Divine Art Records

Period: Romantic

  • France Revisited, Vol. 2

    France Revisited, Vol. 2

    On 17 April 2026, Divine Art is delighted to present France Revisited, Vol. 2, the second volume of French music for piano four hands from Piano Á Deux, the husband and wife team of Robert and Linda Stoodley.

    France Revisited, Vol.2 includes Gabriel Fauré’s Dolly Suite, George Onslow’s Sonata No.2 in F Minor, Op 22, and the Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 by Franz Liszt, arranged for four hands by Franz Bendel with new cadenzas by Piano Á Deux – this is the premiere recording.

    Fauré’s Dolly Suite is a charming set of six duets for four hands, written for the daughter of Emma Bardac, who eventually married Debussy. The Suite was often re-visited by FaurĂ©, and in 1906 was arranged for orchestra by Henri Rabaud. The piano duets were first premeired by Alfred Cortot and Édouard Risler in 1898.

    Born in France but of English descent, George Onslow’s music found approval from elites like Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn, being crowned the “French Beethoven” by his publisher and other contemporaries, although later falling out of favour. During their research into less well-known composers, Piano Á Deux discovered Onslow’s duet sonatas in a dusty library drawer. The Opus 7 Duo Sonata was recorded for the first volume of France Revisited and the Sonata No.2 in F Minor, Opus 22 is heard in this second volume. Given many performances by Chopin and Liszt, it is conceived on a grand scale, symphonic in structure and reflects the Beethovenian aspects of Onslow’s style.

    Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 is probably one of the best-known solo pieces in the piano repertoire, from a composer who stands like a colossus in the pianist world, crossing geographical boundaries. Piano Á Deux have taken Bendel’s arrangement for four hands, adapted it and written their own cadenzas, returning the piece to its virtuosic persona.

    An adventurous piano duo with a wide repertoire which includes major classical works and their original arrangements from the world of opera, film and musical theatre, Piano À Deux have performed in countries like Singapore, Italy, Germany and Finland to standing ovations. Meanwhile their concerts on cruise ships have won them a large following of seasoned concertgoers as well as new audiences who are delighted by their unique themed programs, exquisite music-making and charisma blended with humour.

    “Novel programming presented with charm, humour and drama, combined with their original arrangements has won them many fans worldwide. Surprisingly, Robert & Linda met online, not through music. They married in 2008 and “Piano À Deux” was formed in 2010. Piano Á Deux have been hailed as being worthy of taking on the mantle of longtime Divine Art recording artists Goldstone and Clemmow, a duo whose career was aborted by the untimely death of Anthony Goldstone. Their playing in ‘France Revisited‘ Vol 1 was praised as “piano four hands 
at its very best..”

  • Liszt: AnnĂ©es de PĂšlerinage

    Liszt: Années de PÚlerinage

    On 24 April 2026, Divine Art is proud to present the complete Années de pÚlerinage Suites for solo piano by Franz Liszt, performed by the exciting Taiwanese-American pianist Brian Hsu. Released as a 3-CD set, this monumental cycle traces a physical and emotional journey by the composer through the magnificent alpine landscapes of Switzerland, the art and literature of Italy, and the journeys within. The album was recorded and engineered in Dolby AtmosŸ spatial audio by GRAMMYŸ-nominated producer Sergei Kvitko.

    Brian Hsu explains how the inception of the album came during COVID: “These pieces became a way for me to travel through music—to wander the mountains of Switzerland, drift along the canals of Venice, and encounter the art and architecture of Italy through Liszt’s imagination. In a moment defined by isolation, this repertoire offered connection, motion, and emotional release.”

    Hsu’s performances trace these connections, bringing forth the vivid imagery, energy, youthful exploration, and outward discovery in Books I (Suisse) and II (Italie). His performances then underline how Book III unfolds as a spiritual pilgrimage—an inward journey shaped by reflection and acceptance.

    Brian Hsu was drawn from an early age to the imagination, virtuosity, emotional range, and expressive power of Liszt’s music, and he took on the recording of this work as a “personal challenge”. Recordings of the complete Suites have been achieved in full by fewer than two dozen pianists. Hsu presents Liszt not only as the virtuoso whose technical brilliance reshaped the piano literature, but as a poet, philosopher, and artist whose musical language evolved alongside his professional and personal life. Liszt is deeply associated with dazzling virtuosity and showmanship, but this represents only one facet of a composer whose artistic voice grew increasingly reflective, restrained, and forward-looking over time. Hsu’s interpretation of AnnĂ©es de pĂšlerinage presents the comprehensive view that each Book offers a distinct emotional world, and that together, they form a narrative that mirrors the stages of a life well-lived.

