":10.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391613-3304403.jpg?v=1778205554"},{"product_id":"wonderland-635212073926","title":"Wonderland \/ The King's Singers","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003eWonderland is full of magic and myth. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003eContaining\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e exclusively works commissioned by The King’s Singers across their 55 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003eyears\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e the album celebrates their trademark musical storytelling\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e with no shortage of comedy. György Ligeti’s six Nonsense Madrigals\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e each setting playful children’s poetry or extracts from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003eprovide\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e a musical spine to the album\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e commemorating 100 years since the composer’s birth in 1923. From just over 50 years ago\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e the fairytale The Musicians of Bremen (1972) – set to music by the Australian composer and Master of the Queen’s Music Malcolm Williamson – sits alongside Time Piece (1972) by Paul Patterson\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e which tells an eccentric alternative creation story. These myth-based works have recent companions such as Judith Bingham’s extended work Tricksters (2019)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e which unearths what could happen if miscreants from different world mythologies could come together for the first time\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e and Ola Gjeilo’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003eA\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e Dream within a Dream which questions the very nature of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003eperception\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e and reality. The album also features the legendary Japanese film and game composer Joe \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003eHisaishi’s\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e first ever choral work\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e I was there (2022)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003efocussing\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e on the cultural memory of tragic events such as 9\/11 and the 2011 Japan Earthquake. Themes of hope and positivity\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003ecentred\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e on the natural world\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"LastReplacedFindHitThemed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003eemerge\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e in Makiko Kinoshita’s Ashita no uta (Song for tomorrow) (2020) and Francesca \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003eAmewudah\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW138338153 BCX0\"\u003e-Rivers’ Alive (2022).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012471804138,"sku":"635212073926","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391614-3304335.jpg?v=1778214092"},{"product_id":"francesco-scarlatti-dixit-dominus-mass-monks-armonico-consort","title":"F. Scarlatti: Dixit Dominus - Mass \/ Monks, Armonico Consort","description":"\u003cp\u003eTheir tenth album with Signum Classics, the Armonico Consort directed by Christopher Monks return with two works by Francesco Scarlatti. This recording has been made using new editions of the works, (made especially for this recording) that were created from autograph scores. Armonico Consort began life in 2001, set up by Christopher Monks and a group of university colleagues with a shared passion for music from the Renaissance to Baroque, coupled with the imagination to find new and unusual ways to present concerts. Audiences seemed to love their engaging and imaginative approach, and most concerts in the first years sold out.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe founder and Artistic Director of Armonico Consort and its ground-breaking education program AC Academy, Christopher Monks has established himself as a versatile and prolific conductor and keyboard player. Specialising in the performance of music from the Baroque and late Renaissance, Christopher is equally at home with major and modern choral repertoire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eperformances are strong, superbly shaped by Monks, and played and sung, one voice to a part, with great precision.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- Gramophone\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012472557802,"sku":"635212074022","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4191895-3142348_a0cec929-ee0a-4ef0-a1e2-78cb104dfc37.jpg?v=1778207337"},{"product_id":"mahler-lieder-volume-1-connolly-middleton","title":"Mahler: Lieder \/ Sarah Connolly, Joseph Middleton","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the finest Mahlerians of our time, Dame Sarah Connolly brings her fierce intellect and glorious voice to the music she has spent a life-time studying and performing. In the first release of series curated and performed by Joseph Middleton that will champion the complete piano accompanied Lieder of Mahler, the ‘superlative’ (New York Times) duo of Connolly and Middleton, present the three great song cycles of Mahler: Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen, Fünf Rückert Lieder and Kindertotenlieder. This is the first time Sarah has performed all three cycles on one album, which she is justly famous the world over for performing with rare insight and consummate artistry. Her voice is the perfect Mahlerian instrument.