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Debut Discs
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Edmund Finnis: The Air, Turning
Eloisa-Fleur Thorn (violin), Mark Simpson (clarinet), Víkingur Ólafsson (piano), Benjamin Bellman (violin)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, London Contemporary Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Ilan Volkov, Richard Baker, Andrew Gourlay
The music of Edmund Finnis invites rather than demands attention – and the more it is given, the more its gifts unfold… Each work on this exquisite debut disc is, in effect, a constantly changing... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2020, Winner - Premiere
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Huw Watkins: In My Craft or Sullen Art
Paul Watkins (cello), Huw Watkins (piano), Mark Padmore (tenor) & Huw Watkins (piano), Alina Ibragimova (violin), Mark Padmore (tenor)
The Nash Ensemble, Elias Quartet, Ian Brown
What strikes you most about Huw Watkins's music is its natural ease. Lyricism flourishes, and tonal echoes are exposed alongside chromatic scrunches and abrasive textures. —
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Helen Grime: Night Songs
Lynsey Marsh (clarinet)
Hallé & Hallé Soloists, Sir Mark Elder & Jamie Phillips
The performances are a tribute to the dedication of Hallé players, whether in orchestral or ensemble guise, and have all been recorded with the spaciousness and immediacy which this music needs. —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, December 2014, Editor's Choice
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Sam Hayden: Presence/Absence
Mieko Kanno (electric violin) & Sam Hayden (computer)
Trio La Berge, ensemble mosaik, Elision, Enno Poppe, Eugene Ughetti
Full of striking ideas, often complex, though some are beguilingly simple. A couple of gestures lose their lustre through over-use, but this is an intriguing sound-world. —
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Charlotte Bray: At The Speed Of Stillness
Lucy Schaufer (mezzo-soprano), Alexandra Wood (violin), Claire Booth (soprano), Andrew Matthews-Owen (piano), Huw Watkins (piano)
Aldeburgh World Orchestra & Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Sir Mark Elder & Oliver Knussen
These six works by a new British composer (b1982) attest a sharp ear and a vigorous imagination...Inspired by the image of hidden dynamism Bray finds in Sizewell power station and its radial... —
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Dai Fujikura: Secret Forest
Kate Romano (clarinet), Adrian Bradbury (cello)
Art Respirant, Lucerne Festival Percussion Group, Okeanos, Ken Takaseki, Michel Cerutti
All the performances do Fujikura proud in their unbridled commitment and attentiveness to the smallest nuance. David Toop provides an illuminating overview of his often unlikely evolution...Natalie... —
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Larry Goves: Just Stuff People Do
Oliver Coates (cello) & Sarah Nicolls (piano)
London Sinfonietta, Martyn Brabbins & André de Ridder
[Things that are...] is an eventful and gripping work, consummately well realised by Sarah Nicolls...the present release bolsters Goves's standing on the new music scene - and in no small measure. —
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Kate Whitley: I am I say
Sarah-Jane Lewis (soprano), Ashley Riches (bass), Shiry Rashkovsky (viola), Rolf Hind (piano), Eloisa Fleur-Thorn (violin), Kate Whitley (piano), Asher Zaccardelli (viola)
The Multi-Story Orchestra, Choirs from Kender, Lyndhurst and John Donne Primary Schools, Peckham, Christopher Stark
NMC's invaluable Debut Discs series provides a snapshot of a fresh and individual creative voice, sometimes still finding itself, often speaking clear and true —
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David Fennessy: Panopticon
Hebrides Ensemble, Psappha, Ensemble Modern, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Johannes Kalitzke