    Since his concerto debut at the age of 16 with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Brian Hsu has gone on to establish himself as a pianist of electrifying energy and highly communicative performances. Critics have praised his playing in superlatives, noting his “breadth of expression and technical ability.”

    Mr. Hsu has performed throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa, appearing as concerto soloist with such ensembles as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Taiwan National Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, Haddonfield Symphony, Sendai Philharmonic, University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, and music festivals. His performances have been broadcast nationally on WQXR radio in New York and All Classical Radio in Portland. In addition to competition successes, Mr. Hsu has been the recipient of numerous awards during his studies at The Juilliard School, Yale University, and the University of Michigan. An avid chamber musician, collaborator, and educator, Mr. Hsu continuously performs with distinguished artists worldwide and has given masterclasses at various colleges and universities throughout the United States and Asia. He is currently an associate professor of piano at the University of Oregon.

  • Liszt Piano Transcriptions

    Liszt Piano Transcriptions

    In February 2026 Divine Art presents an album of well-loved piano transcriptions by Franz Liszt of songs and arias by Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, Franz Schubert and Charles Gounod, from Lithuanian pianist Indrė Petrauskaitė. These dazzling showpieces for the piano provide fascinating insight into how one composer effectively interprets the work of another.

    Throughout his life and through his work, Franz Liszt shared his deep love for the music of his fellow composers, arranging their works for piano, the main instrument for domestic music-making in the 19th century. He wanted to help people enjoy popular musical works in a private setting when there was less access to orchestras and concerts. Liszt is one of the greatest transcribers of the nineteenth century and perhaps of all time. Nearly half of his output consists of arrangements, from strict transcriptions to freely recomposed paraphrases.

    Pianist Indrė Petrauskaitė’s first music history lesson in Lithuania at the age of seven was about genre and song, during which she heard a recording of Schubert’s ‘Der MĂŒller und der Bach’, featured in Liszt’s transcription on this release, and it was the inspiration behind the programming on the album, recorded in 2007. It was only then that her still newly independent home country of Lithuania had begun acquiring concert grand pianos for their fine concert halls, such as the new Steinway in Klaipėda’s Concert Hall where this recording took place.

    The album opens with Liszt’s transcriptions of two passionate and romantic works: Schumann’s ‘Widmung’ from the song cycle Myrthen and ‘Isoldes Liebestod’ from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, followed by the charming and magical ‘Spinnerlied’ from Wagner’s Der Fliegende HollĂ€nder. Several transcriptions of Schubert’s lied are featured here: the sombre ‘Der DoppelgĂ€nger’ from Schwanengesang and ‘Der MĂŒller under der Bach’ (the inspiration for the album) from Die Schöne MĂŒllerin; the soothing ‘FrĂŒhlingsglaube’ and the delightful and imaginative ‘StĂ€ndchen von Shakespeare’ (Horch, hoch! Die Lerch!); finally a piece (No.6) from Liszt’s own SoirĂ©es de Vienne cycle – arrangements of Schubert’s tremendous 12 Valses Nobles, D.969. The album has a ‘coda’: the ‘Valse’ from Gounod’s opera Faust, the subject of several works by Liszt. This famous virtuoso piano transcription is full of drama and excitement, with ‘diabolic’ sections but also gentle and lyrical, at times even transcendant.

    Indrė Petrauskaitė says “It is delightful to take the example from Liszt himself and continue to ‘practise’ the love for the original music while ‘revisiting’ these famous transcriptions”.

    After graduate and postgraduate studies at the Lithuanian Academy of Music, Indrė entered the Royal Academy of Music where she has completed her Masters degree. She has performed with several orchestras in Lithuania and elsewhere in Europe and given many solo and chamber music recitals. She is now based in London, combining teaching and performing.

  • Expectations

    Expectations

    Divine Art is delighted to present the 16 January 2026 release of Expectations from organist Alexander Ffinch, a musical journey of the seasons featuring original works and arrangements, recorded on the magnificent organ at Cheltenham College. Expectations takes the listener through a journey of the fall, winter feasts and festivals, and highlights the anticipation of opportunities and renewal in the new year. The various colours and choruses of the organ spark the imagination, making a wonderfully visceral listening experience which challenges the expectations of both the organ enthusiast and those new to the world of organ music. In this way, Expectations is a perfect follow-up and partner album to Ffinch’s 2024 release Parallels, which featured original works and arrangements alongside music not usually associated with the organ.

