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Electronic press kit available for reviewers from Ulysses Arts.
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Ulysses Arts releases Paul Henley's Piano Works album on 22 September 2023, performed by Duncan Honeybourne, with several works pre-released digitally on Apple Music during the summer. 
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 Duncan Honeybourne
Duncan Honeybourne comments: 'Paul Henley told me that he feels the piano is more 'orchestral' than any other solo instrument. His intention is to highlight its “very diverse expressive potential, ranging from beautiful lyricism to considerable rhythmic vitality”. As Henley explains: “although it has considerable lyrical potential, the piano is actually a percussive instrument”. The latter is particularly significant to him.'
All three sonatas are shot through with an attractive blend of the percussive and the lyrical: No. 3 is the most extended and ambitious scale, and with a correspondingly extended expressive range. The Suite was composed in 2002 to celebrate the eighth birthday of the composer’s son; its five movements convey an engaging directness and simplicity in character and design. Framed by two cheerful Fanfares, there is a bouncy Scherzo, a warm hearted Nocturne and a dramatic Chorale. As with all Henley’s music, it is effective but never loaded with complexity for its own sake. Sometimes touching, sometimes punchy, and often surprising, it is constructed skilfully with a distinctive ear for rhythmic zest and harmonic colour, allied to a natural gift for melodic charm.
ALBUM DETAILS
Piano Sonata No. 1 (2005): 13’02 i. Moderato ma maestoso - Allegro molto: 5’00 ii. Adagio: 4’42 iii. Allegro moderato :3’20 Sonata No. 2 (2016): 7’17 Allegro vigoroso - Meno mosso - Allegro moderato - Come prima - Maestoso - Moderato calmo - Allegro vigoroso Sonata No. 3 (2020): 20’42 i. ‘Processional’ - Solenne: 4’54 ii. ‘Moto perpetuo’ – Allegro molto e sempre tempo giusto: 2'05 iii. ‘Departure’ – Adagio: 6’10 iv. ‘Danza’ – Allegretto deciso: 7’33 Five Epigrams for Piano (2019): 9’23 i. Molto moderato ii. Allegretto iii. Andantino iv. Allegro v. Molto moderato Suite for Piano (2002): 5’27 Adagietto (2020): 3’12 Epigram No. 1 in Apple Music playlists: New in Classical and Pure Piano:
Men and Angels - new album from The Ramsey Singers releasing with Ulysses Arts on 26 May 20238/2/2023 
Click above to download from iTunes with digital booklet or stream on Apple Music
The first two decades of the 21st Century witnessed an exciting new wave of compositions - many from women - which have rejuvenated the great choral music tradition with a huge range of individual styles. The Ramsey Singers have performed many of these album pieces on their visits to English cathedrals during the past 20 years, as well as commissioning significant additions to the repertoire. This album brings together some of the best works from this new tradition, mostly recorded for the first time, including music by Philip Stopford, Kerena Briggs, James Lavino, Lucy Walker, Alec Roth, Ben Ponniah, Jeremy Woodside, Sarah MacDonald and Jonathan Rathbone.
The Ramsey Singers
Founded in 1987, The Ramsey Singers have performed in many of England’s most famous cathedrals and churches including Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Singers come from all over England and meet twice a year. Directed by Mark Fenton, the choir has undertaken tours to Belgium, The Netherlands and France and has recorded albums of works by Henry Purcell and Pelham Humfrey (Priory) and Arnold Bax & Percy Whitlock (ASV). The Ramsey Singers have championed the works of contemporary composers and the choir celebrated its 30th anniversary by commissioning a piece by James Lavino.  Mark Fenton
Born in London in 1965, Mark Fenton won a Scholarship in History at Cambridge University. He sang with the choir of St. Catharine’s College under the direction of Peter le Huray and Owen Rees with whom he took part in recordings of choral works by George Dyson, Herbert Howells and Benjamin Britten. After graduating with First Class Honours, he joined the choir of Chelmsford Cathedral where he participated in numerous BBC broadcasts, recordings and tours. As founder and Director of The Ramsey Singers, Mark has conducted at Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral in London and at Sacre Coeur in Paris. After a distinguished career in education - including fifteen years as Headmaster of Dr Challoner’s Grammar School - he returned to working in music, taking up a post as a Bass Lay Clerk at Worcester Cathedral where he has sung in BBC broadcasts and in the Three Choirs Festival.