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It is such an enormous honor to have made this recording for Signum with Sarah. Mahler’s music can teach us so much about the human condition, our connection with nature, and our empathy towards other humans. A deep spirituality is built into every bar he writes. - Joseph Middleton\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012473344234,"sku":"635212074121","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391615-3304368.jpg?v=1778224056"},{"product_id":"magnificat-3-nethsingha-st-johns-college-cambridge","title":"Magnificat 3 \/ Nethsingha, St John’s College, Cambridge","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing their critically acclaimed ‘Psalms’ album, St John’s College, Cambridge and Andrew Nethsingha present a selection of Magnificat \u0026amp; Nunc Dimittis recordings from January and July 2022. Much of the third volume in their series of Evening Canticles focuses on music in a twenty-year period, from 1945 to 1965. Philip Moore’s Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis were commissioned especially for St John’s College, Cambridge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003eIt’s sad that Nethsingha’s departure means that the next volume will be the last. I can’t think of a greater or more apt epitaph to the music director’s time at St John’s.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003e-- Gramophone (\u003cstrong\u003eEditor's Choice\u003c\/strong\u003e, May 2023)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003eThese contrasting works, embracing solo writing and full-bodied, lavish textures, give the choir the chance to display their warm sound and versatility. They do, wholeheartedly.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003e-- The Guardian (UK)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012474163434,"sku":"635212074220","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4182496-2971848.jpg?v=1778205916"},{"product_id":"davis-blue-bateman-royal-philharmonic-orchestra","title":"Davis: Blue \/ Bateman, RPO","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is Oliver Davis’ first album dedicated to the piano, and specifically two pianists, Dutch piano duo Beth \u0026amp; Flo. The album features this dynamic duo playing four hands piano and also on two pianos with full orchestra. The song cycle ‘Siren Songs’ features sopranos Grace Davidson, Julia Doyle and Grace’s son chorister Joshua Davidson. The theme of the album is water, in its many forms with songs depicting a river journey, Sea Dances for four hands and strings, Sea Waltzes in addition to the Water Variations. The opening piece, The Water Garden, will be one of three singles being released prior to the album’s launch. This album is the culmination of two years work to create a mesmerising piano and strings landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012474851562,"sku":"635212074329","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391611-3304404_f24c1da0-aae3-46ad-b2f7-1f7ee7753412.jpg?v=1778205580"},{"product_id":"bach-clavier-ubung-iii-the-organs-and-choir-of-saint-thomas-church-fifth-avenue-new-york-635212074428","title":"Bach: Clavier-Ubung III \/ Jeremy Filsell","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe monumental third part of the Clavier-Übung (1739) is perhaps one of J S Bach’s greatest musical sequences with its explorations into both Lutheran hymnody and the ‘German Organ Mass’. As a didactic work, it also pursues virtually every contrapuntal device and structure. In giving voice to this immensely varied work, fascinating, inspiring and spiritual in equal measure, it seems particularly apt to make through it an ‘organ tour’ of Saint Thomas Church, with its rich and rewarding instrumental resources.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach piece is played with fastidious care, with its mood and scale perfectly matched to an appropriate organ. Jeremy Filsell provides yet another masterclass in manual and pedal dexterity, packed with interpretative insights and always mindful of a sense of flow and grace. Recorded by David Hinitt in the very best sound, this is a Clavier-Übung III to savor and revisit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- Gramophone\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012475736298,"sku":"635212074428","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4160851-2922279.jpg?v=1778234262"},{"product_id":"vidi-speciosam-sacred-choral-music-bevan-family-consort","title":"Vidi Speciosam - Sacred Choral Music \/ Bevan Family Consort","description":"\u003cp\u003eSoprano Mary Bevan writes: In 1975, the original Bevan Family Choir released their debut album on vinyl, featuring an eclectic programme of sacred choral works, Welsh folk songs, and piano music. The Choir consisted of 11 of the 14 Bevan siblings and was conducted by their father, Roger. Later on the Choir was taken over by the second eldest son, David, who was to go on to become Assistant Director of Music at Westminster Cathedral. The musical tradition continued to flourish within the family until, in 2013, some of the second generation of cousins decided to create their own version of the family choir, naming themselves the Bevan Family Consort so as to distinguish them from their parents’ generation. The Consort has since ranged in size from 15-22 of the 53 first cousins. To honour David and the influence he had over us all as musicians, this disc consists of music that was introduced to us by him during his years at the Holy Redeemer Church and that have since become beloved by us as a choir.