Divine Art Records

Genre: Chamber Music

  • 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.

  • Gods, Ghosts and Monsters

    Gods, Ghosts and Monsters

    This debut album, from Germany based ensemble Conceptus, features music for tenor and ensemble by Butterworth, Warlock, Holst and Bridge, in addition to Timothy Collins’ Sea Song. Collins has composed and arranged extensively for the ensemble.

    Sea Song – Timothy Collins
    Originally composed in 2018 and set to the poignant poetry of Katherine Mansfield, this evocative piece delves into themes of ageing, sorrow, and loss. Conceptus has brought Collins’ musical narrative to life with an accompanying 10-minute music film available on Apple Music and Youtube.

    Six Songs from a Shropshire Lad – George Butterworth
    Delving into themes of nostalgia and the tragedy of lost youth, this collection, originally composed in 1911, captures the essence of Alfred Edward Housman’s timeless poetry. Collins’ arrangements embellish the poignant resonance of Butterworth’s work, forever etched in the annals of English song.

    The Curlew – Peter Warlock
    Peter Warlock’s masterwork, “The Curlew,” meticulously arranged for Conceptus by Timothy Collins. Woven from the poetry of William Butler Yeats, this haunting composition, originally scored for string quartet, cor anglais, and flute, delves into macabre imagery and desolate landscapes.

    Hymns from the Rig Veda Opus 24 – Gustav Holst
    “Hymns from the Rig Veda,” is transfigured by Conceptus with these arrangements from Timothy Collins. Drawing inspiration from ancient Sanskrit texts dating back to 1500 BCE, Holst’s solo vocal triumph offers a reverent exploration of Hindu philosophical thought. Experience the profound resonance of Holst’s sacred compositions as Conceptus breathes new life into these timeless hymns.

    Three Songs by Frank Bridge
    From the reflective tones of “Come To Me In My Dreams” to the mythological allure of “Love Went A-Riding,” Conceptus navigates the emotional depths of Bridge’s compositions with grace and finesse.

    Conceptus is an international, multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary ensemble with membership drawn from Germany, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland and Australia. Formed in 2021, the ensemble is dedicated to bringing new life to great works of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and beyond, with a particular emphasis on Late Romantic British vocal music and song cycles.

    Conceptus has also commissioned works by award-winning German composer, organist and conductor Christoph Ritter, whose Requiem is set for a world premiere and recording in 2024. Conceptus Artistic Director, Scott Robert Shaw, released his acclaimed debut “The English Tenor” on Divine Art in 2023

  • John Boyden: A Celebration

    John Boyden: A Celebration

    By kind permission, dedicated to H.M. The Queen, Patron of the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra.

    This album to be released in March celebrates the life and career of John Boyden, a pivotal figure in British music circles, not least for his founding of Classics for Pleasure, and later Enigma Records. Two key recordings from the original catalogues are presented for appraisal anew, together with a brand new recording of the ‘Trout’ Quintet, commissioned specially for this release and recorded at the Henry Wood Hall, London,  on 10 and 11 July, 2023. Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata is played by John Lill courtesy of Universal /Decca (successors to the Enigma catalogue), and Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin by Ian and Jennifer Partridge is licensed from Warner Music as current owners of the former EMI/Classics for Pleasure list.

    Schubert: Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667 (“The Trout”) from this album is available as a digital ‘EP’ in high definition download here.

  • Songs for Our Times

    Songs for Our Times

    In these two premiere recordings Kingdoms and Metropolis, the stories will be familiar to many with their universal subjects, including the need for wisdom within the halls of power; transcendent love; an immigrant’s homesickness; the search for inner peace; all flow through the album evoking the spirit of our day and age. Despite our current turmoil, the overall tone of the album is a hopeful one, making it a welcome balm during our turbulent times.

    Nigerian-American lyricist Chinwe D. John strongly feels that in order to keep classical music thriving and to bring in a new audience, the work of present day composers needs to be supported. Commissioning contemporary day composers, to set music to lyrics directly reflective of our current times, is one way of accomplishing this. It was John who went in search of composers who would share her vision and passion for creating works which could be appreciated and enjoyed, works which would connect an audience and perhaps even take on a cultural significance.