'Innovative and totally unexpected chords, harmony and daring chord progressions (chord connections) with dissonances (such as minor seconds), which cut excitingly through the melody. All this creates musical tension and excitement, resulting in pieces that, with a link to the Renaissance, show a fresh & new metier. Conductor Mark Fenton keeps a close eye on the choral sound and creates the perfect harmony vocals with love and dedication.'
Mattie Poels, Music Frames, August 2023 www.musicframes.nl/2023/08/men-angels-van-the-ramsey-singers/#more-69985
Electronic press kit available from Ulysses Arts 
Pre-order on iTunes or stream pre-add tracks on Apple Music
Ulysses Arts releases the première recording of Phillip Cooke's Four Marian Antiphons on 31 March 2023, performed by the Caritas Chamber Choir directed by Benedict Preece. Four Marion Anthems 1. Ave Regina Caelorum 2. Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae 3. Alma Redemptoris Mater (pre-release on 24 February) 4. Regina Cœli (pre-release on 17 March) 
Phillip Cooke
Released in partnership with Platoon. 
Download on iTunes or stream on Apple Music: click above
 Fr. Ivan Moody
Fr. Ivan Moody was born in London in 1964. He studied music and theology at the Universities of London, Joensuu and York (where he took his doctorate). He studied composition with Brian Dennis, Sir John Tavener and William Brooks.
He has worked with soloists and ensembles of world renown, such as the Hilliard Ensemble, Singer Pur, Trio Mediaeval, the Tallis Scholars, the English Chamber Choir, Cappella Romana, New York Polyphony, the Regensburger Domspatz, Singcircle, Lumen Valo, Tapestry, Cappella Nova, Ars Nova Copenhagen, the Taverner Consort, Fretwork, the Raschèr Quartet, Raphael Wallfisch, Suzie Leblanc, Artur Pizarro and Paul Barnes. Over the years he has written a series of substantial choral and choral-instrumental works, including Passion and Resurrection (1992), Revelation (1995), Akathistos Hymn (1998), The Dormition of the Virgin (2003), Passione Popolare (2005), Ossetian Requiem (2005), Moons and Suns (2008), Stabat Mater (2008), Qohelet (2013) and Stephans-Weihnacht (2019). Instrumental music includes a series of concertante works for viola, cello, recorder, double bass, piano, harp, tuba, bass clarinet and marimba, and many works for chamber ensembles (notably the piano quartet Nocturne of Light, from 2009) and solo instruments. Ivan Moody is also a conductor and musicologist; his book Modernism and Orthodox Spirituality in Contemporary Music was published in 2014. He is a Researcher at CESEM—Universidade Nova, Lisbon, and a priest of the Orthodox Church. 
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American violinist and viola player Davis Brooks records all the parts in the music on album Lines from Poetry, released by US label Ablaze Records on 10 March 2023, featuring composers Filipe Leitão (Brazil), Richard Einhorn, Ronald Caltabiano, Frank Felice (USA), Balee Pongklad (Thailand/USA).
 Davis Brooks
'It become commonplace for many artists to produce a “covid project,” - this is mine. The Pandemic gave me the opportunity to collaborate personally with five composers in recording their music, resulting in a wide assortment of musical styles.
