Starter Packs

Complete your collection with these curated titles, grouped at a special discount.

Shop Now
Metier

Connolly: Music for Strings (plus…)

$25.99

Details

Composer
Justin Connolly
Artist
Mihailo Trandafilovski, Peter Sheppard Skaerved, Neil Heyde, Emily Su, Dmytro Fonariuk, Roger Heaton
Format
CD
Label
Metier
Released
Mar 14, 2025
Catalog #
MEX 77209
UPC
809730720925

About

Metier celebrates the music of Justin Connolly (1933-2020) with a landmark double album. Featuring world premiere recordings of his intricately crafted works, this release shines a long-overdue spotlight on a composer once named by Pierre Boulez among the most compelling British voices of his era. Connolly's music, characterized by conceptual rigor, lyrical intensity, and flashes of playful invention, has remained largely absent from the public stage in recent decades. A long compositional hiatus in the late 20th century may have contributed to this neglect, but his unique voice is now rediscovered through this comprehensive recording. Cellist and producer Neil Heyde reflects on Connolly's impact as an inspirational teacher at the Royal Academy of Music and as a curious, collaborative force within the musical community: "His intellectual engagement with music was unparalleled, and his enthusiasm for exploring the unconventional was as legendary as his generosity of spirit. This project seeks to capture the essence of his unique sensibility through these premiere recordings." Heyde leads the project alongside Kreutzer Quartet colleagues Peter Sheppard Skaerved and Mihailo Trandafilovski, with clarinettist Roger Heaton featured on Gymel-B. The album also includes collaborations with Royal Academy of Music students, providing a vibrant intergenerational exchange in Connolly's larger ensemble works. Four pieces receive world premiere performances, making this the most extensive exploration of Connolly's music to date. These works illuminate a fascinating spectrum, from virtuosic solos to ensemble compositions that are as deeply intricate as they are expressively bold. Recorded in spring 2024 in London by the renowned engineer Adaq Khan, and supported by a research grant from the Royal Academy of Music's Research Committee, this project captures the brilliance and nuance of Connolly's artistry with exceptional clarity. This album reintroduces Justin Connolly as a vital figure in British contemporary music, offering an arresting portrait of a composer whose intellectual rigor and lyrical depth remain as relevant today as ever.

Tracklist 28 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 I. Vivo ed energico 08:56
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Vivo ed energico
    Duration
    08:56
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Mihailo Trandafilovski, Peter Sheppard Skærved, Neil Heyde
  3. 2 II. Calmo ed espressivo 04:55
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Calmo ed espressivo
    Duration
    04:55
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Mihailo Trandafilovski, Peter Sheppard Skærved, Neil Heyde
  4. 3 III. Presto, Vigoroso, Largamente 10:19
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Presto, Vigoroso, Largamente
    Duration
    10:19
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Mihailo Trandafilovski, Peter Sheppard Skærved, Neil Heyde
  5. 4 I. Intrada 03:03
    Track
    4
    Title
    I. Intrada
    Duration
    03:03
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Neil Heyde
  6. 5 II. Presto con sordina 01:45
    Track
    5
    Title
    II. Presto con sordina
    Duration
    01:45
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Neil Heyde
  7. 6 III. Alla sarabanda 03:32
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Alla sarabanda
    Duration
    03:32
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Neil Heyde
  8. 7 IV. Alla burlesca 02:59
    Track
    7
    Title
    IV. Alla burlesca
    Duration
    02:59
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Neil Heyde
  9. 8 V. Ripresa 02:53
    Track
    8
    Title
    V. Ripresa
    Duration
    02:53
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Neil Heyde
  10. 9 I. Misterioso, velato 04:27
    Track
    9
    Title
    I. Misterioso, velato
    Duration
    04:27
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Dmytro Fonariuk, Emily Su, Neil Heyde
  11. 10 II. Risoluto, piuttosto brusco 06:15
    Track
    10
    Title
    II. Risoluto, piuttosto brusco
    Duration
    06:15
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Dmytro Fonariuk, Emily Su, Neil Heyde
  12. 11 III. Come prima 04:41
    Track
    11
    Title
    III. Come prima
    Duration
    04:41
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Dmytro Fonariuk, Emily Su, Neil Heyde
  13. 12 I. Misterioso 02:43
    Track
    12
    Title
    I. Misterioso
    Duration
    02:43
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Roger Heaton, Neil Heyde
  14. 13 II. Concitato 05:37
    Track
    13
    Title
    II. Concitato
    Duration
    05:37
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Roger Heaton, Neil Heyde
  15. 14 III. Vivace 03:49
    Track
    14
    Title
    III. Vivace
    Duration
    03:49
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Roger Heaton, Neil Heyde
  16. 15 IV. Scherzando, concitato 06:33
    Track
    15
    Title
    IV. Scherzando, concitato
    Duration
    06:33
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Roger Heaton, Neil Heyde
  17. Disc 2
  18. 1 I. Gathering 02:33
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Gathering
    Duration
    02:33
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved, Tiago Soares Silva, Muriel Oberhofer, Mihailo Trandafilovski
  19. 2 II. Dordfiansa (spear-clashing dance) 02:28
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Dordfiansa (spear-clashing dance)
    Duration
    02:28
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved, Tiago Soares Silva, Muriel Oberhofer, Mihailo Trandafilovski
  20. 3 III. Night 03:07
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Night
    Duration
    03:07
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved, Tiago Soares Silva, Muriel Oberhofer, Mihailo Trandafilovski
  21. 4 IV. Four-Hand Reel 02:17
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Four-Hand Reel
    Duration
    02:17
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved, Tiago Soares Silva, Muriel Oberhofer, Mihailo Trandafilovski
  22. 5 I. — 03:46
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. —
    Duration
    03:46
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved
  23. 6 II. — 04:51
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. —
    Duration
    04:51
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved
  24. 7 III. — 05:25
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. —
    Duration
    05:25
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved
  25. 8 Collana, Op. 29b 10:46
    Track
    8
    Title
    Collana, Op. 29b
    Duration
    10:46
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Neil Heyde
  26. 9 Celebratio super Ter in lyris Leo, Op. 29/II 12:17
    Track
    9
    Title
    Celebratio super Ter in lyris Leo, Op. 29/II
    Duration
    12:17
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved, Adonis Lau, Andrea Fages Saiz, Alina Silina
  27. 10 I. Capriccio 01:58
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Capriccio
    Duration
    01:58
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Nancy Turetzky, Bertram Turetzky
  28. 11 II. Melodia I 03:04
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Melodia I
    Duration
    03:04
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Nancy Turetzky, Bertram Turetzky
  29. 12 III. Serenata 03:20
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Serenata
    Duration
    03:20
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Nancy Turetzky, Bertram Turetzky
  30. 13 IV. Melodia II (recitativo interrotto) 03:40
    Track
    13
    Title
    IV. Melodia II (recitativo interrotto)
    Duration
    03:40
    Composer
    Justin Connolly
    Performer
    Nancy Turetzky, Bertram Turetzky