    It is the combined vision of John’s settings and the subsequent compositions by Bernard Hughes and Stuart MacRae which is so effectively brought to life in this recording by the musicians. Tenor Nick Pritchard, soprano Isabelle Haile and pianist Christopher Glynn give wonderful, intimate performances which further connect the listener to the stories presented in Chinwe D. John’s lyrics.

    The production of Songs for Our Times is a testament to collaboration and cooperation, practically reflecting the intent of the artists’ work.

  • Elysían: Music by Jonathan Östlund

    Elysían: Music by Jonathan Östlund

    Step into the magical world of Jonathan Östlund with his latest album, Elysían, a stunning collection of impressionist compositions that will transport you to a fantastical, enchanted otherworld. This double album is a feat of collaboration, featuring hand-picked musicians from all around Europe, who come together to bring Östlund’s imaginative and accessible style to life.

    From chamber orchestral works to instrumental and vocal pieces, Elysían is a journey through the liminal states of the subconscious and the supernatural. Östlund’s music acts as a bridge between our world and a magical realm, where fairies and elementals reign supreme. In one case, the fairy even has a name – Titania, for soprano, flute, viola and piano. Östlund’s music has been championed by some of Europe’s best musicians, and it’s easy to see why. His trademark imaginative style delivers copious atmosphere, creating a listening experience that is both seductive and enchanting. Elysían whispers in our ears, inviting us on a voyage through the dominion of dreams, where we fly on the back of Östlund’s music into the realm of the subconscious.

    This album is a testament to Östlund’s talent as a composer and his ability to create music that transcends boundaries and takes us on a journey of the imagination. Fans of impressionist compositions and those who love to be transported to otherworldly realms will find much to love in Elysían.

  • Rachmaninov: Suites for Two Pianos & Music for Piano Trio

    Rachmaninov: Suites for Two Pianos & Music for Piano Trio

    A new album of chamber works by Sergei Rachmaninov. This outstanding recording was made at two venues in Poland: the Łódź Academy of Music, and the Czestochowa Philharmony. The principal performer is pianist Barbara Karaśkiewicz who has made several highly praised recordings for Divine Art (and before that the esteemed Polish label Acte Preable). She performs two piano duos with her musical partner Michał Rot. The chamber works are played by the Huberman Piano Trio whose Divine Art recording of 20th Century Chamber music was also acclaimed by critics.

    Both the performances and the perfectly engineered recording offer a sumptuous program of Rachmaninov that will delight listeners.

    The Huberman Trio was formed at the initiative of Barbara Karaśkiewicz, named in honour of the great Polish artist Bronislav Huberman, famed for his performances and transcriptions of works by Chopin and others.

  • Fritze: Spanish Meditations and Dances

    Fritze: Spanish Meditations and Dances

    “Spanish Meditations and Dances” is a set of 17 pieces for violin and piano composed and arranged by American composer Gregory Fritze, specially for violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved. The set includes both expressive meditations and exciting technical dances, inspired by the towns and regions of Spain. Gregory Fritze is a prize-winning composer and Fulbright Scholar, with a long history of successful performances and composition awards.

    The performance of “Spanish Meditations and Dances” features Peter Sheppard Skærved on violin and Roderick Chadwick on piano. Both musicians are critically acclaimed and have extensive concert and recording careers. The compositions showcase the violinist in both expressive and exciting technical playing and titles of the movements are from the many towns and regions of Spain that have been a great inspiration in the composer’s music over the years.

    Each movement is a stand-out piece, showcasing the exceptional talent of both the composer, Gregory Fritze, and the performers, Peter Sheppard Skærved and Roderick Chadwick. The emotive and technically masterful violin playing paired with the dynamic piano accompaniment make for a truly captivating listening experience. The album is destined to be an airplay classic.

  • Robin Stevens: Chasing Shadows

    Robin Stevens: Chasing Shadows

    Robin Stevens manages to blend the often dominating clarinet with subtle warmth and colour with the strings, giving the Clarinet Quintet a distinctive character of its own.

