Violinist Sif Margrét Tulinius and pianist Richard Simm's album of Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata and Franck, Violin Sonata, is released by Ulysses Arts on 28 November 2025 (UA250090).

'On a new path'...

The two Sonatas on this ­ album were ­ written more than 80 years apart and are two of the greatest ­ contributions to the sonata repertoire for violin and piano. Soon before writing his great Kreutzer Sonata, Beethoven confided in his close associate and student Carl Czerny: 'I am not satisfied with the work I have done so far. From now on, I intend to ­ embark on a new path.' The Kreutzer's artistic legacy includes Tolstoy's short story of the same name, which itself inspired Janáċek impassioned First String Quartet.

Franck's Violin Sonata is both a tribute to Beethoven but also itself a masterpiece applying the cyclic form inspired by Franz Liszt's great Piano Sonata, to create a new type of chamber music in which thematic transformation is integrated and explored like never before.

Follow Sif Margrét Tulinius and Richard Simm on Spotify:

Electronic press kit for reviewers and radio producers available from Ulysses Arts.

Denis Delair is known today as a theorist and the author of the Traité d’Acompagnement pour le Theorbe, et le Clavessin, first published in 1690. Despite mention of his instrumental compositions in the 1724 edition of his treatise, Delair’s compositions have - until now - fallen into obscurity.

In looking through the catalogue of the Düben Collection, a Swedish musical manuscript collection started in the 1640s, members of The Levée came across seven ‘Sonates à Violino seul’ by a ‘Mr De L’air’. When we began studying these sonatas, we were captivated by Delair’s unique style of composition: the rich harmonies, his rhetorical, vocal writing for instruments, the heavy chromaticism and surprising modulations.

These sonatas are an excellent counterpart to Delair’s theoretical writing: they are the perfect vehicle for the application of ideas from the treatise, and they feature examples of the harmonies
that Delair mentions in his chapter on ‘Acompagnemens [sic] extraordinaires’.

DELAIR’S SONATAS IN SWEDEN

While no other copies of Delair’s Sonatas have yet been found, their appearance in the Düben Collection suggests that the works circulated amongst musicians.

The Sonatas were copied by the Swedish church musician Carl Hintz. Hintz held positions in churches in Sweden and Latvia, but there is no evidence that he travelled to France. In the 17th century, the Swedish court had a taste for French aesthetics, and many artists were sent to Paris for educational purposes. Hintz was employed as a copyist under the Hofkapellmeister Anders von Düben to copy parts from French stage works by composers like Lully for performances of a French troupe of actors and musicians resident in Stockholm from 1699 to 1706. It is possible that these French musicians brought Delair’s sonatas to Sweden, and that Hintz was tasked with making a copy. Hintz died in either 1710 or 1711, so Delair’s sonatas must have been written and circulated before this date.

'Unearthed elegance'. Read more on Continuo Connect.

Delair: The Violin Sonatas, on France Musique

The Levée is an early music ensemble formed to bring forgotten music back to life and to explore new stories of music history. They want to interrogate why some music had a continuous performing tradition, and why other music remained untouched. They find that relatively unknown music presents exciting challenges to modern historical performance practice and understanding of music history.

The Ensemble reflects the interests of its constituent members in its focus on the ‘unwritten’ aspects of music which bring it to life: historically informed ornamentation, improvisation, and basso continuo realisation. Works like these Delair’s Sonatas on their debut album break down preconceptions about what we now categorise as Italian, French or German national styles,  and are of particular interest to the group.

The Levée takes its name from a painting and engraving of the same title in William Hogarth’s series A Rake’s Progress (1732-35). The eight painting series depicts the machinations of a spendthrift, hedonist son of a wealthy merchant who comes to no good but enjoys himself along the way.

The Levée, the second painting in Hogarth's series, shows the protagonist "Tom Rakeford" indulging in sport and artistic luxuries. Present at Rakeford’s levée (morning ceremony) is a harpsichordist thought to represent Handel or Porpora, alongside a dancing master holding a small violin.

The Levée comprises founding members:
Marguerite Wassermann - Baroque Violin    
Josef Laming – Harpsichord
Niels Pfeffer – Theorbo
Martin Jantzen – Viola da Gamba

Guest artist (Delair album)
Elise Dupont - Baroque Violin

The Levée on CONTINUO CONNECT

Instrumentalists Marguerite Wassermann (violin), Martin Jantzen (viola da gamba) and Josef Laming (harpsichord) studied together in Switerzland at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and benefitted from coaching from professors such as Amandine Beyer, Eva Saladin, Jörg-Andreas Bötticher and Thomas Leiniger. The Levée made this recording in St John's Church, Loughton, in the UK, where they also presented a showcase concert of selections from Delair's Opus, followed by performances of their 'Delair in Context' programme in the UK, Germany and Switzerland.