Two works, String Samba and Two by Four, were projects enabling me to explore performing and recording all the parts, enabling me to control every interpretive and technical variable. String Samba originally was intended to be performed by a traditional string quartet, but Filipe and I were intrigued by the possibility of a three violin and viola format. In addition to the original scored notation, I recorded additional ponticello and pizzicato effects and the piece was reinvented anew. The recording of Two by Four, like String Samba, became a late-night home studio project. Having been part of the première of Two by Four in 2004, I simply wanted to record a version where I played all of the parts, and to see where my own interpretation might go.' (Davis Brooks) 
Stream on Apple Music or download in iTunes - click above
Tota pulchra es is a 1,600 year old Roman Catholic prayer, meaning 'You are completely beautiful', referring to the Virgin Mary. It glorifies her immaculate conception, and takes its text from the Bible's Book of Judith and Song of Songs.
It has inspired great composers for centuries, from Guillaume du Fay and Heinrich Isaac in the late Middle Ages, through Schumann, Bruckner, Pablo Casals, Duruflé and Gorczycki to contemporaries such as Sir James MacMillan and Ola Gjeilo: Neil Wright's new settting revels in the opportunity for musical beauty and spiritual yearning. Tota pulchra es is Wright's debut commission and recording with Caritas Chamber Choir. Studying the Royal Northern College of Music, as an organist, composer and improviser, he has performed throughout the UK (including Cadogan Hall; Westminster Central Hall) and in Germany (Dresden Cathedral, Stuttgart-Schondorf Orgelnacht, Friedenskirche Potsdam, Maria Laach Abbey), USA (Carmel Valley California), Italy (Tagliacozzo Festival, Cremona Cathedral), Finland (Åland Orgel Festival) and France (Vannes Cathedral, Eglise de La Trinité Paris).
Caritas Chamber Choir, based in Canterbury, UK, is one of the world's leading commissioners of contemporary choral music, performing frequently around the UK and Europe, directed by Benedict Preece, a Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar.
Streaming and download links:
Released in partnership with Platoon.
Download on iTunes with digital booklet or stream on Apple Music
Pioneering US contemporary music label Ablaze Records releases the tenth album of its innovative Orchestral Masters series worldwide on 17 March 2023. Performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Mikel Toms, it features music by composers from the USA (Edward Smaldone, Jeffrey Holmes, Jason Phillips),Cem Güven (Turkey/UK), Fang Ke and Zou Hao (China/USA) and Hojin Lee (South Korea/USA).
More pre-order and streaming links will be added here. 
John Kelley's When You are Old is an atmospheric setting of W.B. Yeats’ famous poem: its retrospective nature is a perfect work to precede the New Year, performed by the Caritas Chamber Choir conducted by Benedict Preece.
American composer John Kelley studied at Yale University and is a lay clerk at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. His setting of When You are Old won the 1997 National Award for Schirmer’s Young American Choral Competition; it is performed annually by Redhot & Blue, Yale University’s world-renowned mixed a capella ensemble.
Caritas Chamber Choir
Links to listen or download on digital service providers will be posted here on 30 December.
Neoteric Ensemble - a sextet of leading London brass and saxophone players, releases its debut album, Neoteric Volume 1, on 3 November 2023, with music by Rob Buckland, Toby Street, Misha Mullov-Abado, Charlotte Harding, Andy Panayi, Dan Jenkins and Mark Nightingale. Neoteric will be performing live in London at their album launch concert at The Pheasantry, King's Road, Chelsea, on Wednesday 8 November, 8pm.
