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RAYFIELD ARTISTS NEWS ARCHIVE 
Kate Valentine gives a "heartbreaking" performance in her ENO debutKate Valentine made her "heartbreaking" ENO debut last week as Kathleen in Vaughan Williams' Riders to the Sea. The sudden death four days before opening night of conductor Richard Hickox, who had motivated ENO's first ever staging of Vaughan Williams' setting of the play by J. M. Synge, lent the evening a profound sadness. But the production, directed by Fiona Shaw in her own operatic directing debut, endured. Hailed as "exquisitely staged" (The Telegraph) and "inspirational" (The Independent), Riders to the Sea was lauded was its "outstanding young cast" (The Times), and Kate's performance as Kathleen acclaimed as "heartbreaking" by Edward Seckerson in The Independent and "vividly characterised" by Erica Jeal in The Guardian. Kate appears again at ENO in the New Year as First Lady in Nicholas Hytner's iconic production of The Magic Flute. _______________________________________________________________ 
New artist: tenor Richard Edgar-WilsonRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the addition of British tenor Richard Edgar-Wilson to its roster of artists. Richard is perhaps best known for his performances as the Evangelist in Bach's Passions and as an interpreter of English music, in particular the works of Benjamin Britten ("Richard Edgar-Wilson made a stunning Quint, with a refinement in his melismatic farewells to the boy worthy of Peter Pears himself." Independent on Sunday). He is also a prolific recitalist, having performed with Graham Johnson, Eugene Asti, John Constable, Julius Drake and Malcolm Martineau. He has collaborated with leading conductors such as Ivor Bolton, Philippe Herreweghe, Richard Hickox, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Neville Marriner, Marc Minkowski, Sir Roger Norrington, Trevor Pinnock and Sir David Willcocks, and performed at many of the world's leading opera houses including the Palais Garnier Paris, English National Opera and the Royal Opera House. Future engagaments include the Glass Maker Death in Venice at La Monnaie, conducted by Paul Daniel. _______________________________________________________________ 
"Monstrously satisfying": Matthew Brook's Polyphemus on Linn RecordsMatthew Brook has attracted excellent reviews once again for his most recent recording for the Dunedin Consort of Acis and Galatea, released on Linn Records: "…the monster Polypheme in a monstrously satisfying performance by Matthew Brook: one of the most compelling giants on disc in Handel's Acis and Galatea." (BBC Radio 3 CD Review, Andrew McGregor). Stephen Pritchard (The Observer) relished the intensity of his performance: "the tremendous Matthew Brook combines power and pathos as Polyphemus." For more information on this recording, please click here. Matthew is in high demand for his dramatic interpretations of oratorio repertoire, with engagements this season and beyond including Bach's St Matthew Passion for the Netherlands Bach Society; Bach's St John Passion with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Oleg Caetani; his debut appearance at the Tonhalle, Zurich this year in a concert conducted by Marcus Creed; as well as Nielson's Symphony no. 3 with the Hallé Orchestra and Mark Elder, Friar Tuck from Sullivan's Ivanhoe (Chandos recording) with Richard Hickox, and Zuniga in Carmen at the Opera Comique in Paris. _______________________________________________________________ 
Robin Blaze "exudes radiance" in his latest Bach recordingReviews of the latest Bach recording by Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan highlight once again the invaluable contribution of Robin Blaze as a featured soloist in the series. Paul Riley writes in BBC Music Magazine "Robin Blaze exudes radiance in the alto aria of BWV 137". Simon Heighes (for International Record Review) offers equally strong praise: "Robin Blaze [is] as intelligent and thoughtful as ever, delivering a particularly rich and strongly projected chorale in BWV 137"; as does Jonathan Freeman-Attwood: "The work becomes even more involving with Robin Blaze producing, in his ideal register, a delectable reading of the first aria." (The Gramophone). For more information on this recording please click here. _______________________________________________________________ 
Press accolades for Dame Gillian Weir's preeminent MessiaenAs the close of this Messiaen anniversary year draws near, organist Dame Gillian Weir remains a prominent presence in the classical music press. She features alongside Pierre Boulez and Pierre-Laurent Aimard in November's BBC Music Magazine, recounting memories of her meetings with Messiaen, and in International Record Review of the same month shares her devotion to prized pieces of recorded music in the feature 'Too Many Records'. Glowing Reviews of Dame Gillian's recording of the complete organ works of Messiaen, recently reissued by Priory (PRCD 921-926), crown the season. In Choir and Organ (September/October) Andrew Thomson commends her "superbly integrated performance", "textural clarity and architectural grasp", and concludes "one remains full of admiration for the sheer artistic and technical consistency of her grand enterprise". International Record Review selects the cycle as the preeminent recorded set in modern sound, hailing the performance as "absolutely magnificent", the musical values as "overwhelmingly persuasive" and extolling "the authority, the colours, the rhythmic precision and the visionary precision" of Weir's playing. "Fine as some of the rival versions are ", Nigel Simeone continues, "Weir's Priory set is the most satisfying for a complete overview. Messiaen's organ music constitutes an extraordinary testatment to religious faith in the twentieth century, and nowhere is that affirmed more persuasively than on these marvellous discs." _______________________________________________________________ 