ALBUM LAUNCH CONCERT: BASEL, SWITZERLAND, 24 APRIL 2025
Zunftsaal Schmiedenhof, Rümelinsplatz 4, 4001 Basel, 7:30pm

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Lyrita Records releases its George Lloyd Violin and Piano Works double album on 1 November 2024, with Tamsin Little, Martin Roscoe, Ruth Rogers and Simon Callaghan (SRCD 424). The album is part of Lyrita's 2024-25 George Lloyd Signature edition.

George Lloyd started to learn the violin at the age of five and he was a pupil of the violinist Albert Sammons for six years. In his youth, Lloyd’s talent as an instrumentalist allowed him to participate in local musical events from formal concerts to more convivial gatherings: a 1930 newspaper report of a ‘social in the Zennor schoolroom’ observed that ‘Mr George Lloyd played the violin and dancing was indulged in’.

Looking back on his formative influences, Lloyd singled out Sammons as having the most lasting effect on his burgeoning creativity, identifying the latter’s ‘instinctive, freely expressive playing’ as having a direct bearing on the kind of music he began to write. In this regard, Lloyd’s description of the sound of Sammons’s playing as ‘gorgeous’, with ‘a lyrical quality’ in which ‘every note seemed to sing’ chimes with the composer’s own essentially lyrical approach to musical lines and phrases.

Despite his facility in playing the violin and the importance he attached to his lessons with Albert Sammons, Lloyd was relatively slow to compose works for his own instrument. It was not until 1970 that Lloyd wrote Violin Concerto No. 1, his first piece with a leading role for his own instrument, but this achievement seemed to stir his enthusiasm and during the next seven years he completed a number of pieces for violin and piano, a fully-fledged sonata and a second concerto. The Seven Extracts from The Serf for violin and piano (1974) were published in 2024, and are here recorded for the first time.
© Paul Conway

Electronic press kit and pre-release listening link available for reviewers and radio producers from Ulysses Arts.

Lyrita Recorded Edition releasesGeorge Lloyd's Violin Concertos and 'Cello Concerto album on 5 July 2024. The Violin Concertos are performed by Cristina Angeleschu and the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by David Parry; the 'Cello Concerto with Anthony Ross and the Albany Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Alan Miller. The Concertos' printed scores (SRMP 0066, 0070 and 0074 and associated sheet music) will be published on 2 August.

'George Lloyd started to learn the violin at the age of five and he was a pupil of the violinist Albert Sammons for six years. Despite his facility in playing the violin and the importance he attached to his lessons with Sammons, Lloyd was slow to compose works for his own instrument. It was not until 1970 that Lloyd wrote Violin Concerto No. 1, his first piece with a leading role for his own instrument, but this achievement seemed to stir his enthusiasm and during the next seven years he completed a number of short pieces for violin and piano, a fully-fledged sonata and a second concerto. Violin Concerto No. 1 was written in 1970 and remained unperformed until the recording featured on this release took place in the summer of 1998. Seven years elapsed before Lloyd wrote a second concerto for the violin. One of Lloyd’s purest, most directly communicative melodies graces the Largo third movement.

The solo instrument’s poetic qualities are to the fore in music of supplicatory spirit. In a couple of ear-catching passages, the soloist’s scrunchy, dissonant chords have the raspy nostalgia of a squeeze box. Lloyd completed his 'Cello Concerto in July 1997, a year before his death at the age of 85 and in this autumnal piece, one can discern a wistful, valedictory quality, with feelings of sorrow and regret surfacing repeatedly. The solo instrument’s inherently lyrical aspect is suited to the composer’s expressive needs, and the one-movement format allows the musical narrative to ebb and flow naturally so that this work has a strong claim to be regarded as Lloyd’s most formally successful concertante piece. A small orchestra is required, consisting of double woodwind, three horns, modest percussion (for one player) and strings.' © Paul Conway
 
'These two works were recorded during the week before George Lloyd died on July 3, 1998. He was supposed to conduct these performances, but David Parry stepped in at the last minute with the wonderful Romanian violinist Cristina Anghelescu and members of the Philharmonia Orchestra to complete the project. The recording was made in Henry Wood Hall. George was even too ill to attend the sessions, but he was making suggestions as to the best placement of the players to achieve just the recorded sound he wanted 48 hours before his death. This beautiful recording is a fine and lasting memorial to this composer whose music brings such passionate joy to so many music lovers all over the world.' Presto Classical

'Those familiar with Lloyd's warm, spacious, big-hearted, sumptuously orchestrated symphonies won't be disappointed with his violin concertos.' American Record Guide

Electronic press kit and pre-release listening links are available for reviewers from Ulysses Arts.

Nimbus Records releases Steve Elcock, Symphony No. 8 and Violin Concerto on Friday 7 June 2024 (NI. 6446), with the English Symphony Orchestra and soloist Zoë Beyers, conducted by Kenneth Woods, as part of their 21st Century Symphony Project.

The 21st Century Symphony Project

The 21st Century Symphony Project (21CSP) is an English Symphony Orchestra initiative conceived by conductor Kenneth Woods. The initial goal was to commission, premiere and record nine new symphonies by nine different composers. The 21CSP has been called 'one of the most important musical initiatives of modern times' by Robert Matthew-Walker, Editor of Musical Opinion, and 'the most important series of commissions and recordings of our times' by musicologist and cultural commentator Peter Davison, former Artistic Consultant at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.

