Divine Art Records

Composer: John Turner

  • Highways and Byways: Rarities for Recorder

    Highways and Byways: Rarities for Recorder

    2024 American Record Guide Critic’s Choice

    Highways and Byways: A Double Album of Rarities for Recorder

    A seminal contribution to the canon of recorder music, this recording assumes a pivotal role, enriching the repertoire and captivating audiences with its distinct allure and technical prowess. Serving as a valuable resource for connoisseurs of recorder music and an inviting introduction for novices, Highways and Byways features a diverse array of compositions. Through its discerning curation and expert execution, this recording not only commemorates the recorder’s storied legacy but also fosters an appreciation for its enduring elegance and adaptability.

    John Turner presents recorder pieces by renowned composers such as Lennox Berkeley, John McCabe, and Thomas Pitfield. Discover rare gems by Igor Stravinsky and Alexander Gretchaninov, alongside a remarkable composition for recorder and two violas by the distinguished American composer William Bergsma.

    As a special treat, the album includes two previously unknown pieces by the late Christopher Ball, along with two compositions by John Turner himself, including a homage to Ukraine. It’s a veritable feast of rare and captivating music!

    Renowned as one of today’s leading recorder players, John Turner’s illustrious career spans performances with esteemed ensembles like David Munrow’s Early Music Consort of London and recordings with prestigious orchestras worldwide. With over 600 premieres to his credit, including works by Leonard Bernstein and Peter Sculthorpe, Turner’s artistry has left an indelible mark on the contemporary recorder repertoire.

    Featuring performances by John Turner (recorder), Stephen Bettaney (piano), Laura Robinson (recorder), Catherine Yates (viola), and Alex Mitchell (viola), “Highways and Byways” is a testament to the dedication of these exceptional musicians.

  • The Whistling Book

    The Whistling Book

    This album derives from a 1998 release from Forsyth Brothers (Manchester) featuring works published in their Recorder Catalogue. It was then called ‘John and Peter’s Whistling Book’. For this new version, remastered in 2022, several extra tracks have been added. The album features the recorder at its most scintillatingly bright – most of the music here, though very recent, is melodic, tuneful, often in dance form, and witty – for example Alan Bullard’s suite inspired by favorite foods from around the world. Two small forays into modernism are provided by superb pieces by Richard Whalley and Kevin Malone.

    John Turner is one of the world’s most respected and skilful recorderists, with a long history of recordings, publications and premieres, including regular appearances with the Academy of Ancient Music, the Early Music Consort with David Munrow, English Chamber Orchestra and Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.
    Peter Lawson has also enjoyed a long and illustrious career; he taught at Chetham’s School of Music for almost 40 years and has a large and impressive discography to his name.

  • John Turner – Christmas Card Carols

    John Turner – Christmas Card Carols

    For over twenty years, Britain’s foremost recorder player, John Turner, has composed a carol and sent the score as his Christmas Card. Until now just a personal gift to his friends, John was persuaded to record a selection, which has led to this beautiful album.

    Presented by the chamber choir Intimate Voices and featuring sopranos Sasha Johnson Manning, Eleanor Gregory and Philippa Hyde in solo and duet pieces, with obbligato harp and oboe in some, this is a lovely mixed program of Nativity carols, composed very much in traditional style, in new settings of ancient texts.

    John Turner is a fine composer but is chiefly known as a recorder player and champion of contemporary composers, with dozens of recordings to his credit, many from Divine Art and Métier.