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RAYFIELD ARTISTS NEWS ARCHIVE  New Artist: Julia SporsénRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the signing of another exciting young singer, the soprano Julia Sporsén. Julia recently graduated from the RAM Opera course where performances as Arminda (La Finta Giardiniera), Armida (Rinaldo), Iphise (Rameau’s Dardanus) and the title role in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta have won her great critical acclaim, Warwick Thompson's comment in the Metro being particularly telling: “Swedish soprano Julia Sporsén (Iolanta) has a thrillingly powerful voice - a core of steel wrapped in a casing of velvet”. This season she will sing Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) for English Touring Opera and Micaela (Carmen) for Clonter Opera. _______________________________________________________________  Andrew Radley wins Susan Chilcott ScholarshipCounter-tenor Andrew Radley has just been announced as one of the recipients of the prestigious 2007 Susan Chilcott Scholarships. The Susan Chilcott Scholarship was established in memory of Susan Chilcott (one of the outstanding singers of her generation, who died tragically from cancer in 2003 aged 40) and provides funding to enable talented singers to continue studying. The award will allow Andrew to travel to Italy for private study and language lessons. More details about the scholarship can be found here. _______________________________________________________________  New Artist: Emma CurtisRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the addition of contralto Emma Curtis to its roster. Emma was until recently on contract at the Staatstheater Stuttgart where she performed a wide range of roles from Monteverdi to Janacek and Schoenberg. Emma is a particlurly strong baroque performer, with notable appearances in Göttingen conducted by Nicholas McGegan ("the singers' laurel goes to contralto Emma Curtis, with amazing vocal presence as coquettish sheperdess Irene" - Hessisch-Niedersaechsische Allgemaine) and Aspen conducted by Harry Bicket ("a statuesque contralto with a luscious lower range" - New York Times). This season she will be singing Eduige in Handel's Rodelinda for Portland Opera in the US, as well as a programme of Lully and Charpentier with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants around Europe. _______________________________________________________________  Double Gramophone Awards successThe Cardinall's Musick have won this year's Gramophone Award for Early Music for their tenth instalment of their on going series of William Byrd's music for Hyperion Records. The Cardinall's also won the award in the same category last year for their disc of Thomas Tallis (described in The Daily Telegraph as "one of Tallis's very best 500th birthday presents"), the first time any ensemble has won this award in consecutive years. Added to their award in 1995 for the music of Robert Fayrfax, this brings the Cardinall's Musick's tally of Gramophone Awards to three, a feat only once previously achieved (by Gothic Voices).  In the Baroque Vocal category, one of Rayfield Artists' latest signings bass-baritone Matthew Brook was the soloist on the Dunedin Consort's award winning recording of Handel's Messiah on Linn Records. Described in the Guardian as "an authoratative bass" for his interpretation, this now goes to the top of the list of recommended recordings of this ever-popular work._______________________________________________________________  Patricia Rozario returns to the Wigmore HallInternational soprano Patricia Rozario takes centre stage as the Wigmore Hall later this month for the world premiere of John Casken’s Chanson de Verlaine written specially for her by the composer. Her much anticipated appearance with renowned pianist Julius Drake offers a rare and fascinating insight into composers responding to languages not their own. Featured works include Liszt’s Victor Hugo Settings and a selection from Tavener’s remarkable Schuon Lieder recorded by Patricia, who worked closely with the composer on this ambitious project. The recital takes place on Friday 28th September at 7:30pm, and you can catch Patricia and Julius live in interview on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune on Wednesday 26th for a sneak preview. For more information, and to buy tickets for the recital, please visit the Wigmore Hall website by clicking here. _______________________________________________________________  New Artist: Matthew BrookFollowing his wonderful performance in Campra's Requiem at this year's BBC Proms conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Rayfield Artists is thrilled to announce the signing of bass-baritone Matthew Brook. Matthew's flexible and characterful voice makes him a most versatile artist, with recent recording credits as diverse as Handel's Messiah for Linn records, Mozart's Requiem on Warner Classics, Berlioz's L'enfance du Christ for the BBC, and Counsel in Trial by Jury for Chandos records, both under Richard Hickox. Future highlights include Bach's St Matthew Passion for the Netherlands Bach Society, Bach's St John Passion with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Bach Cantatas in Leipzig and Dresden and Brahms' Requiem in Vienna, Cologne and Paris with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, as well as recording the role of Friar Tuck from Sullivan's Ivanhoe for Chandos. _______________________________________________________________  Emma Kirkby made a Dame in the Queen's birthday honoursThe announcement has been made that Emma is to be included in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, published on 16th June 2007. Arrangements for receiving the award are still to be finalised, but will take place within the next five months. Emma says “My greatest pleasure has always been to work collaboratively, drawing inspiration from musicologists, directors and colleagues both vocal and instrumental. I am deeply grateful for this honour, which I see as a celebration of the powers of ensemble, clarity and stillness, beyond those of volume and display.” _______________________________________________________________ Diapason d'Or for The Cardinall's Musick's latest Byrd recordingThe premier French reviewing magazine, Diapason, has awarded a coveted Diapason d’Or to The Cardinall's Musick's latest disc Laudibus in sanctis (volume 10 of the Byrd series). The recording has been universally acclaimed by the critics, with comments such as: "If, according to Burney, the Mannheim orchestra of 1772 was 'an army of Generals', the Cardinall's Musick of 2006 is surely 'an exaltation of larks'... Performances of exquisite perfection" (International Record Review) "The 12 voices sing out, individuality intact and ideal for airing the awesome polyphony of Byrd's Latin motets, both fervent and meditative" (The Times) "This is the tenth disc in the ensemble's complete recordings of Byrd, but the first in the series with Hyperion... [The] engineering gains and the artists' freshness and conviction make this recording a high-water mark in the project. Carwood has captured the passion, delicacy and complexity of England's greatest Renaissance composer" (BBC Music Magazine) "The grasp that Andrew Carwood and his Cardinall's Musick group have on Byrd's scores now seems unassailable; the fluidity and elevated level of internal detail in the opening 'Laudibus in sanctis' sets out their stall for the rest of this thoughtfully conceived album" (Choir & Organ magazine) " … Le volume X atteint une variété sonore qui rend justice à tous les registres du programme, jusqu'aux passages madrigalesques les plus échevelés, Apparebit in finem le premier. Toujours à un par voix, brillamment conduits, ces excellents chanteurs magnifient avec autant de maîtrise que d'engagement un immense compositeur. Magistral" (Diapason) _______________________________________________________________  New Artist: Mark ChaundyRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the signing of another exciting young singer, the tenor Mark Chaundy. Until recently an associate artist at Welsh National Opera, Mark is equally at home in the romantic lead roles of Alfredo, The Duke of Mantua and Lensky as in Mozart and Handel. Mark was recipient of the first Susan Chilcott Scholarship, is a Samling Scholar, and has won the National Federation of Music Societies Award. Recent highlights include a concert tour for Scottish Opera, a recital at St. David’s Hall in Cardiff, Brubeck’s La Fiesta de la Posada at the Barbican and Mozart's Jewel Box for Bampton Classical Opera, and Messiah performances with the CBSO. He looks forward to further recitals with Iain Burnside and Rebecca Evans, a Samling Recital at the Wigmore Hall, Berlioz Te Deum at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, and Romeo in Benda's Romeo and Juliet for Bampton Classical Opera. _______________________________________________________________ New Artist: Patricia RozarioRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the addition of soprano Patricia Rozario to its artist roster. Her unique voice and artistry has inspired several of the world’s leading composers to write for her, most notably Arvo Pärt and Sir John Tavener who alone has written twenty-six works for her. Patricia’s wide concert and opera repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music and she has sung with Solti, Ashkenazy, Jurowski, Belohlavek, Gardiner, Pinnock and Andrew Davis, sung opera at Aix-en-Provence, Amsterdam, Lyon, Lille, Bremen, Antwerp, Wexford, The English National Opera, Glyndebourne Touring and Opera North and concerts in USA, Russia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia, Spain, France, Holland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Czech Republic and at all the major UK venues. _______________________________________________________________  Rayfield Artists office moves to the South BankThe Rayfield Artists office has moved to new premises on the South Bank. The office is located in Southbank House, which dates from the 1800's and was built as Royal Doulton's principal office. It still retains many original features including Sir Doulton's tower from where he watched his barges on the Thames. Located on Black Prince Road, on the south bank of the Thames, it enjoys a superb central London location with the Palace of Westminster on the opposite bank and the London Eye a short walk away. Full contact details can be found here _______________________________________________________________  New Artist: Robin BlazeRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the addition of counter-tenor Robin Blaze to its artist roster. Robin works with most of the distinguished conductors in the early music field including Christophers, Gardiner, Herreweghe, King, Koopman, Leonhardt, MacKerras, Pinnock and Suzuki, with whom his many recordings of Bach have been particularly praised by the critics. Robin also works with many of the major orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington, Royal Flanders Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic and The Hallé Orchestra. He has made over 50 recordings of works by Adès, Bach, Blow, Buxtehude, Handel, Lawes, Purcell, Vivaldi and Zelenka with Hyperion, BIS, Challenge, EMI, DG Archiv and Harmonia Mundi amongst others. Robin is equally at home on the opera stage, having sung at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, and at the Göttingen Handel Festival, and his roles include Handel's Bertarido (Rodelinda), Athamus (Semele), Didymus (Theodora), Guido (Flavio), Arsamenes (Xerxes) and Hamor (Jephtha), as well as Britten's Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream. _______________________________________________________________  Rave reviews for the latest Gothic Voices
recordingGothic Voices' new recording "The Unknown Lover - Songs by Solage and Machaut", released on the AVIE label on 25 September has been greeted with universal acclaim. Most recently Robert Levett has said in the December issue of International Record Review: "Over the last 25 years the ensemble has delighted listeners with performances of the utmost clarity and beauty. Those contained on the latest release are no exception: listen to tenor Steven Harrold in the opening track, Solage's Le Basile ('The Basilisk') as he bewails the effects of envy and deceit while his three companions negotiate the accompaniment with great precision and a real feel for the highly syncopated rhythms; or the same composer's astonishingly modern-sounding Fumeux fume par fumee ('From dreams the dreamer dreams') in which descending motifs explore distant tonalities, the low tessitura further adding to the hypnotic effect; or mezzo Catherine King's affecting simplicity in Machaut's monophonic Se je souspir parfondement ('If I sigh deeply')...the music itslef is allowed to impact upon the listener, such is the pristine balance and intonation of the singers." Berta Joncus awarded it 4 stars in BBC Music Magazine's October issue, saying: "The performance triumphantly affirms the ensemble's claim to fame, and establishes that of Solage. Gothic Voices continue to exude vitality while masterfully controlling the most complex structures. Solage's output brings out their distinctive strengths: precision (of intonation, voice exchange and blend), edginess (of tempos and line), and clarity (of timbre and pronunciation). Perhaps most impressive is their facility for making highly esoteric music, including the vocalised accompaniment, engaging without compromising it's sophistication." Mary Berry wrote in the November issue of The Gramophone “The singers manage with perfect ease the long vocalisations and rhythmic complexities of some of the ballades, for example S'aincy estoit: their performance flows as naturally as a gentle stream” While Andrew Stewart wrote in Classic FM Magazine's November issue: “After a quarter of a century as mainstays of Hyperion's catalogue, Gothic Voices go it alone with their debut Avie release. The intricate poetic art and refined music of Guillaume de Machaut, servant to the king of Bohemia, and a shrewd politician, supplies part of their mouth-watering medieval programme. The balance holds the complete surviving works of Solage, best known for his Fumeux, fume par fumee, probably written for an eccentric literary clique in the 1380's. Gothic Voices catch hold of the extravagant weirdness of works written with highly educated connoisseurs in mind, propelling them into the 21st century with irresistible dash and enthusiasm.” _______________________________________________________________  New Artist: Dame Gillian WeirRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the addition of world-renowned concert organist Dame Gillian Weir to its artist roster. With forthcoming recitals in Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, Durham Cathedral and on tour in Europe and the USA, as well as concerto dates with the Ulster Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra , Gillian maintains her place at the forefront of her profession having won the admiration of audiences and critics alike. _______________________________________________________________  Another Gramophone Award for The Cardinall's
MusickThe Cardinall's Musick have been awarded the 2006 Gramophone Award for Early Music for their disc of the works of Thomas Tallis. This is a wonderful achievement, and promises great things for the new collaboration between The Cardinall's Musick and Hyperion Records. The Gramophone Awards issue says: "Recorded during the composer's 500th anniversary year, Andrew Carwood's recording of some of Tallis's most beautiful Latin settings captures the passion and devotion of the period. The Cardinall's Musick sing with a vibrancy that makes Tallis's musical feats of skilful audacity sound every bit as surprising and exciting as they would have done half a millennium ago. The monumental "Gaude Gloriosa" takes well deserved centre stage, but in its entirety this disc is a sublime tribute both to one of England's greatest composers, and to the skill and conviction of one of today's finest ensembles". This follows up on The Cardinall's Musick's previous Gramophone Award for Early Music for their CD of the music of Fayrfax on ASV records. _______________________________________________________________  September is an exciting month for Gothic
VoicesFirstly, and possibly most excitingly, their new CD, "The Unknown Lover - the complete works of Solage", was released on September 25th on the Avie Records label. BBC Music Magazine have already reviewed the disc, saying "The performance triumphantly affirms the ensemble's claim to fame, and establishes that of Solage. Gothic Voices continue to exude vitality while masterfully controlling the most complex structures. Solage's output brings out their distinctive strengths: precision (of intonation, voice exchange and blend), edginess (of tempos and line), and clarity (of timbre and pronunciation). Perhaps most impressive is their facility for making highly esoteric music, including the vocalised accompaniment, engaging without compromising it's sophistication.". Secondly, to emphasise Gothic Voices pre-eminence in the world of medieval vocal music, Hyperion Records have released a box set of three of Gothic Voices' earlier CDs, all of which have won the prestigious Gramophone Award for Early Music. Last, but not least, The Early Music Show on BBC Radio 3 on Saturday 23rd September was completely devoted to Gothic Voices in this their 25th anniversary year. It included the opportunity to hear some of the tracks from the new CD for the first time, as well as interviews with all the members of the group, in a programme that celebrated their glorious history, as well as their exciting plans for the future. _______________________________________________________________  The Cardinall's Musick “on triumphant form” in
YorkThe Cardinall's Musick continue to wow audiences with their own dynamic brand of music-making. They have just performed as part of the York Early Music Festival in a new programme based on the lives of the Tudor monarchs. Geoff Brown of The Times certainly liked it, saying: “The Cardinall's, in any case, could make music out of a John Prescott speech. Clear tones; perfect intonation; an ideal balance between individual colour and an ensemble blend; emotional directness: Monday night found them on triumphant form”. |
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