We’re delighted to announce the release of a debut recording of the Brahms Cello Sonatas by cellist Kate Bennett Wadsworth and pianist Yi-heng Yang, using an original 1870 Streicher piano and based on the latest historical performance research into Brahms’ own playing style.

Kate notes, ‘what excites me about studying Brahms-era performing practice is that some of his most trusted colleagues lived long enough to make recordings, so it is possible to piece together written descriptions with actual sounds. Yi-heng and I were especially inspired by the recordings of Brahms’ younger female colleagues, many of whom scaled back their public performing careers after marriage and thus were able to preserve a style of playing untouched by the revolutions of the 20th century.’

To learn more about Kate and Yi-heng’s approach, visit The Brahms Lab on Facebook – or have a look at the new Bärenreiter edition of the Brahms Cello Sonatas, which Kate co-edited with Clive Brown and Neal Peres da Costa.

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We’re thrilled to announce the release of Vol. 7 of Martin Roscoe’s cycle of Beethoven Piano Sonatas

The main part of this volume is devoted to the Op 31 Sonatas composed in 1802 at a time when Beethoven was probably in the darkest place of his whole life, early in his thirties with the realisation of his impending deafness. In October the same year, Beethoven wrote his famous Heiligenstadt Testament, a will in which he left everything to his two brothers and an outpouring of the despair he felt at the realisation that his deafness was only going to get worse.

Martin notes, “It’s astonishing that..Beethoven was able to be so prolific as he was at this time, and even more amazing that so many of his works are so full of spirit, energy and humour.” This volume also includes the D major No. 3, composed by Beethoven when was twelve – one of the most sophisticated and technically challenging of the three early WoO47.

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‘Elegie’ takes the listener on a journey through Rachmaninoff’s life from his early years in Russia, studying in Moscow and composing from his beloved country estate Ivanoka, before escaping the Revolution in 1918 to live in self-imposed political exile in Europe and America. He was never to return but left his heart forever in Russia…

This 2 CD collection by pianist Lucy Parham features narration by Henry Goodman.  More information / Buy CD

Keen explorers of new music, Trio Derazey spotlights the chamber works of award-winning Cecilia McDowall with this provocative programme in which in which McDowall draws inspiration from a variety of sources, ranging from a Beethoven String Quartet, poetry by Keats and Rainer Maria Rilke, Blackbird song and two Russian synaesthetes, Kandinsky and Scriabin.

This disc features ‘Cavatina  at Midnight’ commissioned by the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust and includes guests Sally Bartholomew (Bassoon), Mark Kesel (Trumpet), Matthew Scott (Clarinet).  More information / Buy CD

Late Night Lute a relaxing programme of music featuring new commission ‘The Miller’s Tale’ by Stephen Goss and masterpieces by Philip Rosseter, John Dowland, Robert Johnson, Alessandro Piccinini, and Johannes Kapsberger. More information / Buy CD

Inspired by his late night concerts, Matthew Wadsworth’s ‘Late Night Lute’ is the second and greatly antcipated disc for Deux-Elles.  The first, released in 2003 ’14 Silver Strings’ (DXL 1044) was named Gramophone Editor’s Choice.

This collection features ‘The Miller’s Tale’, composed for solo theorbo by Stephen Goss, commissioned for Wadsworth by guitarist John Williams, which received its world premiere at London’s Wigmore Hall in March 2017.

New Release – A new collection of works for violin and piano by Sara Trickey and Daniel Tong including the new work ‘Adonis,’ by David Matthews, inspired by Greek mythology and commissioned by the Presteigne Festival where it was first performed in 2007.  This disc also includes Matthews’ Aria’ and ‘‘Romanza’ alongside Gabriel Fauré’s ‘Violin Sonata in A, Op. 13’ and ‘Romance in B flat.’

More information