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell2_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eThe Bevan Family Consort are particularly good at strongly textured works such as Croce’s \u003cem\u003eIn spirito humilitatis\u003c\/em\u003e, tinged with Venetian monumentalism, or Holst’s \u003cem\u003eNunc dimittis\u003c\/em\u003e with its ecstatic ending. This last piece was not discovered until 1979, some 45 years after Holst’s death. Other rarities include the \u003cem\u003eDignare me\u003c\/em\u003e by Fernando de las Infantas, apparently a Spanish nobleman working in Rome – so obscure as to be practically confidential. The works with intricate polyphony are pleasingly performed, though in the Kyrie and Gloria of Victoria’s \u003cem\u003eMissa Vidi speciosam\u003c\/em\u003e the upper voices are a little sharp and the overall acoustic seems rather distant. Breath control and phrasing is always musical and is apparent even in the plainsongs (Ave Maria). The most beautiful work here is Alonso Lobo’s \u003cem\u003eVersus est in luctum\u003c\/em\u003e. The voices of the Bevan Consort are slightly too disparately coloured to match the magical poise of this work achieved by the group Tenebrae (also on Signum) which shares an album with Victoria’s Requiem. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- BBC Music Magazine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012476948714,"sku":"635212074626","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4202510-2979917_8f990ed6-277e-47f3-b3ea-9481ccfadb82.jpg?v=1778207345"},{"product_id":"apres-un-reve-belle-epoque-nights-at-the-piano-despax","title":"Après un rêve - Belle epoque: Nights at the Piano \/ Emmanuel Despax","description":"\u003cp\u003e“Après un rêve” is an ode to the French Belle Époque repertoire, depicting the beauty of dreams and the night. The album is an opportunity to hear and perhaps discover rarely played \/ rarely recorded wonderful works (Chaminade Nocturne, Duparc Aux étoiles, Poulenc Les soirées de Nazelles), alongside central pillars of the repertoire, and includes a world premiere of Despax’s arrangement of Après un rêve. The album is attributed to his grandfather, Jacques Charpentreau, a French poet who adored this repertoire and frequently drew inspiration from the night in his works. Despax has curated some of his poetry, as well as works by other poets he admired to complement this music, taking the listener on an immersive poetic and musical journey through this noctur- nal landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003eDespax has recorded Bach, Brahms, Chopin, but the works here particularly suit his sensibility. In Maurice Ravel’s haunting masterpiece Gaspard de la Nuit, he masters the ferocious challenges with ease, delicacy, strength.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003e-- The Guardian (UK)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012477767914,"sku":"635212074725","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391617-3304405.jpg?v=1778236862"},{"product_id":"mcdowall-da-vinci-requiem-seventy-degrees-below-zero-635212074923","title":"McDowall: Da Vinci Requiem; 70° Below Zero \/ Ferris, City of London Sinfonia","description":"\u003cp\u003eCecilia McDowall writes: \"Da Vinci Requiem brings together my chosen Latin texts from the Missa pro Defunctis with extracts from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, and is structured in seven movements in the shape of an arch … It has been a fascinating exploration, aligning Leonardo’s extraordinary insights, both artistic and philosophical, with such a profound and ancient text. Seventy degrees below zero is a three-movement work for chamber orchestra and tenor soloist. [Inspired by work carried out by the Scott Polar Research Institute], the phrase for the title was taken from Scott’s Letter to his wife: ‘Dear, it is not easy to write because of the cold – 70 degrees below zero’. The scientific exploration and data collected by Captain Scott’s team at the beginning of the 20th century still powerfully underlies the research which continues to this day. It was with a desire to join the past with the present that I asked the poet, Seán Street, to write two poems to accompany Scott’s words: words from ‘then’ and words from ‘now’.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWimbledon Choral has been described as “one of the most substantial and formidable choirs in London … a vigorous and sophisticated choral ensemble”. The choir is over 100 years old, re-founded in the early stages of the First World War, but its earliest recorded roots go back to 1870. Today we are a modern, dynamic group of singers, always ready to stretch ourselves and try new things, making sure we keep up our reputation as one of the finest amateur symphonic choirs in south-east England.