Divine Art Records

Period: Romantic

  • Brahms, Beethoven & Wood – Clarinet Trios

    Brahms, Beethoven & Wood – Clarinet Trios

    The Trio made its debut in Madrid in 1994, and its first, acclaimed appearance at the Wigmore Hall in 1997. The Trio has appeared on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and has recorded the music for several BBC TV documentaries. John Bradbury is principal clarinet of the BBC Philharmonic and his identical twin Adrian appears with the London Sinfonietta and other highly regarded chamber groups. Emily Segal made her concerto debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The work by Hugh Wood was commissioned by the Trio for the Cheltenham International Music Festival and this is its first recording.

    Trio Gemelli are: John Bradbury (clarinet) – Adrian Bradbury (cello) – Emily Segal (piano)

  • Fifty Years of Music Making

    Fifty Years of Music Making

    This is a special album.It was produced as a limited edition product to celebrate 50 years in performing by Peter Katin, one of the great names of British pianism and includes recordings personally chosen by Katin to typify the composers and works which with he became most closely associated.

  • Brahms & Hindemith Clarinet Sonatas

    Brahms & Hindemith Clarinet Sonatas

    Bradbury and Roberts were two of the most respected British instrumentalists of the modern age (Roberts has now passed on). They renewed their working relationship, following previous collaborations, in this very fine performance of three great German works.

    Recorded at St. George’s, Brandon Hill , Bristol.

  • Sullivan: Haddon Hall

    Sullivan: Haddon Hall

    ONLY COMPLETE RECORDING

    Sir Arthur Sullivan wrote his light opera Haddon Hall when he was at the height of his considerable creative powers. Despite his intention to turn away from writing “lighter” works so that he could concentrate on more serious fare, Sullivan’s love of the good-life forced his return to the rather more lucrative stage of the Savoy Theatre, and the world of comic opera. Sydney Grundy presented him with a libretto based on an actual historical incident, namely the elopement of Dorothy Vernon, with her lover John Manners, from Haddon Hall, her ancestral home. The opera was completed and presented at the Savoy Theatre on 24th September 1892.

    The reception to Sullivan’s music (though not the libretto!) was ecstatic. Bernard Shaw thought Haddon Hall to be the very best of the Savoy Operas, and for a while the piece beat even The Mikado in box office receipts. We hope that, after hearing this new recording, you will agree that Haddon Hall is an unjustly neglected work of great charm, fully worthy of Britain’s most famous composer of the 19th century, Sir Arthur Sullivan.

    Above notes extracted from Booklet notes © 2000 Alan Borthwick

  • Busoni Preludes & Bliss Piano Sonata

    Busoni Preludes & Bliss Piano Sonata

    This CD fulfils a long held ambition of Trevor Barnard who, following his pioneering recording of the Bliss Concerto in 1962, vowed someday to complete the double by recording the superb Sonata. Coupled with the amazing Preludes, these works deserve to be much better known. In early 2000 we re-issued that 1962 recording of the Concerto which Trevor made with the Philharmonia under Sir Malcolm Sargent (DDV 24106).

  • The Scottish Romantics

    The Scottish Romantics

    Most of the piano works of McCunn (whose operas are being rediscovered), McEwen, and Mackenzie, who is acknowledged to be one of Elgar’s main influences, are on this disc, all for the first time. Pieces ranging in mood from Chopin to Debussy via Liszt, and all with an unmistakeable Scottish lilt. Voted one of the best CDs of 1996 by “Scotland’s Music”

  • A Celebration of Cellos

    A Celebration of Cellos

    This was probably the first CD anywhere totally devoted to original works for three or four cellos, wonderful music which has been shamefully neglected. Cello Spice is a group of Scotland’s finest cellists, namely Alison Lawrence, Gillian Copp, John Davidson and Mark Bailey.