Alongside Steve Elcock’s Symphony No. 8, other works in the 21st Century Symphony Project include David Matthews Symphony No. 9 (NI 6382), Philip Sawyers Symphony No. 3 (NI 6353) and Adrian Williams, Symphony No. 1 (NI 6432).

 Symphony No. 8
'Following the weighty Sixth and Seventh symphonies, I felt the need to write a smaller scale piece before tackling the Ninth, the finale of which was already written and was monumental enough in character to require some substantial movements to precede it. I attempted to produce such a lighter piece by turning to an early string quartet written in 1981 when I was aged 24. I had dismissed it as juvenilia but thought it could perhaps be salvaged by arranging it for string orchestra and filling out the textures… While my first two symphonies still await either performance or recording after a quarter of a century, the Eighth was already on the programme of the Three Choirs Festival before I had even finished reorchestrating it… Symphony no. 8 was commissioned by the English Symphony Orchestra and first performed by them as part of the Three Choirs Festival in Kidderminster on July 28, 2021.'
© Steve Elcock
 
Violin Concerto
'With the first movement, I wanted to achieve a return to the classical momentum that had largely been lost throughout the Romantic era and onward. The energy is unflagging, verging on the desperate, relief being provided only by the two appearances of the expansive second theme; but even this is underpinned by a niggling rhythm in the violas. The second movement provides a welcome contrast. Its opening makes use of change-ringing techniques applied to slowly moving scales in violins and violas, evoking distant bells ringing across a valley.' © Steve Elcock

'Juxtaposing two major works which confirm his standing among the leading European symphonists of his generation ... This latest release warrants the strongest of recommendations.'
Richard Whitehouse, Arcana, 18 May 2024

'One of the UK's foremost composers.'
Geoff Pearce, Classical Music Daily, 26 May 2024

Maureen Buja, Interlude: 27 May 2024

Remy Franck, Pizzicato, 12 June 2024

'The more I discover and experience the music of Steve Elcock, the more I feel the need to recommend it to anyone who happens to read this review. If you enjoy classical music in general, with a preference for symphonic writing, this living composer ticks all the boxes when it comes to harmonic integrity, orchestration colors and textures, emotive power and structural stability.'
Jean Yves Duperron, Classical Music Sentinel, 13 June 2024

'A thoroughly gripping, involving album, urgently recommended.'
Guy Rickards, Gramophone, June 2024

Electronic press kit available for reviewers from Ulysses Arts

'An absolute must-have for anyone deeply invested in powerful and polished 20th century symphonic writing.'
Jean-Yves Dupperon, Classical Music Sentinel, March 2024

'Those of us who have admired Lloyd’s music for many years will welcome the consolidation of his legacy in this way and will hope it stimulates more performances and perpetuates his name even more.'
Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International, 13 March 2024

'Lloyd’s music is direct even when elusive, commanding even when equivocal, and is strongly lyrical – some of his lyricism is simply unforgettable. It is also richly, ripely and colourfully orchestrated.'
Symphonies No.7-12: Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International, 9 April 2024

'Rejoice! A glorious symphonic cycle by a British composer has been issued as a set for the first time.'
Damian Thompson, The Spectator, 13 April 2024

'Richard Whitehouse applauds Lyrita’s advocacy on behalf of George Lloyd.'
Richard Whitehouse, Gramophone, 23 May 2024

SRMP 0031 – The Dying Tree (1992), for large orchestra, 10 minutes
A single movement orchestral sketch, first performed at London's Barbican Centre in 1994 by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra with the composer conducting. The Dying Tree is one of Loyd's few works not yet been recorded.
 
SRMP 0033 – Floating Cloud (1993), for large orchestra, 16 minutes
A single movement orchestral sketch. First performed in 1993 by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra with the composer conducting. Floating Cloud is one of the few works that has not yet been recorded.
 
SRMP 0035 – In Memoriam (1984), for large orchestra, 6 minutes
In Memoriam pays heartfelt tribute to seven young bandsmen murdered by IRA terrorists on 20 July 1982 as they played in their band in Regent’s Park.
 
SRMP 0037 – Le Pont du Gard, for large orchestra, 10 minutes
A single movement orchestral sketch, inspired by the ancient Roman aqueduct that crosses the Gardon River in Vers-Pont du Gard near Remoulins in Southern France, were Lloyd spent a summer holiday.

Ulysses Arts releases Todd Mason's Violin Concerto, with soloist Tosca Opdam, and Chamber Suite, with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra conducted by Péter Illényi, on 29 September 2023.