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012479144170,"sku":"635212074923","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4191030-3142352.jpg?v=1778207341"},{"product_id":"new-millennium-nethsingha-sjccc","title":"New Millennium \/ Nethsingha, Choir of St John's College Cambridge","description":"\u003cp\u003eAbout the album; Andrew Nethsingha says: “Contemporary music and Commissioning have been central features of the last fifteen years at St John’s. It’s been a joy to work with talented student composers; singers and instrumental- ists; my own musicianship has been greatly enriched by their creativity and energy... After a 30-month break from sessions during the pandemic; we were very pleased to be able to record again in 2022. The material on this album comes from various times of year; whilst we were also continuing our Magnificat series. For the final sessions in December the outdoor temperature was forty degrees colder than it had been for the previous recording in July! The personnel of the lower voices had also largely changed; but I hope you will hear a successful continuity of sound- world. All the composers are alive today but; at the suggestion of one of them; we have omitted dates of birth so as not to intrude on their privacy. I’ve curated a sequence of music which aims to celebrate some of the broad range of styles in 21st-century choral writing. The premiere of Iain Farrington’s Nova Nova was the final piece in my last St John’s broadcast - I have often enjoyed pushing the boundaries of the Anglican choral tradition!”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012479996138,"sku":"635212075029","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391618-3304406.jpg?v=1778205494"},{"product_id":"an-englishman-abroad-adrian-chandler-la-serenissima","title":"An Englishman Abroad \/ Chandler, La Serenissima","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe latest release from renowned period ensemble La Serenissima celebrates the life and work of Nicola Matteis the Younger. Born in London to an Italian father and English mother, Matteis was immersed in the style of Henry Purcell before leaving England in 1700 for the Imperial Court in Vienna. All of the music on the album is – rather fortuitously – Carolean; either written for Charles II of England, or for (or in the realm of ) Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. It is all too easy to think that the English style and English musicians were unknown on the continent in the early C18, but this selection of music shows that this wasn’t (always) the case. There are some jubilant dances and dance suites featured here as well as a ravishingly beautiful Vivaldi concerto and two superb Chaconnes, one by an Englishman, and one by an Italian.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003estrings of La Serenissima – notably young in personnel here – show evident enthusiasm for Chandler’s direction throughout, and respond with precision and clarity...Listening to this Englishman and his ensemble is always refreshing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- Gramophone\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012480946410,"sku":"635212075128","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4201745-2975008.jpg?v=1778233926"},{"product_id":"roth-the-traveller-seth-earth-sky","title":"Roth: The Traveller; Seth: Earth \u0026 Sky \/ Ex Cathedra, Britten Sinfonia","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTHE TRAVELLER for choir, children’s choir, orchestra, tenor, violin and speaker. The Traveller was the third in a series of four major works with words by Vikram Seth and music by Alec Roth, commissioned jointly over four years by the Salisbury, Chelsea and Lichfield Festivals (2006-09). Each work featured the violinist Philippe Honoré as soloist, and each took a different geographical\/cultural area as its starting point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEARTH AND SKY for children’s choir and piano (with optional percussion). Earth and Sky was commissioned by the BBC for the Proms 2000 season. In keeping with the millennial theme, a work presenting a vision of the future was requested. Trying to be helpful, the BBC provided me with a video containing the predictions of various experts, but their ideas seemed dizzyingly contradictory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e-Alec Roth\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEx Cathedra has performed Alec’s music in over 200 concerts since 2007. There have been large-scale commissions and recordings and many short ‘gems’. It is of consistently high quality with moments of absolute genius. The relationship continues to flourish.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012482715882,"sku":"635212075326","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391616-3304408.jpg?v=1778236879"},{"product_id":"noel-armonico-consort","title":"Noël! Carols Old \u0026 New \/ Monks, Armonico Consort","description":"\u003cp\u003eTheir second Christmas album on Signum Records, Armonico Consort and Christopher Monks return with a new album featuring a collection of carols both old and new. They have created the perfect soundtrack for those who love an atmosphere at Christmas. Featuring world premiere recordings by Composer Toby Young and the first ever recording of ‘Star Song’ by Jonathan Dove on a Christmas album, there are also exquisitely sublime versions from ‘Silent Night’ to ‘Away in a Manger’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"It is ten years since our last carols recording, and we have collected some incredible works we have been so keen to record, including several commissioned from our composer in residence. Christmas somehow manages to inspire composers to write the most imaginative, both in terms of creativity and melodiousness, and Toby is an expert at making Christmas music sound just as we want it to be!