Click above to download with digital booklet on iTunes or stream on Apple Music
1-3. Soundscapes ROB BUCKLAND 1. i. Mojito 2. ii. Fjord 3. iii. Bosh 4. The Effra Parade MISHA MULLOV-ABBADO 5-8. Pandemic Suite ANDY PANAYI 5. i. Huanan Market 6. ii. The Traveller is Named 7. iii. The Traveller Goes Forth 8. iv. Lockdown Release 9. Neo CHARLOTTE HARDING 10. Karatina Market TOBY STREET 13. Bach in Barbados DAN JENKINS 12. Arriba MARK NIGHTINGALE
Martin Chiltern, London Jazz News, 16 October 2023
Video of the Day, JazzWise, 23 October 2023 'Neoteric Ensemble’s fusion of jazz and classical music definitely works and the standard of both the writing and the playing is exceptional throughout. ... This is one of the most successful and convincing projects of its kind.' Ian Mann, The Jazzman, 3 November 2023 'The album offers modern compositions and first class playing in a highly distinctive soundscape. The brass and woodwind combinations are always innovative and they neatly fuse the contemporary classical with African and Latin jazz elements.' Neil Duggan, All About Jazz, 12 November 2023 'A feast for the ears. Astonishing accuracy is interspersed with tight timing, crystal-clear playing and virtuosity.' Mattie Poels, MusicFrames, 23 November 2023 'An important piece of modern music-making, Neoteric Ensemble Volume 1 is seriously enjoyable and capable of being enjoyed by the serious. It also sounds like they loved making it. In common with the best projects in contemporary culture, it speaks to the personal, artistic and wider societal benefits of curiosity, open-mindedness and engagement.' David Shiers, London Jazz News, 25 November 2023
LISTEN TO NEOTERIC ENSEMBLE, VOLUME 1 ON SPOTIFY, APPLE MUSIC, AMAZON MUSIC, DEEZER, QOBUZ OR YOUTUBE
Electronic press kit available for review use: contact Ulysses Arts. For UK press and invitations to Neoteric's album launch concert at The Pheasantry, King's Road, London SW3 on Wednesday 8 November, contact Emma Perry at ECN Music. Listen to Neoteric Ensemble Volume 1 on BBC Radio 3 Record Review (starting at 57') 
Click above to download from iTunes with booklet or stream on Apple Music
 The Tailleferre Ensemble
The Tailleferre Ensemble, founded in 2019 by Nicola Hands and Penelope Smith, is a UK-based chamber collective whose principal aim is to promote women in music. The group is a flexible chamber ensemble of varying line-up who perform works of diverse instrumentation and genre, from works by established composers to those that are lesser-known and contemporary. As a group they have been praised for their fine performances and ‘extensive palette of timbres’, and they work to redress the balance of works performed by men and women composers in classical music.
The Ensemble has performed across the country since its inception, ranging from prestigious venues and chamber music festivals to local chamber series, and have also collaborated with other groups. In 2021 they were grateful to receive funding from the Ambache Charitable Trust to make recordings of works by Cecilia McDowall and Rhian Samuel. In 2022 they were invited to perform the rarely-played Mass in D by Ethel Smyth. Since then, they received further invitations to collaborate on similar performances. This album is the group’s first recording, exemplifying their work, featuring music from various historical periods and for different ensemble sizes. Of particular note is the première recording of Sonate Champêtre by the group’s namesake, Germaine Tailleferre: they are pleased to share this work recorded for the first time, alongside the première of Little Duos by Rhian Samuel, dedicated to the group’s founders Nicola Hands and Penelope Smith. Most of the album comprises works by living composers, but lesser-known pieces from further back, by Röntgen and Hoffmann, also feature. There are Things to be Said byIngrid Stölzel inspired the album’s title, evoking concepts of loneliness and struggle but also reflects the hopefulness, determination and creativity of this new chamber collective.
'An exemplary debut with There are Things to be Said. ... Many things recommend the collection, from superb musicianship to an inspired and varied set-list.'