    An important strand in Stevens’ compositional output since 2007 has been writing music for relatively neglected instruments such as the tuba, the piccolo and the bassoon, and this strand was strengthened in the autumn of 2015 when he wrote a collection of six pieces for double bass and piano, to which Chasing Shadows and Obsession belong.

    The Fantasy Trio (2009) is a relatively rare instance of a substantial chamber work combining the classical guitar with mainstream orchestral instruments. The Romantic Fantasy for flute (doubling piccolo), B flat clarinet, string quartet and harp (2010), is written for the same forces as Ravel’s ground-breaking Introduction and Allegro. The Romantic Fantasy is an ambitious work in one movement, an unbroken span of twenty three minutes’ music.

  • Prokofiev: Cinderella & Romeo and Juliet Ballet Suites

    Prokofiev: Cinderella & Romeo and Juliet Ballet Suites

    Of the major works of Sergei Prokofiev, none (apart perhaps from Peter and the Wolf) have become so well loved by a wide audience as the ballets Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet. From the stage productions, to the orchestral suites, to the piano versions, many of these pieces are universally recognised.

    In the 1950s, four pieces from each ballet were arranged for clarinet and piano by Bronislav Prorvich, a clarinettist with the Bolshoi Theatre. Strangely, so far as we know, these sparkling arrangements have never previously been recorded. Ian Scott and his producer Malcolm McMillan have added a further 12 movements from the ballets, many of which strongly featured the clarinet in the original orchestral version. This has resulted in a lovely collection of pieces that are at once very familiar but also heard in a completely new light.

    SUPPORTED BY THE OLEG PROKOFIEV TRUST

  • 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.

  • The fabulous Sir John: A tribute to Sir John Manduell

    The fabulous Sir John: A tribute to Sir John Manduell

    Sir John Manduell (1928-2017) was a pivotal figure in British music – as composer, BBC producer, first principal of the Royal Northern College of Music and founder of the European Opera Centre. Beloved and revered by musicians, yet someone whose name is shamefully little known outside the music and broadcasting professions.

    This album is a sequel to ‘Songs for Sir John’ (DDA 25210) which in tribute to Sir John presented works by 16 composers from more than one generation. On this new album we present music by Sir John himself, and by William Alwyn, Michael Berkeley, Adam Gorb and Richard Stoker, all well crafted works which will give great enjoyment as well as perhaps inspiring musicians to add them to their repertoire.

    Even without the Manduell connection this is a wonderfully constructed program of new chamber and vocal music. The performers, like Sir John, are based in and around Manchester, England, which is a dynamic ‘hotspot’ for fine musical creativity.

  • Finzi and Brahms: Music for clarinet and piano

    Finzi and Brahms: Music for clarinet and piano

    Helen Habershon is both an accomplished performer and also an inspired composer of music which often evokes nature, or human emotions and sensibilities. Her first two CDs have been highly praised and were Album of the Month and Album of the Week on Classic FM (UK) respectively. Her album ‘Found in Winter’, released in 2019, has been aired by Classic FM ever since. Helen had an established performing career until a serious injury led her to turn to composing, but she is now once again able to perform.

    Here she teams up with the successful pianist and arranger John Lenehan, who has appeared on over 70 recordings including several solo albums for Sony. It follows their March 2022 release ‘Found in Dreams’ – a collection of romantic lighter pieces, where Helen and John offer a wonderfully diverse collection of repertoire. This includes beautiful arrangements of some of their favourite pieces; a couple of short movements from the Brahms and Finzi works played in full on the new album, and some delightful new compositions of their own.

    As grand master of the high Romantic era, Brahms and his first Clarinet Sonata need no introduction. Here, that work is partnered by two songs and two of his Intermezzi, all arranged by John Lenehan for clarinet and piano. As counterpoint we have the Five Bagatelles by Gerald Finzi, a composer in the English post-Romantic pastoral tradition (with Vaughan Williams, Delius etc). Written in 1940 they are simply enchanting, delightful pieces – perhaps not in the modernist fashion of the day but which will prove enduring despite the composer calling them ‘only trifles’.