FRANZ LISZT
Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor / etc Emmanuel Despax, piano [ Signum / CD - due 7/Jun/2024 ] Emmanuel Despax's eighth release for Signum Classics delves into the dramatic and visionary world of Franz Liszt, from the great Sonata in B minor to the celestail Benediction de Deur dans la solitude. |
OLIVER DAVIS
Davis: Blue Beth & Flo (Pianos / Piano Four Hands), Grace Davidson and Julia Doyle (sopranos), Joshua Davidson (treble), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra [ Signum / CD - released 6/Oct/2023 ] This is Oliver Davis' first album dedicated to the piano, and specifically two pianists, Dutch piano duo Beth & Flo. The album features this dynamic duo playing four hands piano and also on two pianos with full orchestra. The song cycle 'Siren Songs'... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
New Millennium The Choir of St. John's College, Cambridge / Andrew Nethsingha (director) [ Signum / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] "Contemporary music and Commissioning have been central features of the last fifteen years at St John's. It's been a joy to work with talented student composers, singers and instrumental- ists; my own musicianship has been greatly enriched by their... |
FREDERIC CHOPIN
Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (String Quintet Versions) Emmanuel Despax (piano), Chineke Chamber Ensemble [ Signum / CD - released 29/Apr/2022 ] Following the acclaimed Brahms recording in 2021, Emmanuel Despax presents his sixth album with Signum Classics: Chopin Piano Concertos (chamber versions) with Chineke! Chamber Ensemble. "Chopin's Piano Concertos are among his first and most... |
MUHLY / BULL / PARSONS / BALDWIN / FERRABOSCO / etc
In Nomine II Fretwork [ Signum / 3 CD - released 30/Jan/2020 ] "Ravishing, too, is the recording which draws the listener directly into the heart of the ever-confiding musical discourse. This is an utterly civilised and civilising release." BBC Music Five Stars February 2020 - Chamber Choice |
MATTHEW LOCKE
Locke: The Flat Consort Fretwork [ Signum Records / CD - released 11/Feb/2022 ] Matthew Locke was born 400 years ago in 1622, and while he is often ranked as one of England's finest composers, he is still unaccountably neglected: his music may not be as immediately appealing as his immediate successor, Henry Purcell, nor as... |
BOB CHILCOTT
Chilcott: Circlesong Houston Chamber Choir, Treble Choir of Houston, Marianna Parnas-Simpson, Robert Simpson [ Signum / CD - released 21/Jan/2022 ] "This is a most enjoyable disc which I hope will increase awareness among other choirs of these rewarding pieces, especially Circlesong." MusicWeb June 2022 |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas & Ernste Gesänge Julian Bliss (clarinet), James Baillieu (piano) [ Signum Classics / CD - released 7/May/2021 ] Julian Bliss and James Baillieu present a recording Johannes Brahms' Clarinet sonatas, Op. 120 and an arrangement of his 4 Ernste Gesänge, Op.121 arranged by Bliss. These late works were inspired by the great clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld, principal... |
OLIVER DAVIS
Davs: Flight Kerenza Peacock (violin) Huw Watkins (piano) / London Symphony Orchestra, Paul Bateman [ Signum / CD - released 15/Apr/2015 ] Flight is the stunning new album of works from British composer Oliver Davis (b.1972), composed for and in collaboration with violinist Kerenza Peacock. Flight captures the spirit of movement and energy present in many of Davis's compositions, which... |
THOMAS WEELKES / WILLIAM BYRD
Tom & Will - Weelkes & Byrd: 400 Years The King's Singers & Fretwork [ Signum / CD - released 24/Nov/2023 ] 400 years ago, in 1623, England lost two of its greatest composers: William Byrd and Thomas Weelkes. In a pro- gramme marking this double anniversary, The King's Singers and Fretwork turn their focus to the bold personalities of these two men, Will... |
LIVE AT THE BBC PROMS
The King's Singers Live at the BBC Proms The King's Singers [ Signum Vision DVD / DVD - released 20/Nov/2011 ] A live and televised recording from this year's BBC Proms performance on 5th August by the most famous a cappella group ever: the King's Singers. |
TELEMANN / PISENDEL / BACH / VIVALDI / BRESCIANELLO
The Godfather: Master Of the German & Italian Baroque La Serenissima, Adrian Chandler [ Signum / CD - released 15/Nov/2019 ] "Already riding high in the classical charts, and with a very favourable mention on BBC Radio 3's Essential Classics, The Godfather is yet another hit from Adrian Chandler and La Serenissima." MusicWeb Recommended |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL & OTHERS
Handel's Queens Lucy Crowe, Mary Bevan / London Early Opera, Bridget Cunningham [ Signum / 2 CD - released 19/Jul/2019 ] "This soundly made programme is both pleasing and intriguing." Gramophone Awards 2020 Short List - Recital |
W. A. MOZART / ARNE / J. C. BACH / ABEL & OTHERS