    Ffinch begins our seasonal journey at Halloween with Saint-SaĂ«ns’ spine-chilling Danse Macabre in a transcription by E. H. Lemare. Alexandre Guilmant’s powerful Marche FunĂšbre et Chant SĂ©raphique maintains the dark atmosphere, portraying the arrival of a solemn funeral procession. We then look ahead to the Christmas season in a refreshingly colourful new take on the Advent melody Non Komm der Heiden Heiland by the young composer William Mason, intermixed with the exquisitely crafted Air from Brook Green Suite by Gustav Holst and Derek Bourgeois’ lighthearted Serenade, which provide a different kind of anticipation, both written for upcoming occasions.

    Christmas is in full swing with arrangements of the Overture, Russian Dance (TrĂ©pak), and Dance of the Reedpipes (des Mirlitons) from Tchaikovsky’s festive ballet The Nutcracker, wrapped up together with the dazzlingly inventive Variations sur un NoĂ«l by Marcel DuprĂ©, a towering figure of 20th-century organ music. This brings us finally towards the new year with the captivating Epilogue from Fanny Mendelssohn’s Das Jahr, a stark yet optimistic depiction of the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. Two works by master organist Marcel Lanquetuit complete the album: the centenary of his famous Toccata comes up in 2027, giving the album an ongoing cyclical feel, and we also hear his lesser-known Intermezzo.

    Just as Ffinch offered an organ ‘surprise’ along the lines of Coldplay’s “Paradise” on Parallels, he also extends the question of expectations with David Bowie’s probing song, “Life on Mars?”. The release will also mark the 10th anniversary of David Bowie’s death and reminds us, 55 years after its release, that the journey to find ourselves doesn’t end with New Year’s Resolutions.

    Alexander Ffinch has established himself as a renowned organist with performances spanning the UK, Europe, USA, and Asia. Notable for his role as the College Organist at Cheltenham College since 2004, Alexander oversees daily organ performances in the College Chapel and accompanies choirs while maintaining an active schedule as a recitalist. He has featured previously in the Cheltenham International Music Festival and on BBC Radio 3 live broadcasts. His recordings have also recently featured on Radio 3 programmes. There are forthcoming recitals at Notre Dame and La Madeleine in Paris as well as regular series appearances in Cheltenham and other concerts in both the UK and USA.

  • Frisson

    Frisson

    On 9 January 2026, conductor Shea Lolin presents Frisson, an exciting new album of music for woodwind orchestra and his third recording with the principal woodwind players of the Czech Philharmonic (Gramophone’s Orchestra of the Year 2024). Frisson follows the release of the ground-breaking Twisted Skyscape, the first album devoted entirely to new music for woodwind orchestra, and Chromosphere, which focused on contemporary repertoire.

    Frisson marks Shea Lolin’s 20-year involvement with the woodwind orchestra and celebrates its evolution from the early eighteenth-century genre of Harmoniemusik – formal ensemble music for pairs of winds – to its modern form.

    The album features a superb programme of arrangements for woodwind orchestra by Shea Lolin, all originally commissioned by the Bloomsbury Woodwind Ensemble. He expands Franz Krommer’s exquisite Octet – Partita in F major, Op. 57 and Richard Strauss’s youthful Serenade, Op. 7, creating a broader sonic landscape while maintaining their essence. Also included is CĂ©cile Chaminade’s beloved Concertino, Op. 107, arranged for woodwind orchestra and featuring young Glaswegian flautist Fiona Sweeney, who makes her debut with the Czech Philharmonic on this release. Completing the album is More Gordian Knots by Guy Woolfenden OBE, a spirited reimagining of Purcell’s music for The Gordian Knot Unty’d, written during Woolfenden’s remarkable 40-year association with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

    “Through the collection of works on this album, I hope to demonstrate the rich potential and unique character of the modern woodwind orchestra, highlighting its distinct identity in the world of ensemble music
The album’s title Frisson refers to my feelings towards this recording and the milestone it represents. It also reflects the amazing playing from the Czech Philharmonic Wind Ensemble.” – Shea Lolin

    “Splendidly mellifluous performances by the Czech Philharmonic Wind Ensemble conducted by Shea Lolin
 Lolin and the players
 show off their virtuosity, flawless intonation, and ensemble. Recommended.” – Guy Rickards, Gramophone review of Chromosphere.