Textura, March 2023 'The Tailleferre Ensemble excels in subtlety... Their performances contain all musical pastel shades, which together form one lovely colored palette. This is partly due to the various instrumentations that provide transparency and clarity, but certainly also due to the excellent interplay, the beautiful and well-groomed intonation and the lively appearance. ... The Ensemble switches style and instrumentation with ease and gives each composition the warm intention that it deserves.' Mattie Poels, Music Frames, 15 March 2023 ALBUM DETAILS Germaine Tailleferre, Sonate Champêtre (première recording) I. Allegro moderato II. Andantino III. Allegro vivace: Gaiement Ingrid Stölzel, There Are Things to be Said (2009) Bill Douglas, Three Lyrical Pieces I. Wings of the Wind II. The Hills of Glencar III. Autumn Song Jenni Brandon, Metamorphosis * I. Vulnerable II. Evolving III. Transformation IV. Rebirth V. Transfiguration VI. Breaking through the mold VII. Regeneration VIII. Emerging IX. “The Metamorphosis excites in the beholder an emotion of joy…” * First performance and recording by Dr Lindabeth Binkley (oboe) with Dane Philipsen (oboe) and Mary Jo Cox (piano) on Dr. Binkley’s album FROM EARTH AND SKY: MUSIC OF JENNI BRANDON on Blue Griffin Record label in 2020. Rhian Samuel (première recording), Little Duos for oboe and cor anglais I. Morning Glow II. Whispers III. Sentries Cecilia McDowall, Century Dances: Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon I. Allemande II. Menuet – ghost dance III. Mazurka IV. Tango V. Last Dance Melchior Hoffmann, Trio Sonata in G minor I. Adagio II. Allegro III. Adagio IV. Vivace Julius Röntgen, Trio for Flute, Oboe and Bassoon in G Major, Op. 86 I. Allegretto con Spirito II. Poco andante, quasi una fantasia III. Allegretto The Tailleferre Ensemble Emma Halnan and Nicola Crowe, flute Nicola Hands and Penelope Smith, oboe / cor anglais Jennifer Dunsmore and Helen Pierce, clarinet Amy Thompson, bassoon Lana Bode, piano
Electronic press kit available for reviewers.
Philip Sawyers (b. 1951) Kenneth Woods, conductor NI 6436 Double Concerto for Violin and Cello 1. I. Allegro moderato 2. II. Andante 3. III. Allegro vivo Daniel Rowland, violin • Maja Bogdanović, cello English Symphony Orchestra • Zoë Beyers, leader 4. Remembrance for Strings English String Orchestra • Emily Davis, guest leader Concerto for Viola and Orchestra 5. I. Allegro 6. II. Andante 7. III. Allegro moderato Daniel Rowland, viola English Symphony Orchestra • Zoë Beyers, leader 8. Octet English Symphony Orchestra soloists
'In 2009 I was commissioned to write a cello concerto by the Sydenham International Music Festival for one of their rising stars, Maja Bogdanović. Since her musical and personal connection with the amazing violinist Daniel Rowland, it had been in my mind to write them a double concerto. Overshadowed by the famous Brahms Double Concerto, this was a somewhat daunting task. It is a piece which reflects ideas of journeys which develop initial ideas as the music unfolds and unlike previous concertos, there is no first movement cadenza. In 2020-21, a friend and colleague asked me if I would write a piece to mark the loss of his mother. He also wanted it, in some way, to be for both of his late parents. He told me how fond of my tone poem the Valley of Vision she was, so I ‘hid’ a few quotations from that piece in the new one. He also requested something akin in mood to Elgar's Elegy for Strings. The resulting composition, I hope, meets all these wishes.
The viola concerto was written in 2020. The idea came after attending recording sessions and performances of a double concerto for violin, viola and string orchestra by my fellow composer and friend David Matthews. The lovely playing of the viola part by Sarah-Jane Bradley set off some ideas for a viola concerto of my own. In 2007 the mixed chamber music ensemble ‘Liquid Architecture’ commissioned me to write them an octet for their appearance at the Chelsea Schubert Festival. The Schubert Octet was on their programme so the instrumentation was pre-determined: clarinet, horn, bassoon, two violins, viola, cello and double bass. The piece is in one continuous movement in four sections: Adagio, Allegro, Andante and Allegro.' (Philip Sawyers) This is the sixth title available in the Philip Sawyers series available on Nimbus Alliance. 