\" -- Christopher Monks\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012483535082,"sku":"635212075425","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391620-3304409_56339860-703e-4023-b56b-3e9f63fbabfb.jpg?v=1778212897"},{"product_id":"nova-nova-joy-to-the-world-temple-hertfordshire-chorus","title":"Nova! Nova! Joy to the World! \/ Temple, Hertfordshire Chorus","description":"\u003cp\u003eChristmas carols have a universal appeal stemming from the tradition of music being played; sung; re- arranged and rewritten by different generations in many different countries and over a number of centuries. Louis Halsey’s Nova! Nova!; a collection of new arrangements of many of the most well-known and beautiful carols from as far back as medieval times; represents perhaps the largest collection of carols by a single composer for many years. Hertfordshire Chorus and David Temple have recorded 24 of these carols in this beautifully presented new collection; including English; German; French; Czech; Basque; Welsh and Irish melodies. “What I love about Louis Halsey’s arrangements is that they are both tasteful and simple; allowing the beauty of each carol to shine through. We are thrilled to share these with a wider audience with this new recording.” David Temple\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012484583658,"sku":"635212075524","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391621-3304410.jpg?v=1778214018"},{"product_id":"schumann-piano-works-llyr-williams","title":"Schumann: Piano Works \/ Llŷr Williams","description":"\u003cp\u003eHis 15th album with Signum Classics, the Welsh pianist, Llŷr Williams, brings a profound musical intelligence to his work as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. His new album of Robert Schumann works explores a selection of works that span a substantial part of Schumann’s life, including Papillons Op. 2 (written while he studied law at Leipzig University) all the way up to Faschingsschwank aus Wien published in 1841. Llŷr Williams’ long and successful collaboration with Signum Records includes the 8-disc box-set ‘A Schubert Journey’ (2020), the 12-volume ‘Beethoven Unbound’ (2018), a ‘Wagner Without Words’ double album (2014) and highlights from Liszt’s ‘Années de pèlerinage‘ (2012).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012485468394,"sku":"635212075623","price":16.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391622-3304369.jpg?v=1778237021"},{"product_id":"ferrabosco-music-to-hear-music-for-lyra-viol-from-1609","title":"Ferrabosco: Music to Hear - Music for Lyra Viol from 1609 \/ Boothby, Morikawa","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecorded during the 2020 lockdown, Richard Boothby explores the solo and duo Viol music of Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger. The lyra viol and its music is one of the last undiscovered gems of music, and Alfonso Ferrabosco is its greatest exponent. It is in the category of ‘hard to define, easy to recognise’: it is at once an instrument, a style of playing and a genre of instrumental music, and, while not exclusively English, by far the largest part of its repertory is from these isles. A composer favoured by Queen Elizabeth I and James I, Ferrabosco also wrote music for stage works by playwright Ben Jonson, some of which would by heard in performance at Shakespeare's Globe. Added to this he was a renowned player of the viol – a visiting court musician declaring that there was no player of ‘La lyre’ in Italy: “who was fit to be compared with the great ‘Farabosco d’Angleterre'.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRichard Boothby has been playing the viol ever since David Fallows handed him a tenor viol in 1977. After further study with Nikolaus Harnoncourt in Salzburg, he helped to found The Purcell Quartet in 1984 and Fretwork in 1985. He has endeavoured to enrich the viol-consort repertory with new music from today’s finest composers, from Elvis Costello to George Benjamin, from Alexander Goehr to Nico Muhly. With the Purcell Quartet, he recorded nearly 50 albums for Hyperion and Chandos; and with Fretwork over 40 albums for Virgin Classics, Harmonia Mundi USA and most recently, Signum Classics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003eThese are intimate performances of intimate music, yes; but the writing and the playing are such that chordal and contrapuntal textures, beefy bass lines and flute-like cantabiles just about do the job of an entire consort of viols.