'The writing for the solo instrument is both expressive and virtuosic.'
Geoff Pearce, Classical Music Daily, 8 Sep 2023

'A superb recording that should be listened to time and again.'
Maureen Buja, Interlude, Sep 2023

'Opdam enchants with tenderness, timing and flexibility.'
Maartje Stokkers , De Volkskrant, 28 Sep 2023

'Un jeu virtuose d’une extrême précision, aux phrasés ciselés, aux respirations idéales ... une découverte musicale des plus enthousiasmantes.' /  'Virtuosity of extreme precision, with well-defined phrasing and ideal vitality ... an exciting musical discovery.'
Jean-Jacques Millo, tr. Lawrence Schulman, Haute Définition No. 210, 30 Sep 2023

Remy Franck, Pizzicato, 2 Oct 2023

'Brought to thrilling realization by soloist Tosca Opdam and the Budapest Scoring Orchestra under Péter Illényi's direction. ... Stellar recording.'
Ron Schepper, Textura, Oct 2023

 'Une large palette de couleurs, de rythmes et d’émotions, jusqu’aux dernières notes. Avec une Tosca Opdam encore une fois irrésistible.... L’auditeur aura eu la chance de découvrir ou redécouvrir deux artistes passionnants : le compositeur Todd Mason et la violoniste Tosca Opdam. Gageons aussi que l’étonnant Concerto pour violon restera dans les mémoires.'
Bruno Chiron, Bla Bla Blog, Nov 2023

'El compositor Todd Mason ha enregistrat, en una excellent gravació al Budapest Scoring Studio per al segell Ulysses Arts, el seu Concert per a violí i Suite de Cambra. ... L’impacte dramàtic és fascinant.'
Josep Bosch, Sonograma, 29 Nov 2023

December 2023:
Todd Mason's Violin Concerto and Chamber Suite album selected as No. 5 in 20 Top Instrumental Classical Music Recordings of 2023 by Textura.

Find out more here about the making of Todd Mason's Violin Concerto, featured in The Strad.

Violininst and composerRuby Colley launches her EP Underheard on 17 February 2023, with live concerts in London and Bury in February and March.

Ruby's work seeks to unravel the connections between nature and music. She draws upon a wide range of music styles including folk, improvisation and contemporary classical. Ruby creates instrumental soundscapes beyond the realm of traditional playing, introducing sounds from nature and electronics. Her latest commission - Edgeland - is an audio-visual work that explores people including Ruby's neurodivergent brother, and places within an 'Edgeland' near her home in West Sussex.

Ruby’s music is eclectic, unique and her performances are charged with emotional power and nuance. Her debut album Murmurations was released in 2010, followed by The Sussex Sessions, an EP with Isobel Anderson in 2014. Her latest album Overheard was released in April 2022, and explores connections between human presence and nature in response to the climate crisis.

Ruby Colley on BBC Radio 3

Night Tracks: 6 March 2023
InTune: 16 March 2023

Electronic press kit for concert and recording reviewers available from Ulysses Arts.

'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)

Listen on YouTube

Electronic press kit available for press use from Ulysses Arts

Nimbus Records releases Dream Catcher: Clarissa Bevilacqua's debut release, with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, on 6 January 2023 (NI.8109)

Augusta Read Thomas, works for violin
Clarissa Bevilacqua, violin
Juggler in Paradise, Concerto No. 3 for violin and orchestra
Nine solo works for violin including Dream Catcher
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Vimbayi Kaziboni, conductor
Augusta Read Thomas and Adrian Farmer:  co-producers

Clarissa Bevilacqua won first prize at the 14th International Mozart Competition of the Mozarteum University Salzburg. The 18-year-old, from Italy, received not only the first prize but also the audience award and the special award for the best interpretation of a piece by Mozart – a copy of Bärenreiter’s New Mozart Edition. Bevilacqua, who has studied with Maria Luisa Ugoni, Daniele Gay, Olga Kaler and David Taylor, performed the composer’s Violin Concerto no.5 KV219 in the final round. Two years ago, aged 16, she became the youngest student ever to receive a Bachelor of Music in Italy.

'Clarissa is also the Grand Prize winner of the Cape Symphony International Online Violin Competition, is not only a wonderful violinist, but also a wonderful person. We received applications from around the world and the quality was extraordinarily high, but her exceptional talent stuck out above the rest. A true violin prodigy, Clarissa would have been an outstanding guest artist for the May 2020 concert. Sadly, the pandemic forced us to cancel the concert, but Clarissa will definitely join us in the future. Enjoy her conversation with me, a glimpse of her award-winning performance, and a special demonstration of her talent. Congratulations to Clarissa!' Jung-Ho Pak, Artistic Director Cape Symphony

Dream Catcher

'Native American tradition attaches special meaning to dreams. One tradition was to hang a 'dream catcher' that would move freely in the night air. According to tradition, good dreams know their destination: they slip through the hole in the center of the web and glide gently down the feather into the subconscious of the dreamer. Bad dreams become entangled and dissipate with the light of the dawn. Although highly notated, precise, carefully structured, soundly proportioned, and while musicians are elegantly working from a nuanced, specific text, I like my music to have the feeling that it is organically being self-propelled - on the spot.  As if we listeners are overhearing a captured improvisation.' Augusta Read Thomas
 