Electronic press kit available for review use. 
Click above to download on iTunes with digital booklet or stream on Apple Music
Jonathan Dove: In Exile
Lyrita SRCD.413 Sir Simon Keenlyside, baritone Raphael Wallfisch, cello City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Gergely Madaras, conductor Jonathan Dove, piano * World Première Recordings In Exile 1. - Cello alone I 2. Daybreak again 3. The first arrow the bow of exile will shoot 4. See, cold Island, we stand 5. I left that land wretched Listen to me 6. - Cello alone II 7. If I were an ear of corn 8. - Cello alone III 9. Unclean 10. Where have the horses gone? 11. My grief on the sea 12. Night Song, for cello and piano * The idea of writing a cello concerto for Raphael Wallfisch was first mooted more than ten years ago at the Banff Arts Centre, Canada, where Jonathan Dove was composer-in-residence. The two men spoke of Dove’s interest in writing a piece for cello and orchestra, and after further meetings in London, the work began to take shape. Given the composer’s extensive experience of writing for the voice, it was decided that the score would be written for baritone singer and solo cello with orchestra with texts taken from poems by various writers. The subject matter was suggested by the Wallfisch family history. Raphael’s father fled, together with his mother and brother, to Palestine from Breslau in 1937, and his mother, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, is a concentration camp survivor. She has written of the persecution of her Jewish family during the Second World War and her own incarceration in Auschwitz and Belsen, where her skill as a cellist saved her life. Knowing of these events, Jonathan Dove was inspired to base the work’s theme on the universal experience of refugees being exiled from their homeland. In Exile was premièred at the George Enescu Festival on 3 September 2022, followed by a performance in Bucharest on 5 September. Scored for baritone, 'cello and orchestra, Jonathan Dove writes of the piece: ‘In Exile moves through a day in the life of an involuntary exile: waking alone in a foreign land; remembering the moment of banishment, the moment of departure, the voyage; remembering the homeland. The Exile feels the pain of being so far away in his country’s time of need, unable to help his own people. He remembers all the names he has been called in this strange land. He thinks of all he has lost, and longs for home. The spine of Alasdair Middleton’s libretto is from a 10th Century manuscript, The Wayfarer, by an anonymous old English author. Voices from across the ages flesh out a composite portrait: a single line of Shakespeare recurs among lyrical verses by Dante, Emily Lawless, Kahlil Gibran, Kaveh Bassiri and Douglas Hyde. The theme of exile was suggested by the history of the Wallfisch family, and is dedicated to Raphael’s mother, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who has told her story in her book Inherit the Truth 1939-1945: The Documented Experiences of a Survivor of Auschwitz and Belsen. In Exile fuses elements of operatic scena and concerto, the two soloists expressing complementary aspects of the same character. In Raphael Wallfisch’s words: ‘the cello represents the soul and spirit of the Exile, the baritone is that person and sings the dramatic and often challenging texts. Jonathan’s lyrical style lends itself so naturally to the cello. He exploits every register from the lowest to the highest notes. The cello comments on the sung texts'. (Paul Conway) Night Song, a short piece for cello and piano is derived from the final section of In Exile. In the calm closing moments of the work the baritone sings of his loss in the words of the poet Douglas Hyde : My grief on the sea, / How the waves of it roll - / For they heave between me / And the love of my soul. Night Song was written partly at the request of the Rachel Baker Memorial Charity – who commissioned the orchestral work – and partly in response to the strong reaction of the first audiences who connected with this uncomplicated musical expression.
'This remarkable work for solo baritone, solo cello and orchestra ... dark, complex and profound'.
