PROPIANO - PPR224535: THE COMPLETE PIANO WORKS
AND ASSORTED TRANSCRIPTIONS OF STEPHEN FOSTER

Stephen Foster (trans. Warren): Beautiful Dreamer;
Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair; De Camptown Races;
Walter Niemann: Louisiana Suite, Op. 97;
Stephen Foster: Old Folks at Home - theme and variations;
The Old Folks Quadrilles; Maria Bach Waltz; The Tioga Waltz;
Soiree Polka; The Village Bells; The Holiday Schottisch;
Santa Anna's Retreat from Buena Vista

Sara Davis Buechner piano

Total time: 42.41

(GB pounds 14.50)

Listen to an extract

ProPiano Records proudly present a stunning world premiere recording of music by one of America's best loved composers. Pianist Sara Davis Buechner in her ProPiano debut presents Foster's famous tunes, and Niemann's suite based on popular songs from the Southern States, in a most attractive recital.

James Camner in January/February 2003 Fanfare: This is charming stuff - a little like dining on beef Wellington over candlelight at the Washington Crossing Inn in the 40s...What is important is that the talented Sara Davis Buechner, who has a decided affinity for this music, lovingly plays these engaging, evergreen trifles. I'm glad to have this disc and you will be too."

TRUST RECORDS - MMT2032: FÊTE - FRENCH ORGAN MUSIC
FROM THE WELLINGTON CATHEDRAL OF ST PAUL

Bonnet: Variations de concert Op.1; Langlais: Fête;
Vierne: Scherzetto & Pastorale from Op.31; Carillon de Westminster;
Lefebure-Wely: Sortie in E flat; Andante in F; Franck: Choral No.1;
Dupre: Magnificat V from Vespers; Pierre Cogen: Offrande

Andrew Cantrill organ of the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul

Total time: 60.03

(GB pounds 14.50)

Listen to an extract

Organist Andrew Cantrill was born in Hampshire and educated at Durham University. He was appointed Organist and Director of Music at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul in New Zealand in 1999. He plays this wide-ranging selection of French organ music on the Cathedral's T C Lewis organ, originally built in 1877.

TALL POPPIES - TP156: EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA: CELLO MUSIC

Rautavaara: Two Preludes and Fugues (1955);
Sonata for Cello Solo (1969); Polska (1977)*;
Sonata for Cello and Piano No 1 (1972-3/2001);
Sonata for Cello and Piano (1991)

David Pereira cello and Ian Munro piano with Bonnie Smart* 2nd cello

Total time: 66.02

(GB pounds 14.50)

Listen to an extract

Remarkably, all of these cello works by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, are presented here in world premiere recordings. The works span nearly 50 years and the major compositional influences through his life are revealed. He obviously had a special affinity for the cello, writing warm luscious music for it. The solo sonata and the two sonatas with piano deserve a place in the cello repertoire, notwithstanding their virtuosic technical demands.

TALL POPPIES - TP164: CLAUDE DEBUSSY: PIANO MUSIC VOL.3

Debussy: Morceau de concours; Estampes; Préludes Book 1;
Le Petit negre; Pour le piano; La plus que lente; Hommage à Haydn;
"Les soirs illuminés par l'ardeur du charbon" (1917premiere recording);

Roy Howatt piano

Total time: 74.44

(GB pounds 14.50)

Listen to an extract

Roy Howat continues his survey of the piano music of Claude Debussy, eventually to occupy four CDs. The first book of Preludes is the main offering here and Howat's performances allow us to see these pieces in a new light. But, most excitingly, this volume contains a world premiere recording of a work discovered in Paris in late 2001!

Charles Timbrell in March 2003 International Record Review: "The penultimate issue in Roy Howat's traversal of Debussy's complete piano works reinforces the strong impressions made by his previous recordings, especially of the Etudes (TP094) and the Preludes Book 2 (TP123). In many ways he is an ideal Debussy interpreter, for he has immersed himselfin the style both as a performer and as a scholar. His playing, like his writing, is clear, direct, sensitive to nuance and often touched with humour...And a delightful bonus is the first recording of Les soirs illumines par l'ardeur du charbon, a recently discovered work composed in 1917 that contains allusions to several earlier pieces."

Nigel Simeone in May/June International Piano: "...the transparency of the textures results in a kind of luminoscity which is extremely persuasive...Howat's approach is a refreshing and impressive alternative view which should be listened to by anyone with an interest in Debussy playing. I've been living with these performances for over a month and find new and illuminating things on every hearing."

