ROBERT WHITE Gallicantus/Gabriel Crouch. ROBERT WHITE - HYMNS, PSALMS & LAMENTATIONS - SACRED MUSIC: Christe qui lux es et dies (I); Ad te levavi oculos meos; Exaudiat te, Dominus; Miserere mei, Deus; Chrite qui lux es et dies (IV); Domine quis habitabit (III); Manus tuae fecerunt me; Lamentations (a6).

Two major international forces at the leading edge of contemporary music - The Smith Quartet and American composer Steve Reich - come together for new recordings for three of his most inspiring works. Triple Quartet for three string quartets, Reich's personal dedication to the late Yehudi Menuhin, Duet, and the haunting Different Trains for string quartet and electronic tape.

Jean-Philippe Rameau wrote two complete Anacréons, both of them a one-act acte de ballet, but with two different plots and librettos. Anacréon (1754) had a successful premiere followed by some performances in Paris after the composer’s death, and then fell into oblivion for almost 250 years. From fragmented manuscripts scattered through Paris’s libraries the work was subsequently reconstructed by Dr. Jonathan Williams and published. Dr. Williams leads this world premiere recording, joined by a leading cast of soloists and the Orchestra and Choir of the Age of Enlightenment.

Signum Classics are proud to release a LIVE recording of the stirring performance by Tenenbrae of Rachmaninoff's 'All-Night Vigil' (Vsenoshchnoye bdeniye, Op.37). The roots of the Russian Orthodox Church are traceable back into the Third Century A.D. While Western forms of Christianity continued to evolve, the Orthodox tradition has been preserved largely intact since the 11th Century, despite persecution of the Church under an intolerant Communit regime in Russia. The music of the Russian Orthodox Church features vocal chants, the oldest of which is known as 'znamenny' (from the Slavonic 'znamia' meaning 'sign'). The melody of this chant is extremely simple, and while other composers added their characteristic harmonic effects, Rachmaninoff consciously preserved the modal purity of the original in his setting of the Vespers. The professional chamber choir, Tenebrae, characteristically create an atmosphere of spiritual and musical reflection at their performances, using candlelight and movement within ecclesiastical venues. This performance of the Vespers was recorded loive as part of the North Wales International Music Festival in St. Asaph on 24th September 2004.

Marking their latest collaboration with their conductor laureate Vladimir Ashkenazy, the Philharmonia have returned to recording with a stellar live-performance of Rachmaninov’s ebullient Symphony No.2 in E Minor. This is the second release in a new series of Rachmaninov’s symphonies, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy in live performances with the Philharmonia Orchestra. The first release of Symphony No. 1 (SIGCD484) was met by critical acclaim: “Perhaps the most satisfying of all [Ashkenazy’s recordings of the Symphony]…” (BBC Music Magazine) “Ashkenazy knows how to shape detail and soar in the big melodic moments. The Philharmonia sound is muscular and alert, from the opening woodwind solos to the mighty, stirring symphonic tutti of the finale.” (The Observer)

REVIEWS:

As pianist as well as conductor, Vladimir Ashkenazy has had a love affair with fellow Russian Rachmaninov for more than half a century. Ashkenazy’s authority is one attraction of this performance of Symphony No 1, as he knows how to shape detail and soar in the big melodic moments. The Philharmonia sound is muscular and alert, from the opening woodwind solos to the mighty, stirring symphonic tutti of the finale.

– Guardian (UK)

Symphony No.1 is great piece, jam-packed with personality (with leanings to Tchaikovsky), the music—often powerful—exudes thrills, beauties, much atmosphere and stirring pomp. Vladimir Ashkenazy, as a pianist and a conductor, is a veteran Rachmaninov interpreter and here brings his experience and devotion to bear on every bar, the Philharmonia Orchestra (with which Ashkenazy has a time-honoured association, forty and more years) fully responsive. The first movement is shot-through with much excitement and lyrical passion, the second is spectral and wistful, the third introspective and heart-touching, and the Finale (the ceremonial opening of which used to be the music for BBCTV’s Panorama) is an exhilarating roller-coaster journey until the music descends to Hell, something very graphically realised here.

– ClassicalSource.com

In his second solo piano recital disc for Signum, this release further demonstrates Alessio Bax's dazzling skill and flair in performance and interpretation - this time with Rachmaninov's piano works. The programme is centered around the Preludes op.23, but takes in a broad selection of his other studies, etudes, melodies and transcriptions - in performance, Bax describes the programme as being a collection of 'visions and landscapes'.

The Chineke! Orchestra return to Signum in a new live orchestral recording from the Royal Festival Hall, London. Drawn from exceptional musicians from across the continent, the orchestra is part of the Chineke! Foundation – a non-profit organization that provides career opportunities to young Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) classical musicians in the UK and Europe. Their motto is ‘Championing Change and Celebrating Diversity in Classical Music’. The Chineke! Orchestra is the brainchild of Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, FRAM, who says: “My aim is to create a space where BME musicians can walk on stage and know that they belong, in every sense of the word. If even one BME child feels that their color is getting in the way of their musical ambitions, then I hope to inspire them, give them a platform, and show them that music, of whatever kind, is for all people.” In this live concert recording under conductor Roderick Cox they perform Sibelius’s 2nd Symphony and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3, featuring multi-award-winning pianist Gerard Aimontche.

