Da-Hee Kim piano Premiere recording Listen to the opening measures of the sixth Prelude from Nicholas Scott-Burt’s 24 Preludes for Piano, and you might be forgiven for thinking this is actually by J S Bach, with its combination of rigour and elegance, counterpoint and Baroque flourishes. The ghost of Bach is also present in the…
Category: CD review
De Profundis – Charles Owen, piano
Playing of poetry, intelligence and quiet authority in Charles Owen’s new release De Profundis
The Mist on the Moors – the piano music of Reginald Redman
British pianist Duncan Honeybourne continues in his quest to bring lesser-known and rarely performed British piano music to the fore with his latest release – a collection of pieces by Reginald Redman.
Thomas Luke: ‘See Me Now’ – a confident, imaginative debut
‘an impressive debut that leaves one wanting to hear more from this confident and imaginative musician’
Schubert’s Winterreise: Love, Loss, and Hans Zender’s Modern Twist
If anything, Zender’s Winterreise is even bleaker than Schubert’s with its strong Expressionist flavour and rich sonic associations with contemporary repertoire and instrumentation.
Retrospecstive 2025: Adrian Ainsworth’s albums of the year
Putting this list together seems to take me a little longer each January, but I firmly believe that – my ‘winning’ approach to organisation aside – it’s simply because I’m privileged to discover so much more great music every year. Without any further delay, then, here are the (20)25 releases I’m keen to bring to…
‘Opus 109’ – Vikingur Olafsson
Olfasson brings a fresh perspective to well-known repertoire through thoughtful programming, finding intriguing connections and shining a new light on the familiar
Flowers We Are – Kurtág & Couperin
Yehuda Inbar, piano This new album from Israeli pianist Yehuda Inbar, released ahead of György Kurtág’s 100th birthday in February 2026, brings together music written over 200 years apart – a selection of pieces from different Ordres by Couperin and from various books of Játékok (‘Games’) by Kurtág, which juxtaposed and intertwined, reveal unexpected musical…
Small Treasures – Sarah Beth Briggs, piano
In her latest release, British pianist Sarah Beth Briggs celebrates the notion that “small is beautiful” in a selection of piano miniatures, including two of the greatest sets of miniatures ever written – Robert Schumann’s Waldszenen (Forest Scenes) and Brahms’s 4 Klavierstucke op. 119. These are interspersed with less familiar works by Clara Schumann and…
Odd Sympathies
Matthew Schellhorn, piano This new release from British pianist Matthew Schellhorn draws together an interesting and eclectic selection of piano pieces. As a long-standing champion of contemporary composers through commissions and premières, Schellhorn brings new music to a wider audience. The pieces on this new album all are by living composers, including Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Michael…
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