Mozart In London The Mozartists, Ian Page (conductor) [ Signum / 2 CD - released 4/May/2018 ] "..the star of the show is the superb orchestra, which never sounds in the least bit perfunctory or formulaic." Gramophone Recording of the Month July 2018 |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Grabmusik / Bastien und Bastienne (original version) Anna Lucia Richter (soprano) Jacques Imbrailo (baritone) Alessandro Fisher (tenor) / The Mozartists, Ian Page [ Signum / CD - released 14/Sep/2018 ] "Ian Page and his crack team - singers and players - are clearly having a lot of fun, which comes across in this excellent recording. It's a treat to experience these faint anticipations of greatness in such winning performances." Gramophone |
OLIVER DAVIS
Davis: Solace Oliver Davis (Piano and Vocals), Kerenza Peacock, Jonathan Hill (Violins), Katherine Jenkinson, Nicholas Holland (Cellos) [ Signum / CD - released 12/Mar/2021 ] Recorded at the height of the international Covid lockdown, Oliver Davis's sixth album for Signum is a feat of both technological as well as artistic achievement. Following from draws together artists from across the globe for a selection of moving... |
MONTEVERDI / LEGRENZI / BORETTI / STRADELLA / MERULA
Infinite Refrain - Music of Love's Refuge Randall Scotting (counter-tenor), Jorge Navarro Colorado (tenor), Academy of Ancient Music, Laurence Cummings [ Signum / CD - released 27/Oct/2023 ] The first of its kind, this duet album is a musical journey that draws back the curtain that has obscured gay love-stories for centuries. |
BEETHOVEN / STRAUSS / SCHUMANN / GLAZUNOV / DUKAS / POULENC / VINTER
The Romantic Horn Richard Watkins (horn), Julius Drake (piano) [ Signum / CD - released 8/Mar/2019 ] ""This is grand, swaggering playing: two virtuosos out to bring the house down" Gramophone. |
OLIVER DAVIS
Davis: Arcadia Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman [ Signum / CD - released 10/Oct/2019 ] Oliver Davis graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 1994 and has since composed numerous concertos, ballet scores, albums, soundtracks and television scores working with many of the major London orchestras. The Infinite Ocean was composed... |
OLIVER DAVIS
Davis: Air Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman [ Signum / CD - released 6/May/2022 ] Similarly to his previous album SOLACE, AIR was written during lockdown and draws on themes of nature, environment and the natural world. Davis's previous albums with Signum have reached the top 10 on both iTunes Classical and UK Specialist Classical... |
JOHN ADAMS / ROY HARRIS
Adams & Harris: Violin Concertos Tamsin Waley-Cohen (violin) / BBC Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton [ Signum / CD - released 23/Dec/2016 ] "Harris's Concerto is a major (re-)discovery, and Waley-Cohen outclasses Fulkerson's pioneering version in every respect. Andrew Litton and the BBC Symphony provide superb, supple support." Gramophone Award Nomination 2017 - Concerto |
FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: Sonata, Rondo and Fantasie Viktoria Mullova (Violin), Alasdair Beatson (Fortepiano) [ Signum / CD - released 29/Apr/2022 ] '..profoundly intimate performances ...to effectively play instruments such as Schubert would have recognised requires super-refined technique and boundless musical imagination - there is simply nowhere to hide.' BBC Music Chamber Choice June 2022 |
WOLF / BRAHMS
Lieder by Wolf & Brahms Alastair Miles (bass) & Marie-Nöelle Kendall (piano) [ Signum Classics / CD - released 3/Jun/2014 ] Miles's oaken depth of tone and amplitude of line are impressive, and ultimately moving...it's a nobly sung recital, confirming that the leading English operatic basso cantante is also a Lieder singer of intelligence and insight. |
RICHARD BLACKFORD
Richard Blackford: Kalon Albion Quartet, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Jirí Rožeñ [ Signum / CD - released 6/Sep/2019 ] The Ancient Greek word kalon was used by philosophers to describe perfect physical and moral beauty. In this recording, the Albion Quartet and the Czech Philharmonic explore the different aspects of kalon through the context in which beauty can exist... |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Alessio Bax plays Brahms [incls 'Ballades Op 10] Alessio Bax (piano) [ Signum / CD - released 24/Sep/2012 ] "Bax plays Brahms: Alessio Bax, that is. His Paganini Variations are a bit of a roller-coaster, the Op. 10 Ballades curiously inexpressive. Best is a thoughtful account of the Op. 76 Klavierstücke." (BBC Music) |
BRAHMS / PIAZZOLLA / STRAVINSKY
Piano Duo Alessio Bax & Lucille Chung (pianos) [ Signum Classics / CD - released 10/Dec/2013 ] "An odd mixture...Still, the husband and wife duo enjoy easy rapport, and their Piazzolla tangos have a smoky panache." BBC Music Magazine, January 2014 *** |
GODOWSKY / SAINT-SAENS / KEMPFF / BUSONI / etc