Planet Hugill, 21 March 2023
'An arresting, important work. ... Both music and performance can be recommended without reservation.' John Quinn, MusicWeb International, 29 March 2023
Ulysses Arts releases Canterbury-based Caritas Chamber Choir's first Christmas album, directed by Benedict Preece, on 25 November 2022. Christmas with Caritas features traditional carols in new arrangements with première recordings of contemporary works by Phillip Cooke, Sarah Cattley, Graham Patterson, Anthony Esland, Eric Choate, Stewart Duncan and Simon Beattie. Click to download on iTunes or stream on Apple Music 
Download on iTunes or stream on Apple Music: click above
Christmas with Caritas is preceeded by two singles from the album:
Phillip Cooke, I Sing of a Maiden - 28 October Sarah Cattley, What Child is this? - 11 November
Album Details Tradition (arr. Benedict Preece), O Little Town of Bethlehem Lyricist: Phillips Brooks Sarah Cattley, What Child is this? Lyricist: William Chatterton Dix Graham Patterson, Sweet was the Song Lyricist: Anonymous/Graham Patterson Traditional (arr. Benedict Preece), Ding Dong Merrily on High Lyricist: George Ratcliffe Woodward Sarah Cattley, The Robin Carol Lyricist: Sarah Cattley/Traditional Phillip Cooke, I Sing of a Maiden Soloists: Christina Bosanko, Christina Astin, Peter Ellis, Graham Titus Lyricist: Anonymous Phillip Cooke, Susanni Soloists: Catherine Futcher, Bob McKay Lyricist: Traditional Franz Gruber (arr. Phillip Cooke), Silent Night Lyricist: Joseph Mohr, John F. Young Sarah Cattley/Michael Praetorius, A Spotless Rose Soloist: Peter Ellis Lyricist: Traditional, Catherine Winkworth Graham Patterson, Balulalow Lyricist: Wedderburn brothers Anthony Esland, The Bee Carol Lyricist: Carol Ann Duffy Traditional (arr. Eric Choate), Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella Lyricist: Anonymous Stewart Duncan, There is no Rose Lyricist: Anonymous Lewis Redner (arr. David Conte), O Little Town of Bethlehem Soloist: Sally-Anne Hanson Lyricist: Phillips Brooks Simon Beattie, Advent Calendar Lyricist: Rowan Williams Alex Heffes re-releases his album Face to Face (PLAT14823) on 7 October 2022, re-mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos, and with new material, including for the first time on many digital sites: click here to discover more.
Face To Face is an album by Alex Heffes featuring collaborations with Matthew Barley, Tunde Jegede, Kawesa, Yasmin Levy, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Regina Spektor. Each track was improvised from scratch on the day of recording and features Alex on keyboards with one guest. Sessions were recorded in a series of spectacular locations including the giant ‘Turbine Hall’ of the Tate Gallery in London at night time (Matthew Barley), an empty glass roofed warehouse in the Bronx (Regina Spektor), Abbey Road’s legendary Studio 2 (Tunde Jegede) and on a hilltop overlooking Uganda’s capital city Kampala (Kawesa).
Alex comments: 'For years people asked me many variations of one particular question: “Where does your inspiration as a composer come from?” This inspired me to make a record - one that was entirely improvised - nothing prepared in advance. I chose six inspiring collaborators to record in six inspiring locations. My task: to commit to whatever happened in that space on that day, and make a piece of music. Face To Face is my answer to this question." Why now? The 2022 mix celebrates ten years since the original release. The album has been fully re-mixed and mastered in stereo and Dolby Atmos to immerse the listener even more vividly into the atmosphere of the original sessions. The bonus track ‘Helios Rising’ has been newly included on the 2022 mix from the Abbey Road / Tunde Jegede sessions. Face To Face was recorded and mixed by Grammy winning engineer and producer Peter Henderson and was captured on photo and film by photographer Rama Knight. Alex Heffes on Apple Music Classical playlists
More streaming links for the album and for pre-release singles will be posted here.
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