Juggler in Paradise: Concerto No. 3 for Violin and Orchestra

Flowering across a 20-minute arch, the work can be considered a series of poetic outgrowths and variations which are organic and, at every level, concerned with transformations and connections. The violin solo is present for almost the entire sweeping arc, serving as protagonist as well as fulcrum point, around which all musical force-fields rotate, bloom, and proliferate. The Concerto begins with a slow, spacious, elegant solo for violin, accompanied, at first, by delicate sounds in the harps and percussion. With each new phrase the tempos quicken, the intensity climaxes and suddenly we are in a spacious landscape leading to the final minutes of the composition, which are dreamy, as if the soloist were delicately floating while chanting an ardent incantation. Juggler in Paradise, is a poetic image for the way soloist and orchestra relate, a continuous rhapsodic cadenza set against colourful "paradisiacal constellations." It's physical, too: dance is often close by. When the violin starts to speed up, the score suggests playing "as if 'juggling' the notes, rhythms, articulations" and, further on, "like several objects in motion, in the air."  The animated, quicksilver orchestrations, at times pointillist like a Seurat paining, at other times akin to bold brush strokes, full and brassy, are continuously juggling and flexibly rearranging."

'Classical Music as a Constantly Evolving Organism'
Mareen Buja interviews Clarissa Bevilacqua: Interlude, 16 March 2023

'Variety aplenty in this snapshot of a distinguished American composer.'
Peter Quantrill, The Strad, 23 Feb 2023

'In this premiere recording ... the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (conducted by Vimbayi Kaziboni) makes a strong case for further performances. Bevilacqua balances the jerky playfulness of the early movements with the subtlety and space demanded in the final dream-like sequence.'
Claire Jackson, BBC Music Magazine, 21 Feb 2023

'Bevilacqua’s performances in Dream Catcher reveal mature musicianship and an intimate knowledge of the program — a notable slice of contemporary classical music from the U.S. With a warm tone in the low register, her fluent shifting in dynamics adds emotional resonance, and her approach to phrasing flows engagingly between Thomas’ moodiness and sunnier temperaments.'
Esteban Meneses,I Care if You Listen, 6 Jan 2023

Gramophone Magazine Recommended Classical Releases, 6 Jan 2023

Pizzicato, 10 Jan 2023

Planet Hugill Interview with Clarissa Bevilacqua, 14 Jan 2023

Classical New Releases: Classical Music Daily, Jan 2023

Laurie Niles, For The Record, The Violinist, Jan 2023

Electronic press kit available from Ulysses Arts for press use.

CRD Records releases Consolations, reflective music for violin and piano by Handel, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Massenet, Rachmaninov and others, featuring a new transcription of Liszt's Consolations, performed by Maya Magub and Hsin-I Huang, on 3 June 2022. This is Maya Magub's third album with CRD.

The album completes Liszt's six Consolations with new transcriptions by Maya Magub to complement the famous 'Lento Placido' arranged by Nathan Milstein. With extraordinary key and mood contrasts, each piece now sits within the whole, as Liszt intended. Milstein’s transcription, in the middle of the set, is now framed as in Liszt's original, to greater emotional impact. These works move from profound simplicity to virtuosic turbulence and wistful charm.
 
Complementing the set of 'Consolations', Magub and Huang bring together other well-known reflective musical gems to offer consolation of some form. Many of their choices were inspired by audience favourites from performances for UK-based charity Everyone Matters, which funds life-enriching concerts in care homes and hospices. When combined, the emotional weight of these pieces is  even greater. The performers, too, drew great consolation from their programme and the ability to communicate with an audience despite the creative restrictions of pandemic lockdowns.
 
Magub and Huang recorded the album separately in lockdown, with much creative dialogue and experimentation between them. New possibilities afforded by the necessity of recording separately encouraged musical freedom and risk-taking, as well as the opportunity to create the immediacy of a small, intimate concert through close microphone placement. Out of this process emerges a true collaboration and an album which Magub and Huang hope will bring consolation to many people.

ALBUM DETAILS

Schumann, Abendlied, Op. 85 No. 12
Massenet, Méditation: Thaïs
Rachmaninov, Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14
Liszt Consolations No.1-6, S.172/R.12
J.S. Bach (arr. Gounod), Ave Maria
Kreisler Liebesleid
Rimsky-Korsakov (arr. Kreisler), Chant Hindou: Sadko
Paradis (arr. Duskhin), Sicilienne
Handel, Largo: Xerxes
Mendelssohn, On Wings of Song, Op. 34 No. 2
Mendelssohn, Song without Words, Op. 19 No. 1
Schumann, Träumerei, Op. 15 No. 7
Chopin, Raindrop Prelude, Op. 28 No. 15

CRD.3540

Press Inquiries

UK and rest of the world except North America: Ulysses Arts, London
North America: Classical Music Communications, New York City

EPK and private Soundcloud link are available for press use.

Consolations reviews:

Laurie Niles, Violinist

Stephen Francis Vasta, Stereophile

David Olds, The Whole Note

Textura

Rick Anderson, CD Hot List

Jean-Yves Duperron, Classical Music Sentinel

CLICK HERE for more live streaming links.