Bach Transcribed Alessio Bax (piano) [ Signum Classics / CD - released 8/Dec/2007 ] "In the realm of Romantic Bach transcriptions, Alessio Bax's stylistic perception and palette of tone-colours have considerably deepened since his "Baroque Reflections" release (Warner, 11/04), together with a level of technical control that gives... |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 & Works for Solo Piano Alessio Bax (piano) / Southbank Sinfonia, Simon Over (conductor) [ Signum / CD - released 18/May/2018 ] Bax's playing is consummately lyrical. Even so, his expressive moulding and the very forward recording quality make for an overall result that is more immediate than transcendent.All in all, this is an impressive disc, which repays repeated listening |
GIOCOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: A Te, Puccini Angela Gheorghiu (soprano) Vincenzo Scalera (piano) [ Signum / CD - released 2/Feb/2024 ] Signum Classics are proud to present Romanian-born soprano Angela Gheorghiu's first album on the Grammy award winning label. Described as "the world's most glamorous and gifted opera star" (New York Sun), Ms. Gheorghiu's magnificent voice and... |
JORG WIDMANN
Widmann : Viola Concerto / 24 Duos / Jagdquartett Antoine Tamestit (viola), Symphonieorchester der Bayerischen Rundfunks, cond. Daniel Harding, Signum Quartett, Marc Bouchkov (violin) & Bruno Philippe [ Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 2/Mar/2018 ] "What is undeniable is the commitment of Tamestit as he plays, moves and sometimes shouts his way through a score more distinctive for its gestural immediacy than its thematic content." Gramophone |
CHRISTOPHER GUNNING
Gunning: Symphonies 2, 10 & 12 BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Kenneth Woods (conductor) [ Signum / CD - released 6/Dec/2019 ] Christopher Gunning has composed twelve symphonies, as well as concertos for the piano, violin, cello, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and guitar; many of these have now been recorded. He has also composed many scores for films and television... |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel In Ireland Volume 1 Bridget Cunningham (harpsichord) [ Signum / CD - released 3/Mar/2017 ] Bridget Cunningham marks St Patrick's Day with a new harpsichord CD that gives a glimpse into Handel's fascinating time in Dublin. In 1741 at the age of 56, following a financially difficult time in Londonand with fashions turning against... |
HENRY PURCELL
Purcell: The Fairy Queen, 1692 Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Anna Dennis (soprano), Gabrieli, Paul McCreesh Mhairi Lawson (soprano) [ Signum / 2 CD - released 10/Apr/2020 ] GRAMOPHONE Award Nomination 2021 - Opera |
ANTONIN DVORAK
Dvorak: Symphony No 9 "From the New World" (with Sibelius - Finlandia) Chineke! Orchestra, Kevin John Edusei [ Signum / CD - released 7/Jul/2017 ] This is the debut recording from the Chineke! Orchestra, a new live orchestral recording from The Royal Festival Hall, London. Drawn from exceptional musicians from across the continent, the orchestra is part of the Chineke! Foundation - a... |
BYRD / ALLEGRI / WEELKES / TRADITIONAL
Ash Wednesday Choir of St John's College Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha [ Signum / CD - released 28/Feb/2020 ] "We hear 'a record of a unique event' for Andrew Nethsingha, who acknowledges imperfections and draws attention charmingly to a moment of crisis management from the 13-year-old soloist in Allegri's Miserere. That's life and that's liturgy" Gramophon |
MICHAEL FINNISSY
Finnissy: Pious Anthems & Voluntaries Choir of St John's College Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha [ Signum / 2 CD - released 14/Aug/2020 ] GRAMOPHONE Award Nomination 2021 - Contemporary |
HOWELLS / STANFORD / VAUGHAN WILLIAMS / BEDNALL / MUHLY
The House of the Mind Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford Owen Rees (director) [ Signum / CD - released 8/Jun/2018 ] The Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford celebrate the works of choral music icon Herbert Howells in a disc that sets his works alongside pieces that they inspired and influenced - such as Nico Muhly's Like as the Hart for choir, solo violin and... |
BOB CHILCOTT
In Winter's Arms: Seasonal Music by Bob Chilcott Choralis, Gretchen Kuhrmann (conductor) [ Signum Classics / CD - released 13/Oct/2017 ] Bob Chilcott's compositions are beloved with choral societies around the world, and this album represents the fruits of his recent collaborations with the US choir Choralis and their conductor Gretchen Kuhrmann. Featuring festive works for solo choir... |
POULENC
Complete Songs of Francis Poulenc Volume 2 Christopher Maltman (baritone) Felicity Lott (soprano) Jonathan Lemalu (bass-baritone) Lorna Anderson (soprano) [ Signum Classics / CD - released 1/Jul/2011 ] Composing over 150 works for piano and voice over a period of 44 years, the songs of Francis Poulenc remain consistently popular to concert audiences the world over. |
MOZART
Mozart: Apollo et Hyacinthus Classical Opera, Ian Page [ Signum / CD - released 11/Oct/2019 ] Following its successful full length opera, Artaxerxes, Classical Opera return with the first in an epic series of Mozart operas, Apollo et Hyacinthus. Named in The Guardian as one of 'The Best Classical albums of 2012'. |