The music of Sergei Rachmaninov is imbued with a unique lyrical and harmonic style that has attracted a rich variety of transcriptions and arrangements. Transcribers J. Heifetz, F. Kreisler, V. Mikhailovsky and M. Press apply their own artistry to some of Rachmaninov's great songs, etudes and romances, allowing performers and audiences alike to experience his music in new creative settings. Hideko Udagawa has performed extensively throughout the world and has captivated international audiences with her artistry and enthusiasm. On this disc she is expertly accompanied by Konstantin Lifschitz.

Canadian pianist Lucille Chung is admired for her “stylish and refined performances.” (Gramophone Magazine) She first appears as a soloist on this release with Poulenc’s Improvisations, Novelettes and L’embarquement pour Cythere, before being joined by her duo partner and husband, Alessio Bax. Poulenc was not only an incredible composer, but also a virtuosic pianist. His style is characterized by color and clarity, and he is considered by many to be the finest French song composer since Faure.

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REVIEWS:

Chung is a startlingly original pianist whose solo work, apart from discs of Scriabin and Ligeti, we’ve heard too little of … Chung captures the sense of a series of musical snapshots with the evanescent spontaneity of her playing. She is able to evoke the mercurial mood changes so characteristic of Poulenc with grace, consistently beautiful sound and an unerring sense of proportion. In succession, each seems more vivid than the last.

– Gramophone

In the composer’s two-piano reduction of the Concerto for Two Pianos Chung and Bax tackle a sizeable work with aplomb, ferociously attacking the outer movements and achieving a delicious romance in the glorious central one. This is a release to savor.

– Classical Ear

Leading British soprano Sophie Bevan performs a sumptuous programme of concert arias by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. Bevan is accompanied on this new recording by The Mozartists, recently launched by Ian Page's internationally renowned period ensemble Classical Opera as an expansion of its continuing exploration of Mozart and his contemporaries. Complementing Classical Opera's ongoing recording series of complete operas of Mozart, the creation of The Mozartists reflects the group's expanding repertoire and ambitious plans, and they can be heard in concert from September, 2017.

"...Songs of Farewell abounds in subtleties of phrasing and telling distinctions of dynamic, yet flows beautifully, the textual narrative unfolding with a rare continuity and coherence … Huge credit is due to Nigel Short. Of this programme's type, I can't envisage hearing anything better."
BBC Music Magazine – Choral and Song Choice, November 2011
Performance & Recording *****

"performed with Tenebrae’s customary poise."
The Financial Times

"Precision, spot-on intonation and sensitive phrasing inform Tenebrae's affectionate performances of these settings of great English poets, the texts of which are provided in the classily produced booklet."

Editor's Choice, Classic FM Magazine

One of the UK’s most lauded composers, Roxanna Panufnik celebrates her 50th birthday with a new release of her previously unrecorded choral music, performed by leading British choir Ex Cathedra under Jeffrey Skidmore. Known for her interest in world music, the programme includes performances from Indian arts organisation Milapfest on Unending Love, as well as the a recording of Child of Heaven: Dawn Chorus III – a new commission from Ex Cathedra that sets a Hymn to Dawn from the Rig Veda. Roxanna has written a wide range of pieces including opera, ballet, music theatre, choral works, chamber compositions and music for film and television which are regularly performed all over the world.

Mark Williams returns with the Choir of Jesus College Cambridge to complete the liturgical year in music from Lent to Trinity with this new collection - a journey begun with their 2012 release 'Journey into Light', which charted Advent, Christmas, Epiphany and Candlemas (SIGCD269). Praise for the Choir of Jesus College Cambridge on Signum: "Under Mark Williams direction, the choirs make a clear elegant and focused sound, and clarity is very much the watchword in the performances." Musicweb Int'l, Nov 2014.

Music director Christopher Monks and the Armonico Consort present an enjoyable program of beloved Christmas carols and give these seasonal favorites polished performances that will appeal strongly to traditionalists. The British ensemble of ten singers performs most of the selections a cappella, though on several numbers they are accompanied by organ. The church-setting recording gives the album the feeling of a Christmas Eve concert in a small parish, except with the difference that no small parish choir ever sounds like this. The chamber choir is exceptionally blended and precise in rhythmic articulation and diction, so the carols are transparent in voicing and easily understood, in spite of the overly resonant acoustic that sometimes blurs their sound. While most of the program is made up of well-known holiday fare, including an enchanting performance of Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, two delightful contemporary carols receive their world premieres here, Hope Finds a Way and Mistletoe, both composed by Jonathan Roberts.

– Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide