AN ENGLISH PASTORAL
Ian Venables, Gerald Finzi, Ivor Gurney & Arthur Bliss Chu-Yu Yang violinEric McElroy piano SOMM 0700 Having recently reviewed the Naxos issue of Gurney’s songs, it is a pleasure to re-encounter the excellent Eric McElroy, now with a splendid chamber partner, in...
JOHN W. DUARTE: Guitar Music Volumes 1 – 4
The Belfort Guitar DuoThe Belfort Chamber EnsembleThe Belfort Chamber OrchestraQuartetto SantorsolaAntonio De Innocentis and Nicola MontellaFlavio Nati guitar Brilliant Classics 96184 / 96510 / 96658 / 2CD 96443 John W. Duarte (1919-2004) was something of a pioneer as...
Obituary: soprano Margaret Gale
The soprano Margaret Gale, who enjoyed much success with Sadler’s Wells Opera in the 1960s and 1970s, has died, aged 93. She was seen in such familiar parts as Musetta, Adele, Despina, Saffi (The Gypsy Baron) and Clorinda (La Cenerentola). For other opera...
Celebration to mark Edward Gregson’s 80th birthday
Saturday 14 June, 2.30pmSt. Elizabeth’s Church, Ashley Road, Ashley, Cheshire WA12 3QE BMS members are invited to share in a musical celebration of the creative life and music of Edward Gregson as he celebrates this milestone birthday in July. Eddie (b. 23 July, 1945)...
Events to mark Seiber anniversary
The Hungarian Cultural Centre London is hosting a series of events celebrating the 120th anniversary of the birth of Hungarian-British composer Mátyás Seiber (1905– 1960). Seiber was a pioneering composer who became the first professor of jazz at the Hoch...
Harpsichordist Alan Cuckston dies aged 84
1940 – 2025 Distinguished harpsichordist and BMS member Alan Cuckston studied with Fanny Waterman in Leeds where he was born on 2nd July 1940. I first encountered him as a young man at the start of his career in the mid-sixties playing in Leeds which opened a...
ENDLESS FASCINATION: The life & work of Thomas Pitfield
Born in Bolton in 1903, Thomas Pitfield was an almost exact contemporary of his fellow Lancastrian, William Walton. But he enjoyed none of the remarkable luck that saw Walton translated from Oldham to Oxford, and ultimately to an island in the Bay of Naples where he...
Dionysus Ensemble record John Joubert’s Octet
The Dionysus Ensemble has released the premiere recording online of John Joubert’s Octet. First performed in 1961 by the Melos Ensemble, this recording has been made in collaboration with Anna Joubert (John’s daughter) and her family. Scored for clarinet,...