MORRISON & CO TRUST - MMT2031:
RUSSIAN ROMANTIC PIANO TRIOS

Arensky: Piano Trio in D minor, Op.32
Rachmaninov: Trio Élégaique in G minor, Op. posth.
Glinka: Piano Trio in D minor, Pathétique

The Turnovsky Trio (Sam Konise - violin, Ashley Brown - cello, Catherine McKay - piano)

Total time: 62.59

(GB pounds 14.50)

The Turnovsky Trio, in its current line-up, is New Zealand's first all New Zealand-born and educated full-time professional chamber music ensemble. Founded in 1991, the Trio immediately attracted critical acclamation for performances nationally and internationally. The Trio have performed throughout New Zealand and Europe and are resident at the University of Waikato. The Trio is named after the late Fred Turnovsky, a Wellington industrialist and most generous patron of the arts, especially of chamber music.

John Warrack in April 2001 International Record Review - "It's a tricky balance to bring off, both for players and recording engineers...Here, the idea is managed with real artistry...if a more varied programme is sought, the present recording, by this successful, young New Zealand group, has much to recommend it."

KIWI-PACIFIC - CDSLC216: JUBILATE

Ralph Vaughan Williams (arr. Reed): Sine Nomine;
Alfred Reed: A Christmas Intrada;
David Holsinger: Liturgical Dances; Wieslaw Rentowski: Ab Ovo;
Edvard Grieg: Funeral March for Richard Nordraak;
Sir William Walton (arr. Duthoit): Crown Imperial.

Central Band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Graham Hanify with Philip Walsh & Catherine Dienes (organ of St Paul's Cathedral, Wellington)

Total time: 54.24

(GB pounds 14.50)

This splendid collection of military band music, conducted by Squadron Leader Graham Hanify, includes the only currently available recordings of the Vaughan Williams (arranged from his hymn setting of For All the Saints), Reed, Holsinger and Rentowski works together with the popular marches by Grieg and Walton.

KIWI PACIFIC (Ribbonwood) - RCD1001:
CHARLES-VALENTIN ALKAN: Organ Music

Alkan: Onze Grands Préludes, Op.66 (Nos. 1, 9 and 10);
Triéze Prières, Op.64 (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13).

John Wells (Willis Organ in St Matthews-in-the-City, Auckland)

Total time: 61.09

(GB pounds 14.50)

This first organ recording in New Zealand, made in 1989, has been unavailable for a long time and presents the only recordings of music by Alkan played on the organ. These pieces for pedal piano or organ were written between 1832 and 1838 and the technical demands are, as usual with Alkan, highly original. Alkan was an accomplished organist and won première prix for organ at the Paris Conservatoire in 1834, graduating from Francois Benoît's organ class along with César Franck. English-born organist John Wells emigrated to New Zealand in 1969 having studied with David Willcocks and been an organ scholar at King's College Cambridge.

TALL POPPIES - TP120:
CARL VINE: Chamber Music Volume 2

Vine: Piano Sonata No.2 (1997); Sonata for Flute and Piano (1992);
String Quartet No.3 (1994); Five Bagatelles for Piano (1994);
Inner World (1994) for solo cello.

Michael Kieran Harvey, David Miller, Ian Munro (piano); Geoffrey Collins (flute);
David Pereira (cello); Tall Poppies String Quartet

Total time: 73.34

(GB pounds 14.50)

This second disc in the Tall Poppies' series, features the world premiere recordings of Vine's Second Piano Sonata by Michael Kieran Harvey, and of his Third String Quartet by the Tall Poppies Quartet (John Harding, Georges Lentz, Esther van Stralen and David Pereira). Other tracks previously released on the Tall Poppies label are included here to complete this compendium of Vine's chamber music of the last decade.

Graham Simpson in April 2001 International Record Review - "...do try this disc. Here is a composer adept at using often basic musical resources to produce compositions at once direct and durable. The present collection of chamber works from the 1990s gives a good overview of the idiom. Excellent performances from soloists familiar with Vine's testing though never unreasonable requirements... you won't go far wrong with the present release".

Christopher Thomas for MusicWeb: "This second volume of Carl Vine’s chamber music concentrates on a period of five years between 1992 and 1997. Although time has moved on from the music featured in volume one, which dealt with works from the mid to late eighties, the Vine hallmarks outlined in my review of the first volume are still evident here, principally a fascination with rhythm and rhythmic structures that manifests itself in all of the pieces featured in some shape or form. Furthermore it is evident that Vine has continued to consolidate his compositional language with a consistency and confidence that is not always quite as clear-cut in volume one... As with volume one, the musicians are all well known to the composer and once again this familiarity is demonstrated in committed and authoritative performances".