TALL POPPIES - TP155: AUSTRALIAN ART SONG

Percy Grainger: The Power of Love; The Love Song of the Har Dyal;
The Sprig of Thyme; Willow Willow; Died for Love; Hard Hearted Barb'ra Ellen;
Linda Phillips: Two Songs; Fritz Hart: Five Songs to Texts by William Sharp;
Dorian Le Gallienne: Three Shakespeare Settings;
Christopher Willcock: Betrayers; David Horowicz: Midsummer Daydream;
Keith Humble: Eight Cabaret Songs

Merlyn Quaife soprano with Michael Kieran Harvey piano

Total time: 61.11

(GB pounds 14.50)

Listen to an extract

An outstanding recital from the soprano Merlyn Quaife with pianist Michael Kieran Harvey. Both are based in Melbourne, and hence this project has a distinct flavour - all of the composers have strong Melbourne connections. This disc samples art song writing in Australia over 80 years - revealing music that deserves a lot more attention from singers world-wide!

ATOLL - ACD501: CHRISTMAS A CAPPELLA

Unaccompanied choral music for Christmas by
Scheidt, Victoria, Vaughan Williams, Christopher Marshall,
John Wells, Michael head, WJ Kirkpatrick and
Trad. arr. Willcocks, Woodard, Shaw, Hughes, Longstaff,
Goodenough and Rutter

Musica Sacra conducted by Indra Hughes

Total time: 65.36

(GB pounds 14.50)

Indra Hughes is widely recognized as one of New Zealand's most versatile and respected musicians. He came to Auckland in 1995 after his early training at Blackburn Cathedral and at Oriel College, Oxford. Musica Sacra presents this programme of unaccompanied choral music for Christmas chosing a variety of pieces - some well-known traditional Christmas favourites, some familiar tunes in new arrangements and some never-before recorded pieces.

ATOLL - ACD601: VARIATIONS

Philip Sparke: Tallis Variations; Enigma Variations;
John Psathas: Saxon; Frode Alnæs: Vitae Lux;
Trad. arr. Richards: Londonderry Air; When the Saints go Marching in;
Carmichael arr. Geldard: Stardust; arr. R. Woodfield: Helter Skelter;
Foster arr. Howarth: Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair;
Pinkard arr. Richards: Sweet Georgia Brown

Dalewool Auckland Brass directed by Nigel E Weeks

Total time: 62.34

(GB pounds 14.50)

The celebrated New Zealand brass band, three times Australasian champions (including the 2001 Australasian Championship), play a wide-ranging collection of music for brass including the world premiere of John Psathas' Saxon.

ATOLL - ACD602: MIRAGE

Salzedo: Mirage; Idyllic Poem; Quietude; Tango; Rumba;
Grandjany: Children's Hour Suite; Alkermes: 3 pieces;
Britten: Interlude; Trad.: Eight Pieces

Carolyn Mills solo harp

Total time 54.10

(GB pounds 14.50)

Here is an ideal easy-listening recital of solo harp music, exquisitely played by the American-born principal harpist of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She plays a unique beautifully carved and decorated pedal harp constructed from red beech by the New Zealand harp maker Kim Webby.

2L Lindberg Lyd - 2L5: WOLFGANG PLAGGE:
ARS NOVA - The Medieval Inspiration

Plagge: Liber Sequentiarum for soprano & trumpet;
Sonata for Trumpet & Piano; Sólarljód for soprano & piano

Solveig Kringelborn soprano; Ole Edvard Antonsen trumpet;
Wolfgang Plagge piano

Total time: 48.56

(GB pounds 14.50)

Listen to an extract

Roger Thomas in October 2002 International Record Review: "The Medieval Inspiration is exactly that, comprising three pieces involving various permutations of soprano, trumpet and piano. Plagge deals with the interconnections between early vocal music and various folk traditions in a highly refreshing way. Rather than smoothing over their discrepancies, Plagge allows their areas of tension to coexist by foregrounding them, just as he allows them to interpenetrate when that seems natural. The result is a curiously sparse and structurally explicit compositional style which is a perfect antidote toall the homogenized chill-out stuff which is currently being passed off as this kind of music."

Performed here by two of Norway's foremost musicians, Solveig Kringelborn and Ole Edvard Antonsen, with the composer.