Previous Press for Maya Magub's Recordings with CRD Records

Telemann, Fantasies for Solo Violin

'Impressive feats of technical bravado. ... A disc of hugely communicative violin playing', International Record Review

'It makes listening to this performance a really joyous experience', Caroline Gill, Gramophone

'With Magub's endless inventiveness driving each movement, they shine here for what they really are: free-standing, varied concentrations of beautiful melody and sonority', BBC Music Magazine

'Demonstrates technical assurance, elegance and well-considered use of vibrato, extempore ornamentation, rubato and other expressive devices.' Early Music Today

'These polished, stylish performances bring Telemann’s music to life in an unforced, natural way.' The Strad

Michael Haydn and Mozart, Six Duos for Violin and Viola (with Judith Busbridge)

'Their accounts of Mozart’s works combine energy, insight, warmth and affection; they are characterised by a lively reciprocity ... CRD’s recorded sound, presentation and production are exemplary.' The Strad

'Spirited and compelling music-making to savor', Michael Jameson, International Record Review

Liszt, Consolations No. 5 - pre-released single on 22 April 2022

Consolations on Apple Music Playlists

Composer Douglas Knehans comments:

'Cloud Ossuary began as a setting of my daughter Katarina Knehans' riveting and poignant poem Bones and All. When I first read her poem, I was seized with an immediate desire to set it to music. So, almost as immediately I got to work on it. As work progressed, I became more and more pleased with the piece—until it was finished. Once completed I had some difficulty reconciling the feelings of satisfaction with the setting with my concomitant feelings that it was incomplete.

After much reflection, I came to realize that Bones and All was actually the final movement of a larger work, hence creating the two preceding movements: Breathe Clouded and The Ossein Cage. Breathe Clouded is an inverted and compressed version of Bones and All and The Ossein Cage follows the same harmonic architecture as both of the outer movements. Thus, Cloud Ossuary sits as three different guises of the same harmonic material and structural approach, though with dramatically different surfaces.'

Preceding Cloud Ossuary is Knehans' hauntingly evocative single-movement Mist Waves for solo violin and strings - a 'loose chaconne based on veiled repetition of its initial eight bars' - performed by Pavel Wallinger, leader of the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra.

VIEW SCORES

CLOUD OSSUARY

MIST WAVES (violin and strings version)
MIST WAVES (violin and piano version)

APPLE MUSIC

SPOTIFY

YOUTUBE

TIDAL

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CLOUD OSSUARY REVIEWS

'Ever-challenging, ever-surprising'.
ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

'Cloud Ossuary is a striking and fascinating work, full of gorgeous textures and colours,
yet throughout it is clear that Knehans brings a strong structural underpinning to the beauty, making for a satisfying symphonic work.’
PLANET HUGILL

'Eloquent and original'.
GAPPLEGATE CLASSICAL-MODERN MUSIC REVIEW

'Atmospheric presence and strong waves of inner exploration:
the perfect match of classical music in modern times.'
Anthony Biasioli, BRNO DAILY

'Sensitive, committed performances by the Brno Philharmonic
under the meticulous guidance of Mikel Toms'.
Michael Quinn, LIMELIGHT

HEAR MIST WAVES LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY 

11 MAY 2022- LEFRANK CONCERT HALL *

12 MAY 2022 - WEILL RECITAL HALL, CARNEGIE HALL, 8PM *

* Note Pandemic re-scheduled changes of date from those in advertised links

Dillon Jeffares launches Tartini's Sonata in G Minor, The Devil's Trill, on 3 July and Brahms, Sonata No.3, with pianist Kumi Matsuo, on 10 July on Apple, Spotify and all main streaming services.

Dillon comments:

'Tartini - lawyer, dueller, musician - was a larger-than-life artist and person. This maverick genius claimed he had 'made a pact with the devil', hearing in his dreams a 'Sonata so wonderful and beautiful as I have never conceived in my boldest flights of fantasy.' I was inspired by Henryk Szeryng's playing: mesmerised by his tone, rhythmic drive and probing musical intellect, I wanted to make this great music my own. In contrast, Brahms Sonata No.3 is one of the greatest duo works for violin and piano ever written, introvered yet deeply emotional.'

The Tartini and Brahms releases are followed on 24 July 2020 by a full album including Franck, Violin Sonata, Debussy, Beau Soir and Clair de Lune, Szymanowski, Nocturne and Tarantella and de Falla, Three Pieces from Seven Spanish Popular Songs. Dillon Jeffares plays with pianists Thomas Kelly (Szymanowsky), Damir Durmanovic (Franck and Debussy), and Kumi Matsuo (Falla).

Dillon Jeffares studies at The Royal College of Music in London with Lutsia Ibragimova. Previously he attended Harrow School, then The Yehudi Menuhin School. He is a laureate of the 2018 Leonid Kogan Violin Competition in Brussels; in 2019 he was awarded the first prize in The London and Paris Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition, receiving also the ‘Best British Musician’ Prize. In 2020 he was selected as a finalist in the Anton Rubinstein Competition in Germany.  He is supported by British charity Talent Unlimited.

