Irish by birth, John Field gained an international reputation as one of the finest pianists of his time, with delicacy and nuance in his playing that is expressed in his innovative and poetically lyrical ‘Nocturnes.’ Field’s earlier ‘Sonatas’ are more classical in feel, but their sense of flow and dramatic narrative exhibit qualities that are developed and given added virtuoso panache in his fine ‘Piano Concertos,’ works admired by Liszt, Chopin, and Schumann. “Benjamin Frith has done a stellar job in bringing these concertos into the sunlight, brilliantly supported by the Northern Sinfonia under David Haslam.” (Pianist Magazine) “Played with effortless fluency…” (Gramophone) “Benjamin Frith plays with the freshness of discovery and wit.” (Audiophile Audition)

Excerpts of reviews from select, previously released volumes included in this set:

Field: Piano Music Vol 1 - Nocturnes and Sonatas

These "night" pieces are primarily characterized by a dominant, gracefully flowing melody, with most of the harmonic activity in the pianist's left hand. Although other pianists have recorded at least some of Field's Nocturnes--most notably John O'Conor (Telarc) and Miceál O'Rourke (Chandos)--Benjamin Frith's own uniquely inflected, poetic readings have a satisfying aura of intimacy cast in the warm colors of his well-tempered, expertly recorded piano.

– ClassicsToday.com

Field: Piano Concertos No 1 & 3

Both works are played with the effortless fluency we know from his Mendelssohn series - plus all the immediacy and freshness of new discovery.

– Gramophone

Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra explore the music in Ireland from the 1750s to 1770s. Following a live performance, The Irish Times wrote that ‘Whelan and the IBO are lively guides to this repertoire’ which marks a revolutionary moment where the structures of Baroque music break down and we see the emergence of the Classical style. Many trailblazing early classical composers visited Ireland during this time including van Maldere, Pasquali and Giordani (some even incorporate Irish traditional melodies into their symphonies).

Perhaps the most famous visitor to Ireland at this time was the superstar castrato, Giusto Tenducci, who had works especially written for him by Mozart, Haydn and J. C. Bach. To tell his swashbuckling tale, IBO is joined by present-day superstar Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught, performing works which would have been sung by Tenducci in Ireland. This programme also includes modern-day premieres from the collection at the National Library of Ireland including van Maldere’s Sinfonia in G, known as the ‘Dublin’ Sinfonia, Giordani’s much-admired Overture and Irish Medley to the entertainment of The Isle of Saints and The Braes of Ballenden by J. C. Bach.

REVIEWS:

Whilst in Dublin...Tenducci also arranged operas for the Smock Alley Theatre. We hear two arias from the opera. First the virtuoso ‘Amid a thousand racking woes’ which Erraught sings with warm tone and engaging bravura, well supported by the orchestra in what is quite a substantial instrumental accompaniment. The second aria is the simpler lament, ‘Water parted from the sea’ which understandably became the hit number, so much so that Dublin street boys sang a song about him which was quoted and parodied by James Joyce in Finnegan's Wake.

Johann Christian Bach was in fact another of Tenducci's friends...When Tenducci visited Edinburgh in the 1760s for the Scottish premiere of Artaxerxes, he got Bach to arrange some Scottish songs for him which were included in the production(!). Two have been lost, but we are able to hear Bach's version of The Braes of Ballenden.

In 1778, Bach was in Paris auditioning singers for the production of his opera Amadis de Gaule and Tenducci was with him. Also in Paris at the time was Mozart, to whom Tenducci taught singing. Mozart wrote to his father ‘Tenducci is here … He is Bach’s bosom friend. He also was greatly delighted to see me again … I am composing a scena for Tenducci, which is to be performed on Sunday; it is for pianoforte, oboe, horn and bassoon’ (27 August 1778). Frustratingly, the work is now lost, so the performers complete the programme with another work by Mozart written in the 1770s for another star castrato, sacred motet Exsultate, jubilate, K. 165[.]