TALL POPPIES - TP134:
ARTHUR BENJAMIN: Jamaican Rumba Volume 2

Jamaican Rumba (1944); Sonatina (1924); Sonatina (1939); Sonata (1947); Tombeau de Ravel (1958);Three Pieces (1924) - Humoresque, Arabesque, Carnavalesque

Ian Munro (piano) with John Harding (violin), Esther van Stralen (viola),
David Pereira (cello) & Peter Jenkin (clarinet)

Total time: 71.36

(GB pounds 14.50)

This series has arisen from the pianist Ian Munro's enormous love of Benjamin. This recording follows the acclaimed first volume and presents some major and very neglected works to the public eye (or should that be ear!) The disc includes the Violin Sonatina and several charming violin miniatures played which characteristic elan by John Harding; Esther van Stralen gives a blistering account of the challenging viola sonata; David Pereira plays the charming Cello Sonatina with its jaunty little march; Peter Jenkin brings consummate artistry to the virtuoso clarinet work Tombeau de Ravel. And of course the CD starts with the eponymous Jamaican Rumba in a scintillating version for violin transcribed by William Primrose for Jascha Heifetz.

The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs 2002: "But especially beguiling is the Tombeau de Ravel written for Gervase de Peyer, which exploited that artist's melting cantabile timbre and his virtusity in six quixotic central waltz interludes, which are framed by an introduction and finale. All the performances here are of high quality and show a composer of great resource who always captures and holds the listener's ear. The recording is excellent."

Rob Barnett for Classical Music on the Web, November 2000: "This is the very first substantial collection of chamber music by Arthur Benjamin. Benjamin seems to have been hounded by the Jamaican Rumba in much the same way as Rachmaninov was haunted by the famous Prelude. In any event it must surely have played its part in keeping the wolf from the door. The Rumba exists in a host of arrangements and versions and loses nothing of its catchy memorability in this version and performance. This is a very fine disc, well recorded and deserving attention. It seems once again to have been ignored by the review magazines. Ian Munro is the common thread between the two discs. His freshly lucid and very full English-only notes ideally complement this significant release."

TALL POPPIES - TP148:
CARL VINE: THE POTATO FACTORY
Music for the TV Series

Streets of London; Young Love Goes Wrong; Mary's Hands;
Mary's First Job; Egyptian Mary; Ikey's Shopped; Ikey Escapes;
Transportation to the Colonies; Hannah the Viper; Ikey & Mary;
Business in the Colonies; Tommo & Hawk; Going Bush; Ikey's Safe; Reunited

The Tall Poppies Orchestra, Carl Vine

Total time: 48.08

(GB pounds 14.50)

The mini-series of Bryce Courtenay's "The Potato Factory" screened on the Australian Channel 7 Network in July, 2000. This is a ripper yarn of Dickensian London and early life in the colonies. Carl Vine's music adds a whole new dimension to the story, ranging from the majestic to the tragic. The Tall Poppies Orchestra performs this remarkable score conducted by the composer, and the recording was co-produced by Tall Poppies' Belinda Webster and recording engineer Christo Curtis.

NEW FROM NORWAY:

AURORA - ACD5007: KJELL MØRK KARLSEN: DOLENTE

Karlsen: String Quartet No.3; Sonata Mesto for Violin & Piano;
Prolog; Nostalgi; Sonata Nova for Viola & Piano;
Sonata Dolorosa for Cello & Piano; String Quartet No.1;
Fragmentum; Medium; Fugatum

Vertavo String Quartet with Gonzalo Moreno (piano)

Total time: 71.41

(GB pounds 14.99)

AURORA - ACD5013: MAGNE HEGDAL: ANNOTATIONS

Hegdal: Grande symphonie de salon; For 2 nr.3.1;
Rondo II; For 2 nr.3.2; Annotations.

Oslo Sinfonietta, Christian Eggen; Cikada Ensemble;
Geir Henning Braaten (piano)

Total time: 62.42

(GB pounds 14.99)

HEMERA - HCD2935: ALFA & ROMEO - RadiOpera

Music: Tor Halmrast; Libretto: Torgeir Rebelledo Pedersen

Guri Egge; Knut Jørgen Moe; Siri Torjesen; Carl Høgseth;
Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Christian Eggen

Total time: 33.18

(GB pounds 14.99)

HEMERA - HCD2936: AVGARDE

Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen: Hot-House;
Ketil Hvoslef: Rondo con variazioni; Beethoven Fantasy;
Knut Vaage: Point of View; Looking Back; Prefix & Marche Intercontinentale;
Jostein Stalheim: Allusion;
Glenn Erik Haugland: I Tried to Strangle, Harald Saeverud.

Einar Røttingen (piano)

Total time: 72.23

(GB pounds 14.99)