Divine Art Records

Period: Modern Light

  • Found in Dreams

    Found in Dreams

    Helen Habershon is both an accomplished performer and an inspired composer of music which often evokes nature, or human emotions and sensibilities this is music which is ‘easy listening’ and in the light music tradition, and is unpretentious, but never facile: it has deep meaning. 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 most recent 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.

    For Found in Dreams Helen Habershon and John Lenehan offer a wonderfully diverse collection of repertoire. This includes beautiful arrangements of some of their favourite pieces; a couple of short movements of outstanding clarinet repertoire by Brahms and Finzi and some delightful new compositions of their own. As well as his beautifully crafted arrangements John has also written two lovely pieces to add to Helen’s. The cover design is a dream image from Helen’s five year old grandson.

    Throughout history mankind has been intrigued by the idea of dreams and Helen is no exception. As she says: “It’s interesting that all happenings begin as an idea and in order to get an idea one has to be in a receptive place. When creating I find myself in a kind of timeless space, rather like a daydream. I love the freedom of dreams, anything can happen. There are no boundaries and we are free to explore with no limits. The theme of ‘dreams’ came quite naturally and many of the pieces in the album reflect this.”

  • Syncopated Musings

    Syncopated Musings

    Rags, Concert Waltzes and Novelties for the Pianoforte by Scott Joplin and his Collaborators.

    Since the rediscovery of Scott Joplin’s ragtime genius in the 1970s his music has been an important part of the popular/light classical repertoire. Yet though he called himself with some justification “The King of Ragtime Writers” he was not a brilliant pianist; he was actually a trained violinist and cornet player and was lead singer of the Texas Medley Quartette. This wide experience helped to make his piano rags full of interest. All the same, most recordings concentrate on the most familiar works and ignore the many other superb pieces in Joplin’s substantial output. This new album from New York pianist Marilyn Nonken (Professor of Music at New York University’s Steinhardt School) includes some well-known works and some rarities. Rags, concert waltzes and other novelty pieces show brilliance and a well-honed craft.

    Joplin is perhaps the best known of the ragtime piano circle, but he was part of a community of composers. many of whom had short and tragic lives of poverty and ill health. While composing few works that have survived, the four represented here all collaborated with Joplin as joint composers: Louis Chauvin (1882-1908); Scott Hayden (1882-1915), Arthur Marshall (1881-1968) and the odd man out, the white composer Joseph Lamb (1887-1960) of whose work Joplin said ‘That sounds like a good colored rag!’

  • Porgy, Preludes & Paris – Gershwin arrangements for piano duo

    Porgy, Preludes & Paris – Gershwin arrangements for piano duo

    Husband and wife team Robert and Linda Ang Stoodley are an adventurous duo with a very wide range of repertoire from the pops to major classical works which they present to appreciative audiences all around the world, spending much time as recitalists on cruise ships. They are also accomplished arrangers, as demonstrated by the brilliant transcriptions on their recordings.

    Following their well received Divine Art debut album ‘France Revisited’ they present superb new arrangements of George Gershwin works from the serious (Porgy & Bess) to tin pan alley songs, often interwined and merged. Purists may frown but such arrangements, sampling and “medleying” were well known to Gershwin himself.

    This album is not only performed with great virtuosity, it is immensely entertaining too. See Piano-a-Deux performing on YouTube

    “The Stoodleys are fine, often exuberant, pianists well tuned to each other’s phrasing and occasional subtleties.” – Michael Ullman (Fanfare)

  • Henderson: New York, Sing Me!

    Henderson: New York, Sing Me!

    This beautiful ballad is from the album ‘From the Old World to the New World’ from composer Philip Henderson. It tells in music the story of a young man leaving the rural landsape of Kent, England, in the 1930s and traveling to America by working as a galley boy on a merchant ship. In this song, the spirit of New York calls out to him.

    The full album: From the Old World to the New World (DDA 25141)

  • From the Old World to the New World

    From the Old World to the New World

    From the pen of celebrated Theater composer Philip Henderson comes a concept album based on the true story of his father’s journey in the 1930s from rural Kent to New York. Expressed in music that follows the story, from pastoral string ensemble, to the excitement and bustle of an Atlantic cargo vessel, to the buzz of Broadway where our hero, represented by a cor anglais, plays against the now-synthezised strings of the city.

  • Five-Fifteen

    Five-Fifteen

    A Tribute to the BBC Dance Orchestra

    In 1930s Britain, the biggest “pop star” was Henry Hall, leader of the BBC Dance Orchestra, whose daily broadcasts were heard by millions. Now tunes he made famous are introduced in brand new recordings by Mart Sander and the Swing Swindlers! This is a great way to hear the fine soft swing in super sound and fine performances.