Classical Music

Classical Music

World-renowned violinist Sebastian See-Schierenberg, joined by Flamenco guitarist Ramon Ruiz and pianist Sophia Lisovskaya play a compilation of works drawn from and inspired by the music of Spain and Latin America. The program includes works by Isaac Albeniz, Manuel de Falla, Xavier Montsalvatge, Enrique Granados, Francisco Tarrega and Astor Piazzolla. Committed to music education, Mr. See-Schierenberg has held teaching posts at the Trinity College of Music London, Bowdoin Festival USA, Lisbon Orchestral Academy and the Malaysian Philharmonic Music Chambers.

Some of the UK’s best singers come together for this album, which is the first release in a series profiling the complete songs of Gabriel Faure. Pianist Malcolm Martineau heads up this project, performing beautifully. This release follows his critically acclaimed series of The Complete Poulenc Songs. Vocalists featured on this release include Lorna Anderson, Nigel Cliffe, Ann Murray, John Chest, and more.

Composing over 150 works for piano and voice over a period of 44 years, the songs of Francis Poulenc remain consistently popular to concert audiences the world over. Varying in their individual style and character in a way that defies generalization, Poulenc set music to a wide range of different French poetry - both ancient and modern, and from the serious to the surreal. This is the fourth release in our series that will encompass the complete songs of Francis Poulenc, performed by some of the greatest singers of the day and accompanied by the exceptional Malcolm Martineau.

Simon Desbruslais leads the performances on this disc of world premiere recordings from some of the UK’s leading composers. Seeking to expand the trumpet’s repertoire of concerto and orchestra works, Simon Desbruslais was inspired after performing Robert Saxton’s Psalm to help commission the three remaining works on this program: Saxton’s Shakespeare Scenes, Deborah Pritchard’s Skyspace and John McCabe’s La Primavera. ‘Simon Desbruslais’s performance leaves nothing to be desired: it is musically compelling and technically very impressive.’ - Musicweb Int’l

Tamsin Waley Cohen is joined by pianist Huw Watkins for a new disc exploring folk-inspired Bohemia from before the First World War – featuring works by Antonin Dvorak, Josef Suk and Leoš Janacek. This release follows Tamsin’s recent critically-praised album of Roy Harris and John Adams’ Violin Concertos with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, as well as previous discs with Huw Watkins exploring some lesser-known gems of the violina and Piano repertoire. Born in London in 1986, Tamsin Waley-Cohen enjoys an adventurous and varied career. In addition to concerts with the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic and BBC orchestras, amongst others, she has been associate artist with the Orchestra of the Swan and works with conductors including Andrew Litton and Tamás Vásáry. She enjoys a duo partnership with Huw Watkins, whose Concertino she premiered, and together they have recorded for Champs Hill and Signum Records, for whom she is a Signum Classics Artist.

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REVIEW:

Above all, it feels as though these performers have got the scale of this music just right: nothing forced, no obvious straining for effect, just fresh, thoughtful and committed interpretations shot through with poetry and alertness. This is real chamber music.

– Gramophone

Composing over 150 works for piano and voice over a period of 44 years, the songs of Francis Poulenc remain consistently popular to concert audiences the world over. Varying in their individual style and character, Poulenc set music to a wide range of different French poetry – both ancient and modern, and from the serious to the surreal. The final disc in Signum’s series of The Complete Songs of Francis Poulenc features a cast of the finest singers of our generation, accompanied by Malcolm Martineau as well as additional instrumental soloists for Poulenc’s larger-ensemble settings of his songs.

The fourth volume in our series of Charles-Marie Widor's Organ Symphonies, performed by Joseph Nolan on the magnificent Cavaille-Coll organ of L'eglise de la Madeleine, Paris. Widor showed early talent for the organ; for decades he was the embodiment of it's might and splendor across the Gallic domain - his 'Organ Symphonies' were genre-defining in their influence. Joseph Nolan is an internationally renowned organist, acclaimed as 'brilliant and such an astute musician' (Gramophone UK).

Classical Music

Pianists worldwide are attracted to Chopin’s waltzes. They incorporate a range of moods from melancholy to effervescent but retain an air of sophistication suited to aristocratic salons. Chopin composed in this genre throughout his lifetime and here is a fine collection of his waltzes, some of his most famous and those less well known. Chopin dedicated his life to the piano, establishing it as a solo instrument and freeing it from orchestral and choral influences. He became acquainted with folk melodies in Poland and often used these as a source of inspiration, such as in his lively Waltz in G flat major, Op. 70 No. 1. However, typically it was melodic lines, chromatic harmonies and dance like rhythms which defined his waltzes as heard in Waltz in A flat major, Op. 64, No. 3, which is also said to be one of Chopin’s favorites and a piece he himself often performed. Felicja Blumental was born in Warsaw in 1908. She studied composition with Karol Szymanowski and piano with Joseph Goldberg and Zbigniew Drzewiecki at the Warsaw Conservatory. In 1942 she settled in Brazil and made her successful debut in Rio de Janeiro, which led to extensive tours in Latin America. In 1954 she returned to Europe and performed as a soloist with leading orchestras and recording with the Orchestra National de France and the Philharmonia amongst others. She was a much admired pianist, and notable 20th century composers Villa-Lobos, Penderecki and Lutoslawski wrote pieces especially for her. Felicja Blumental died in Tel Aviv in December of 1991 and in 1999 the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel’s most dynamic cultural center, named its prestigious International Music Festival after her.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music