He has participated in Riga’s Alion Baltic Music Festival and The Holland Music Sessions, working with Dr Felix Andrievsky, Pierre Amoyal and Takashi Shimizu. He has played for Maxim Vengerov and studied in masterclasses with Alina Ibragimova, Vadim Gluzman and Isabelle van Keulen. In 2016, Dillon was the recipient of a generous award from the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Trust and in 2015 he attended the USA Summit Music Festival for master-classes and concerts with Aaron Rosand.

Dillon has performed in the United Kingdom, France, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey and Japan in venues such as the Amphitheatre of the Philharmonie de Paris, Brussels’ Royal Conservatory Concert Hall and Bozar, the Konzerthaus Berlin, London’s Wigmore Hall, Milton Court and King’s Place, the Banstead Arts Festival, Thaxted Festival, Gstaad Festival and Bergen Music Festival in The Netherlands. He is supported by UK music charity Talent Unlimited.

http://talent-unlimited.org.uk/dillon-jeffares.html

Kumi Matsuo, piano, has an international career as a solo pianist, chamber musician and accompanist. She studied at the Toho Gakuen College of Music, Tokyo, then at the Royal College of Music, London with John Blakely and Ashley Wass, winning its prestigious Artist Diploma with Distinction. In 2012 she won First Prize in the 6th Isidor Bajic Memorial Piano Competition in Serbia, and in 2013, First Prize in the 5th Louisiana International Piano Competition, USA. She is now on the staff at RCM as Duo Coach to the String Faculty, as well as accompanying other instruments.

Kumi made her London concerto debut in 2008 playing Ravel’s Piano Concerto for Left Hand in Cadogan Hall with the RCM Sinfonietta conducted by Peter Stark. The following year she played Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso No.1 with the RCM Chamber Orchestra in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, with Vladimir Jurowski, and in 2012 she played Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto with Martin André at the Royal College of Music. She has also performed with the Symphony Orchestras of Tokyo, Galicia, Banatul and Constanta in Romania, and in the USA, the Rapides in Louisiana, and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

As soloist and chamber musician Kumi has played extensively in the UK, USA, France, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, India and Japan. She made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall in 2014 and an extensive recital tour in Louisiana in 2015.

Thomas Kelly was born in 1998. He passed Grade 8 with Distinction in 2006, and performed Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 in Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre two years later. After moving to Cheshire, he regularly played in festivals, winning prizes including in the Birmingham Festival, 3rd prize in Young Pianist of The North 2012, and 1st prize in the 2014 Warrington Competition for Young Musicians. Since 2015, Thomas has studied with Andrew Ball, initially at the Purcell School for Young Musicians and now at Royal College of Music, where he is a third-year undergraduate.

Thomas has won first prizes including Pianale International Piano Competition 2017, Kharkiv Assemblies 2018, Lucca Virtuoso e Bel Canto festival 2018, RCM Joan Chissell Schumann competition 2019, Kendall Taylor Beethoven Competition 2019 and BPSE Intercollegiate Beethoven Competition 2019. He has also performed in venues including the Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Holy Trinity Sloane Square, St James' Piccadilly, Oxford Town Hall, St Mary's Perivale, St Paul's Bedford, Poole Lighthouse Arts Centre, Stoller Hall, Paris Conservatoire, the StreingreaberHaus in Bayreuth, the Teatro del Sale in Florence, in Vilnius and Palanga. Thomas' studies at RCM are generously supported by Pat Kendall-Taylor, Ms Daunt and Ms Stevenson and C. Bechstein pianos.

Damir Durmanovic began his studies at age of eight with Maja Azabagic, then at the Yehudi Menuhin School where he studied with Marcel Baudet. He is currently an ABRSM scholar at the Royal College of Music London, studying with Dmitri Alexeev.

Damir has performed in venues and festivals including the Wigmore Hall, Champs Hill Studios, YPF Festival Amsterdam, Wimbledon Music Festival, Renia Sofia Audotorium Madrid, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Derby Multifaith Center, Flusserei Flums, 'Ballenlager' Vaduz. He has won prizes in numerous international competitions including The Beethoven Intercollegiate Junior Competition in London, Adilia Alieva International Piano Competition in Geneva and Isidor Bajic International Piano Competition in Novi Sad. He has performed in masterclasses with Claudio Martinez-Mehner,
Dmitri Bashkirov, Pascal Devoyon, Jacques Rouvier, Robert Levin, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Tatyana Sarkisova, and chamber ensembles such as the Emerson Quartet. Damir is also a scholar at the ''Musikakademie Liechtestein'' and regularly participates and performs at the events organised by the Academy there.