2L Lindberg Lyd - 2L6: WOLFGANG PLAGGE:
ARS NOVA - The Legacy

Plagge: Concerto Grosso II for 2 pianos, Timpani & Brass Quintet;
Music for Two Pianos

Evgeni Koroliov and Ljopka Hadzi-Georgieva pianos,
Rolf Lennart Stensø timpani, Arctic Brass

Total time: 53.28

(GB pounds 14.50)

Listen to an extract

Roger Thomas in October 2002 International Record Review: "The Legacy has a similar basis to The Medieval Inspiration - Plagge avers that all his work is inspired by the musical thinking of the Middle Ages - but has a capricious, post-everything take on its subject. The Concerto Grosso II which opens this disc is particularly effective."

The recording features one of the world's foremost brass quintets Arctic Brass.

2L Lindberg Lyd - 2L7: BEETHOVEN - CELLO SONATAS

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.1 in F, Op.5/1;
Cello Sonata No.3 in A, Op.69; Cello Sonata No.5 in D, Op.102/2

Kristin Fossheim fortepiano and Bjørn Solum cello

Total time: 67.18

(GB pounds 14.50)

Listen to an extract

As a creative artist, Beethoven stood for constant renewal throughout his entire career and he never hesitated from sharing his innermost feelings with his listeners. The three sonatas on this CD were created in three different phases: meet the young, the struggling and the mature Beethoven in intense and lucid performances with fine sounding fortepianos.

2L Lindberg Lyd - 2L1: MELANKOLI

Kodaly: Adagio; Dowland: If My Complaints Could Passions Move;
Britten: Lachrymae Op.48; Part: Spiegel im spiegel; Joplin: Solace;
Kvandal: Elegi; Bloch: Meditation and Processional;
Liszt: Valse oubliee No.1; Romance oubliee;
Brahms: Spruch, Kanon; Gestillte Sehnsucht; Geistliches Wiegenlied

Morten Carlsen viola, Marianne Beate Kielland mezzo, Sergei Osadchuck piano

Total time: 71.15

(GB pounds 14.50)

Listen to an extract

Is ours really an age of melancholy? Compositions linked by the viola in a rich programme played by three young artists based in Norway.

EURIDICE - EUCD019: FRIDTHJOV ANDERSSEN (1876-1937):
COMPLETE ORGAN WORKS

Anderssen: Preludes, Fugues, Chorals, Marches;
Fantasy, Choral & Variations; Festpreludium over*

Bjørn Andor Drage organs of St Thomas' Leipzig and Kabelvag Lofoten Islands, with Arctic Brass*

Total time: 94.51

(2 discs - GB pounds 27.00)

The Norwegian composer Fridthjov Anderssen was born near Bodo in April 1876 and was taught to play the organ by the local church organist. He later studied at the Oslo and Leipzig Conservatories. He was the main church organist in Bodo from 1905 until his death in 1937 but many of his major works were composed in Leipzig. Appropriately, Bjørn Andor Drage plays these works on the Wilhelm Sauer organ of St Thomas' Leipzig and on the 1898 Olsen & Jorgensen organ of the big wooden parish church of Kabelvag in the Lofoten Islands.

MM MARINE - MM10032: IN THE NAVY

Music for military band by Mellemberg, Alford, Fucik, Urbach,
Spohr, Morali, Flick, Borg, Malcolm Arnold, Widquist, Sousa,
Thiele, Rydberg, Selvig & Zimmerman

Kongelige Norske Marines Musikkorps -
Royal Norwegian Navy Band, director Nigel Boddice

Total time: 51.11

(GB pounds 14.50)

An eclectic selection of music for military band (including Arnold's The Padstow Lifeboat) played by the excellent Norwegian Navy Band under their British music director. Nigel Boddice was for many years principal trumpet of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and was appointed music director in 1996.

ALBEDO - ALBCD012: VOICE STORIES

Alejandro Vinao: Masago's Confession; Hildegard's Dream;
Giacinto Scelsi: Ho; Taigaru; Luigi Nono: La fabbrica illuminata

Hilde Torgersen voice and electronics

Total time: 65.58

(GB pounds 14.50)

Contemporary music for female voice and electronics performed by one of Norway's foremost exponents.

BERGEN DIGITAL STUDIO - BD7036CD: DAVID MONRAD JOHANSEN
GUDBRANDSDALSTONEN

Johansen: Suite No.2 for piano, Op.9 "Fra Gudbrandsdalen";
Suite No.3 for piano, Op.12 "Prillar-Guri"

Sveinung Bjelland piano, Knut Kjøk fiddle, Reidar Svare vocal/flute

Total time: 55.29

(GB pounds 14.50)

Works inspired by the folk music of Gudbrandsdal by the Norwegian composer David Monrad Johansen
(1888 - 1974) in the original versions for solo piano and in "folk" arrangements