    Shea Lolin has been involved in nearly every aspect of the classical music industry, including performance, conducting, and management. Over the past two decades, his notable achievements include contributing to the regeneration of east London ahead of the 2012 Olympics and collaborating with prominent Czech orchestras, including the Czech Philharmonic. His work in Czechia was acknowledged by the Czech Centre in London in 2024, the same year the Czech Philharmonic was awarded Orchestra of the Year by Gramophone. In 2025, he was elected the Chair of BASBWE (British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles). shealolin.co.uk

  • Robert Schumann: Fantasies – Vinyl Edition

    Robert Schumann: Fantasies – Vinyl Edition

    Burkard Schliessmann interview in Pianist Magazine.

    Listen to Burkard Schliessmann’s interview on WQED “Voice of the Arts”

    Divine Art proudly presents the first vinyl edition of Fantasies, Burkard Schliessmann’s wonderful interpretation of the solo piano works of Robert Schumann. Now issued as a gold triple-LP, this deluxe package follows the album’s acclaimed release on SACD and Dolby Atmos digital, which drew widespread praise for both its sonic fidelity and interpretative depth.

    Recorded at Berlin’s renowned Teldex Studios with producer Julian Schwenkner and engineer Jupp Wegner, the album uses a 14-microphone setup to capture the full breadth of Schliessmann’s artistry – revealing the intricate emotional architecture and expression of Schumann’s writing.

    Schliessmann draws out the music’s structural sophistication, making bold connections to Wagner’s Tristan, while interpreting with spacious, poetic lyricism. The result is a revelatory journey through Schumann’s psyche – one that Schumann Journal described as “completely new, surprising and unexpected
 a MUST!” (Irmgard Knechtges-Obrecht), while the American Record Guide hailed the album’s “perfect” sound as “one of the most beautiful-sounding recordings I’ve heard recently” (Rob Haskins).

    Pressed on triple heavyweight gold vinyl, this edition delivers analogue warmth and detail that will reward the most discerning listener. A vital collector’s release, Fantasies continues Burkard Schliessmann’s legacy of uncompromising interpretations and outstanding recorded sound.

  • Palimpsest

    Palimpsest

    Australian pianist Rob Hao makes a striking debut with an album that explores how music from different times and styles can interact and inspire new ideas. At the heart of the recording is the premiere of Palimpsest 571, Hao’s original work completing Franz Schubert’s unfinished Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor, D. 571. Rather than trying to imitate Schubert’s style exactly, Hao embraces the gap between past and present, creating a continuation that respects the mood and mystery of the original fragment while adding a fresh, modern voice.

    The album also features a set of piano etudes by British composer Alison Kay, whose minimalist and atmospheric pieces invite listeners to experience sound and silence in new ways. Alongside these contemporary works are carefully chosen pieces by Chopin, Schubert, Schubert-Liszt, and Michael Finnissy’s challenging English country-tunes.

    Chopin’s final nocturnes showcase his gift for blending long, flowing melodies with delicate harmonies, revealing the emotional depth he reached late in life. Schubert’s impromptu and Liszt’s piano transcription of Der MĂŒller und der Bach bring vocal storytelling to the piano, highlighting the instrument’s expressive power.

    Finnissy’s English country-tunes is a powerful and intense piece that explores English folk traditions with virtuosic energy, moving between moments of lyricism and dramatic intensity. This mix of works demonstrates how composers and performers continue to build on musical traditions, layering new ideas over old, and keeping classical music vibrant and alive.

    This album offers a rich listening experience that invites reflection on how music evolves —shaped by both history and the creative present.

  • Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes

    Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes

    Chopin’s 21 Nocturnes, often described as ‘songs of the night’, are among the most well-known and beautiful of Chopin’s short solo piano works.

    Divine Art is thrilled to present pianist Tom Hicks’ insightful new recording of these works which synthesizes his research into Chopin’s performance and composition practices with modern listeners’ expectations via a ‘stunning technical agility’ (American Record Guide). Dr Kim Sauberlich’s excellent liner notes delve deeper into this often-forgotten performance, teaching, and historical recording practice and, together with the 21 pieces on this album, pose fascinating questions about authenticity and interpretation.

    Chopin’s practice of sending manuscripts to publishers in multiple countries, while continuing to edit, led to multiple, authentic first editions which are not often heard in performance today, and even less in recordings. In this recording, Tom has tastefully incorporated some of these variants, alongside historically informed choices about tempo rubato and pedaling, to create a version of the Nocturnes that feels fresh, individual, and truly authentic. He has even included minor and occasional improvisations, paying homage to the composer’s multifaceted creative process, in which improvisation was central.

    Tom Hicks has said “All of this led me to see Chopin as a highly creative and spontaneous musician for whom the score is one representation of the work and for whom the score is only the starting point of an interpretation, not the end.”