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"c-product-review--quote\"\u003e-- BBC Music Magazine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012486254826,"sku":"635212075722","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4207113-3142358.jpg?v=1778233936"},{"product_id":"a-celebration-of-paul-reade","title":"A Celebration of Paul Reade \/ O'Neill, London Winds, English Chamber Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003e2023 marks 25 years since the death of British composer Paul Reade. He is remembered for his delightful Victorian Kitchen Garden music (Ivor Novello Award) and television themes such as Antiques Road-show. However, he also wrote a huge range of equally wonderful but less well-known pieces, full of melodic invention, wit and fabulous energy. They are previously unpublished and unrecorded works that deserve to be heard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are premiere recordings (except for the Chants du Roussillon) and show Paul’s music at its best: tender, poignant, humorous and uplifting, full of wonderful melodic and dramatic invention. Philippa Davies has been hailed as a ‘first-rate virtuoso’, with ’winning charm’, ’exceptional eloquence’ and an ‘almost electrical response to technique’. Since her celebrated performance of Mozart’s Concerto in D major at the BBC Proms in 1988, she has gained an international reputation as one of the finest flautists currently performing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012487139562,"sku":"635212075821","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391623-3304411.jpg?v=1778236911"},{"product_id":"sturm-und-drang-vol-3-page-the-mozartists","title":"Sturm und Drang, Vol. 3 \/ Page, The Mozartists","description":"\u003cp\u003eLike the first two releases in The Mozartists’ ongoing ‘Sturm und Drang’ series, this record- ing comprises three highly dramatic and turbulent orchestral works interspersed with similarly highly-charged vocal items. The repertoire dates from between 1771 and 1788, and again includes one of Haydn’s great minor-key symphonies – this time arguably the greatest of them all, the ‘Trauer’. For the first time in the series Mozart is also represented, in the form of his extraordinarily visceral and darkly chromatic Adagio and Fugue in C minor, and the disc opens with an outstanding G minor symphony by the Czech com- poser Leopold Kozeluch, whose quality, sweep and lyricism will surprise many listeners. The two vocal works are genuine rarities. Schweitzer’s Alceste was one of the earliest attempts to create German tragic opera in the vernacular, and it launches with an aria of searing intensity. The scene from Paisiello’s Annibale in Torino – the twenty-third of his eighty-seven operas –features an exquisite but brief arioso before leading into a stormy G minor aria. The soloist is the exciting young American soprano Emily Pogorelc, and Ian Page again conducts his award-winning period-instrument ensemble.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012488024298,"sku":"635212075920","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391624-3304412.jpg?v=1778224315"},{"product_id":"mahler-symphony-no-2-rouvali-philharmoni-orchestra","title":"Mahler: Symphony No. 2 \"Resurrection\" \/ Rouvali, Philharmonia Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003eMahler 2 is the second album from Philharmonia Records; following their first album - Santtu conducts Strauss. “[Also sprach Zarathustra] Rouvali’s conducting of both is certainly interesting and personal... impressive; an expansive reading that sees the work whole...[An Alpine Symphony] undeniably picturesque; vivid and dramatically projected...top-notch playing; and this extravagant score also enjoys notable recorded sound... lingering lyricism; invariably heartfelt and; in conclusion; cathartic”; Founded in 1945; The Philharmonia Orchestra creates thrilling performances for a global audience and has premiered works by Richard Strauss; Sir Peter Maxwell Davies; Errollyn Wallen; Kaija Saariaho and many others. The Philharmonia has an extraordinary 77-year recording legacy; and has recorded around 150 soundtracks; with film credits stretching back to 1947. In the 2021\/22 season the Orchestra performs in Romania; Spain; Finland; Greece and Germany.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSanttu-Matias Rouvali is a Finnish conductor and percussionist; and is currently principal conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Rouvali continues his relationships with orchestras across Europe; including with the Berlin Philharmonic; New York Philharmonic; Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Munich Phillharmonic and the the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the first movement Rouvali is animated and engaged, using a lighter hand than most other conductors. Such a natural lyrical bent would seem to run counter to music that Mahler originally conceived as a funeral rite (\u003cem\u003eTotenfeier\u003c\/em\u003e), and it’s certainly unusual for a conductor to have such a relaxed grip on the drama and still make the first movement work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe point is underscored in the minuet-like second movement, usually a throwaway, which is captivating in Rouvali’s hands, a nostalgic poem. The Scherzo is taken at quite a clip, divorcing the music from the gently satiric song in \u003cem\u003eDes Knaben Wunderhorn\u003c\/em\u003e about St. Anthony preaching to a school of transfixed fish. Rouvali sharpens the edges and makes the movement rambunctiously exciting—I can’t remember any other conductor leading this music one beat to a bar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the soloist in the raptly reverent “Urlicht,” mezzo Jennifer Johnston is sensitive