Here Whelan and his forces have created an engaging and fascinating recital which draws a number of threads together.

-- Planet Hugill

Great Women was commissioned by the Great Music in Irish Houses Festival to mark its 50th anniversary in 2020 with funds from the Arts Council of Ireland, An Comhairle Ealaíon, which also gave financial support. The release of the recording in June 2021 coincides with the Great Music in Irish Houses Festival 2021. The piece is a celebration of the strong, remarkable Irish women who have helped shape the social and political landscape through their striving for equality and liberation. Among those whose words are set are pioneering patriots such as Countess Markievicz and Rosie Hackett, alongside such equally inspiring contemporary figures as Irelands former Presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, extracts from whose inaugural speeches are embedded in the textures of the live and tape parts. The tape part includes readings from Markievicz letters and excerpts from Rosie Hacketts account of events leading up to the 1916 Rising. The readings were recorded by renowned soprano, Elizabeth Hilliard, for whom this work was written and to whom it is gratefully dedicated. Almost all sounds on the tape derive from those recordings while the live part uses many extended vocal techniques such as overtone singing, fragmentation of text, vocalise, etc.

Both composer and performer have earned recognition for their fine work in the contemporary music field, whether in concerts, recordings, teaching or adjudication. Gráinne Mulvey was appointed Professor of Composition at Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama in 2018. Her music has been performed and broadcast across the globe, she has received numerous commissions and several of her works have been recorded by both Métier and other labels. Elizabeth Hilliard is an exceptional singer based in Dublin, widely regarded as an able, imaginative and dramatic interpreter of new music.

“[Lisa Moore is] the best kind of contemporary classical musician, one so fearsomely game that she inspires composers to offer her their most wildly unplayable ideas. She can play them all.”— Pitchfork Pianist

Lisa Moore completes her 3-EP series with Stainless Staining, featuring compositions by Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy. Commissioned by Lisa Moore with funds provided by the Arts Council of Ireland, the title track, Stainless Staining was written for piano and soundtrack. Donnacha Dennehy is the founder of Dublin’s renowned new music group, Crash Ensemble. He was recently appointed a Global Scholar at Princeton University and received rave reviews for his 2011 recording Grá Agus Bás.

REVIEWS:

Stainless Staining…seizes the ear…Dennehey creates sonorities at once glistening and hypnotic.

In Reservoir…[e]very moment is suffused with delicate or dramatic propulsion, reflecting the urgency of the aquatic imagery. Lisa Moore…plays both works with mesmerising command of Dennehy’s simmering soundscapes and finely graded dynamic palette.

-- Gramophone (Donald Rosenberg)

The title track is scored for piano and pre-recorded samples of piano played conventionally and inside the instrument, and its premise is the rhythmically pulsing, gradual accumulation of overtones based on a single pitch. Ultimately over 100 overtones are in play, creating densely chromatic, micro-tonal textures. Its steady beat and harmonic stasis make it reminiscent of some strains of American minimalism of the last third of the 20th century, but that doesn’t detract from its energetic immediacy. The second track, Reservoir, is scored for solo piano, and was inspired by a video by Bill Viola of a man being slowly submerged in water. It’s a lovely, evocative Impressionist/post-minimalist piece that’s suggestive of aqueous landscapes. Moore is a persuasive, poetic interpreter of Dennehy’s appealing music, and this attractive CD should be of strong interest to fans of new music, especially new music for piano.

-- Allmusic.com

One of the most compelling elements of Stainless Staining is the fantastic pairing of pianist Lisa Moore and composer Donnacha Dennehy. Moore[’s]…performance on this CD is breathtaking. Her energy, virtuosity, and exquisite musicality is perfectly suited to the Dennehy’s music. Both pieces are extremely effective and beautifully played. You cannot ask for more.

-- I Care If You Listen