    The album was recorded at night and the engineers have captured an intimacy of sound. The recording process relied upon minimal editing and longer ‘live’ takes to recreate the intimate feel of the salon where these pieces were most often heard.

    Guernsey-born pianist Tom Hicks has an expansive repertoire and has been praised for his “brilliantly evocative”(International Piano) and “gorgeously creative playing” (Fanfare). He has won many awards and competitions and has appeared at the Wigmore Hall in London, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and many other venues throughout Europe and the United States. This new album follows his March 2022 albums centered around the Liszt and Ireland Piano Sonatas and Camden Reeves’ ‘Blue Sounds’.

  • A Cello Galaxy of British Women Composers

    A Cello Galaxy of British Women Composers

    In A Cello Galaxy of British Women Composers, Catherine Wilmers brings to light an extraordinary collection of works by British women presenting us with twelve premiere recordings. Drawing on diligent research, Wilmers unearths strikingly original compositions presenting us with premiere recordings by Amy Elsie Horrocks, Ethel Barns, Elizabeth Poston, Joan Trimble, Dora Bright, Susan Spain Dunk, and Sarah Rodgers, whose Mountain Airs was written for the cellist. Some of these works lay forgotten in the archives of the Royal Academy of Music, their potential stifled by societal limitations rather than artistic merit.

    The album is more than a rediscovery—it is a testament to the resilience and artistry of these composers. The satisfyingly detailed liner notes reveal the challenges they faced, often in their own words or through the prejudices of their time. As late as the 1920s, the critic Cecil Gray echoed Dr Johnson’s notorious remark: “A woman’s composing is like a dog walking on its hind legs; it is not done well but you are surprised to see it done at all.” Such dismissals only fuel the need to champion these voices today.

    Wilmers’ deep connection to this repertoire is evident in every performance, matched sensitively by accompanying pianist, Jill Morton. A former cellist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Catherine Wilmers has long questioned why so few works by women have entered the standard repertoire. This album is part of her answer—a luminous and long-overdue celebration of their music, appealing to listeners attuned to the intellectual and emotional possibilities of modern chamber music.

  • 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 MĂŒllerin 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.

  • Burkard Schliessmann: Live & Encores

    Burkard Schliessmann: Live & Encores

    As well as exceptional performances, this recording offers phenomenal sound. The recording was made on 3-5 April 2023 at the Fazioli Concert Hall in Sacile, Italy in 5-channel Dolby Atmos high-definition audio and is being produced as a hybrid multichannel SACD presented as a beautiful 2 CD boxed set and 60 page booklet.**

    The instrument used is a Fazioli F278 which Schliessmann has purchased. The recording was made ‘live’ in front of a specially invited audience and thanks to the amazing support of the Fazioli family will also be presented in concert in Venice in the near future.

    German pianist Burkard Schliessmann has been receiving glowing accolades everywhere for his concert performances and recordings, for his virtuosity and also for his individual and highly-considered interpretation of the great music from the late Baroque and Romantic eras particularly.

    Following five previous albums all of which have been exceptionally well received, ‘Live and Encores’ offers the opportunity to present different interpretations in single take recordings of a wide range of repertoire. The double Album displays a variety of stylistic elements from Bach to Mendelssohn (whose early Romantic work was highly influenced by Bach) through the High Romanticism of Schumann to Chopin, whose single waltz here represents the pinnacle of Romantic pianism.

  • Chopin: Ballades & Nocturnes

    Chopin: Ballades & Nocturnes

    Following the success of Jonathan Phillips’ debut release, Bach: Tranquillity, Divine Art brings you his carefully curated selection of Chopin’s finest ballades and nocturnes. This selection naturally follows Phillips’ debut as Chopin himself was known to be strongly influenced by Bach.

    Recorded to replicate a “live” performance, Jonathan recorded two takes, deliberately avoiding all the usual editing, in an effort to communicate his love of these pieces as intimately as possible.

    A graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, Jonathan’s Concerto experience is considerable, with over 100 performances including concertos by Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Chopin and Schumann. Jonathan worked with Tamás Vásáry who recommended him to take part in the 1990 Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow. Since then, Jonathan has broadcast for the BBC, Russian and Italian and Swedish TV and radio, and given recitals all over the UK, Europe and former Soviet Union. Jonathan was interviewed by John Humphries and played live on Radio Four’s Today programme following a full-page feature article in the Guardian Arts Section about the preparation and performance of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto he gave in London in 2003.

    Bach: Tranquillity, Jonathan’s debut album from Divine Art was released in May 2023 receiving much praise and described by Classic FM’s Katie Breathwick as “a little drop of heaven”.