and sincere, but Rouvali leads such an eloquent orchestral part that one wishes he had a singer of the highest caliber. Johnston’s German is more than a shade too basic for the poetry. The thunder and brass that open the fifth movement display excellent balance, bringing forward this conductor’s ability to extract beautiful playing for which the word “burnished” was invented. The many solos and ensemble passages in the final half hour of the “Resurrection” Symphony come off with unforced gorgeousness, needing no shred of rhetoric to make an impact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRouvali has held his fire to some extent, making it all the more thrilling when he unleashes the full power of the finale in moments of blazing climax. He must have had the audience on the edge of their seats. Against this tumult, the sudden whispered quiet of the chorus is doubly effective. Soprano Mari Eriksmoen emerges with melting lyricism, and yet you are aware that Rouvali milks nothing for effect—his eye is fixed on the musicality of every measure. You also notice how even the softest passages retain a restrained intensity that keeps the moving line tensile and alive. This is particularly helpful in the duets for mezzo and soprano, where the momentum is most likely to sag. Here, not a single transition is awkward or faltering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe final apotheosis is so magnificently handled that I can’t blame the producers for including a minute of excited applause from the audience in Royal Festival Hall. For anyone who has harbored doubts about Rouvali’s meteoric rise, a performance as imaginative and beautifully shaped as this one should dispel them. I’m convinced that he has a special gift. I cannot wait to see how it will unfold in the coming years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- Fanfare (Huntley Dent)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012488941802,"sku":"635212076026","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391625-3304413.jpg?v=1778214113"},{"product_id":"beethoven-prokofiev-pastoral-21-unltd-collective","title":"Beethoven \u0026 Prokofiev: Pastoral 21 \/ UNLTD Collective","description":"\u003cp\u003ePastoral Reflections is a contemporary exploration on what the concept of ‘Pastoral’ means to us in this time of climate crisis. It features classical string sextet alongside field recordings, electronic bass \u0026amp; angular beats, centered around Gabriel Prokofiev’s contemporary response to Beethoven's 250 year old Pastoral Symphony.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Album opens with the original first movement of Beethoven’s famous symphony (arranged for sextet) - reminding listeners of our less troubled relationship with nature 250 years ago - before moving on to the modern beats of Prokofiev’s recent composition Breaking Screens, which explores ideas of consumerism, digital life and impending crisis. 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It includes a commission by Cecilia McDowall; written for Christmas 2021; new arrangements of all tracks and also some contemporary Christmas favourites such as Sleigh Ride and Jingle Bells.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis marks the Chorale’s return to recording following an 8-year hiatus; and their first album with Signum Records. “Festive repertoire plays an important role in the performance cycle of every choir; and it felt fitting to begin our journey with a Christmas recording that established a sense of place for the ensemble: we chose to record repertoire that is all American or Hispanic in origin; save for the newly-commissioned piece by Cecilia McDowall that was written to mark the centenary of our home in Phoenix; Trinity Cathedral. Our aim is to translate the warmth of Arizona into our sound; to convey the rhetoric of every text; and celebrate the good health of the American Choral Tradition.” - Christopher Gabbitas\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012490875114,"sku":"635212076224","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391627-3304415.jpg?v=1778205521"},{"product_id":"howell-orchestral-works-miller-bbc-concert-orchestra","title":"Howell: Orchestral Works \/ Miller, BBC Concert Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003eFeaturing 4 works receiving their world premiere recording, Signum Classics are proud to annouce the new album 'Dorothy Howell: Orchestral Works' conducted by Rebecca Miller with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Until now these works have rarely been performed, and the majority of works are unpublished and only exist in manuscript form. \"I hope this album can help to revive Dorothy’s music, to help her live on, to finally have the recognition she deserved and never received, and to secure this music’s rightful place in the centre of the classical music repertoire\" - Rebecca Miller\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signum Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012491661546,"sku":"635212076323","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4391628-3304416_82ab883f-e08d-4e1c-94ea-1e84d0e38f45.jpg?v=1778205785"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/collections\/Signum_Classics_Sale_2026.png?v=1778091016","url":"https:\/\/arkivmusic.com\/collections\/signum-classics-sale-2026.oembed?page=6","provider":"ArkivMusic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}