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DOWNLOAD LINKS

TARTINI, THE DEVIL'S TRILL
- iTunes
- Qobuz
- Amazon Music

BRAHMS, VIOLIN SONATA NO. 3
- iTunes
- Qobuz
- Amazon Music

DEBUSSY, SZYMANOWSKI, FRANCK AND FALLA
- iTunes
- Qobuz

STREAM ON SPOTIFY

Album Details

Tartini, Sonata in D Minor: The Devil's Trill (Kumi Matsuo, piano)
UPC 5054526848429

Brahms, Violin Sonata No.3 (Kumi Matsuo, piano)
UPC 5054526848399

Debussy, Beau Soir, arr. Jascha Heifetz (Damir Dumanovic, piano)
Szymanowski, Nocturne and Tarantella (Thomas Kelly, piano)
Franck, Violin Sonata (Damir Dumanovic, piano)
Falla: Nana, Polo and Asturiana from Suite popular espagnole, arr. Paul Kochanski (Kumi Matsuo, piano)
Debussy, Clair de lune, arr.  Alexandre Roelens

UPC 5053526807990

Ulysses Arts introduces Cristian Grajner de Sa's debut recording of music by Kreisler and Sarasate on Friday 12 June, on ITunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Qobuz and all major digital service providers.

Cristian Grajner de Sa plays Fritz Kreisler's nostalgic Liebesleid and Marche Miniature Viennoise, with Marina Nadiradze, piano, and Pable de Saraste's virtuoso masterpiece Zigeunerweisen, accompanied by Mark Kinkaid. Cristian comments:

'Zigeunerweisen is a violin sensation: spectacular virtuoso music with heartfelt Romantic melodies and astonishing technical fireworks. These qualities first inspired me at a young age; after playing it many times, I am fascinated by its musical freedom that allows the violinist's interpretation to evolve spontaneously with every performance. It is hugely exciting for me to present Zigeunerweisen on my first album, alongside the suave nostalgia of Fritz Kreisler's Liedesleid and Marche Miniature Viennoise.'

Cristian Grajner de Sa was born in 1994 to Italian and Portugese parents: attendıng The Purcell School for Young Musicians: he was awarded the Royal Academy of Music's Leverhulme Scholarship aged 13: he studied with Maurice Hasson and Tasmin Little, then at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Pierre Amoyal.

A recipient of the Gold Meda with High Distinction at the 2019 International Vienna Music Competition, where his performances were praised for 'huge musicality, a depth of understanding and technical virtuosity,', Cristian previously received the First Prize at the inaugural 'Global' International Violin Competition and was a string finalist at the BBC Young Musician. In 2017 he was honored and humbled to receive the distinguished J. and A. Beare Prize from the Royal Academy of Music, its most renowned award, gifted to the most outstanding violin graduate. In the same year. the Academy also invited him to perform chamber music alongside his mentor, Maxim Vengarov, in Vengerov's final performance as Menuhin professor.

He has performed at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Salzburg Mozarteum, Bucharest Atheneum, the Wigmore Hall in London, Cheltenham Festival, Salle Paderewski Lausanne and Ateneo de Madrid, playing violin concertos by Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Glazunov, Mendelssohn, Bruch and Lalo. He has been broadcast on BBC Television, BBC Radio 3 and TVR Romanian National Television.

Cristian plays a Camillo Camilli violin from 1740, on generous loan from The Benslow Trust, and is supported by UK music charity Talent Unlimited.

​http://www/cristiangrajnerdesa.com
​

Marina Nadiradze, piano, was born in Georgia and studied at Tiblisis Stat eConservatoire and Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She won the first of her international awards aged nine in Vilnus, Lithuania, and subsequently Second Prize at the inaugural Tblisis International Piano Competition, LASMO Saffa Award First Prize in 2000, and Scottish Interntional Piano Competition Second Prize and Lawrence Glover Silver Medal in 2001. Supported by the Myra Hess Trust and Craxton Memorial Trust, Marina has performed in Argentina, Austrian, France, Georgia, Iceland, Russia, South Korea and Switzerland; Uk venues include Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and the Wigmore Hall in London. Marina has a substantial concerto repertoire, and has worked with conductors including Vakhtang Kakhidze, Takuo Yuasa, Alexander Lazarev, Min Kim and Tadaaki Otaka. She is also the pianist for Ken Loach's film 'Ae Fond Kiss'.

Mark Kinkaid, piano, was born in 1965 and started piano aged six He both performs with orchestra and as an accompanist at the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and BBC Symphony Orchestra. Mark has broadcast a duet recital with ClassicFM with  Lisa Friend, and has performed with flautist James Dutton at London's Purcell Room as part of the Park Lane Group Recitals. Previous recordings include for Hyperion, 'Luminance' with Lisa Friend and Anna Stokes (Champs Hill Records, 2014) and 'Serenity' with violinists Nicole Crespo O'Donoghue (2019).

DOWNLAND NOW

ITUNES: https://music.apple.com/album/cristian-grajner-de-sa-plays-kreisler-and-sarasate-single/1513313481

QOBUZ: https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/cristian-grajner-de-sa-plays-kreisler-and-sarasate-cristian-grajner-de-sa/goxyj0iky9hpa

Catalogue Number: UA000018
UPC 5054536078536