Philadelphia Orchestra debut with Charles Dutoit for David Wilson-JohnsonBaritone David Wilson-Johnson has attracted universal critical praise for his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under its new Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit. Performances of Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette were major highlights of Dutoit's first season with the acclaimed orchestra, and part of the conductor's four-year focus on the French composer's music. In such exalted company, David Wilson-Johnson was commended in this "stunningly well-conceived performance" for his "subtle manipulations of colour" (The Philadelphia Inquirer) and "experienced artistry" (Gay City News) as Père Laurent. Also with Charles Dutoit, just a week later and this time with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, David Wilson-Johnson was applauded as "the best of the vocal soloists", "a superb singing actor" whose "always elegantly sung Mephistophles worked his devilish wiles" (Chicago Tribune) in performances of Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust. _______________________________________________________________ 
Gothic Voices' new Landini CD lands glowing reviewsGothic Voices' latest CD "A Laurel for Landini - 14th Century Italy's Greatest Composer" places the famous "blind organist of San Lorenzo, Florence" Francesco Landini in the context of his contemporary composers, demonstrating him to be the supreme master of his art. Also on the disc are "Laude" - monophonic Italian religious songs - adapted from Landini's compositions and providing an insight into the thin division in medieval times between spiritual and worldly life. For this CD Gothic Voices is joined once more by the renowned medieval harpist Andrew Lawrence-King. Elizabeth Roche has written glowingly in the Daily Telegraph: "There could be no better introduction to the delights of late-medieval music...enjoyably intriguing...Gothic Voices make imaginative use of varied scorings, and their lively, expressive performances are first class." Mark Sealey of MusicWeb International says "This CD is a delight. It countains music which is focused; intimate without being breathily urgent; lightly melodious and shot through with clean, expressive singing...Gothic Voices have the gift of being able to bring such music to life so effortlessly...This is an exciting, profound and excellently executed CD." Robert Levett in International Record Review praises the "superbly blended Gothic Voices" for this "fine release...the performances capture Landini's almost jazzy, syncopated rythms, lively counterpoint and melodic flourishes to perfection." Rebecca Tavener in Choir and Organ goes on to praise the group for "Taking intelligent and tasteful programming to even greater heights, Gothic Voices in "A Laurel for Landini" showcase the 14th century maestro in an ideal balance…exceptionally fine and virtuosic performance." The new CD is available from the AVIE website (please click on the photo) and there is also a new concert programme available, based on the contents of the new CD. _______________________________________________________________ 
Plaudits for The Cardinall's Musick's latest recording of Hieronymous PraetoriusThe Cardinall's Musick's latest CD release on Hyperion records featuring the music of Hieronymous Praetorius is already grabbing the critics' attention. Featuring three magnificent Magnicat settings as well as a selection of this most assured, expressive and original composer's shorter motets, Robert Levett of International Record Review magazine has said that "These are stunning performances, which is of course to be expected from this remarkable vocal ensemble". Classic fM Magazine went on to say "Hieronymus Praetorius gains his place in the sun with this outstanding release", awarding it 5 stars, and Anthony Pryer in BBC Music Magazine continued: "As one expects from [The] Cardinall's Musick, their interpretations are energetic, resourceful and varied, ranging from dramatic story telling in Videns Dominus to exquisite liquidity in the long lines of O vos omnes." This latest CD follows The Cardinall's Musick's first two releases on Hyperion featuring the music of Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, both of which won the coveted Gramophone Award for Early Music. We hope that with reviews like these, Hieronymous Praetorius will make it three in a row! _______________________________________________________________ 
Andrew Radley sings lead role in Jonathan Dove's FlightAndrew Radley will sing the lead role of Refugee in British Youth Opera's new production of Jonathan Dove's Flight conducted by Nicholas Cleobury at the Peacock Theatre (performances on 6, 10 and 12 September). Andrew has also sung Dove's The Far Theatricals of Day with Nicholas Cleobury, and other recent and future highlights include a production of Handel's Belshazzar with René Jacobs at the Aix-en-Provence and Innsbruck Festivals and at the Berlin Staatsoper singing First Wise Man and covering the roles of Daniel and Cyrus; Orindo in Admeto at the Goettingen Handel Festival with Nicholas McGegan; Didymus in Theodora with Laurence Cummings at the opening concert of the 2009 London Handel Festival and in Oslo; and Nireno Giulio Cesare with the Freiburger Barockorchester under René Jacobs in Paris and Spain. _______________________________________________________________ 
Gramophone Award nominations for Robin Blaze and the Fitzwilliam String QuartetRobin Blaze and the Fitzwilliam String Quartet are performers on two CDs that have reached the finals of the highly prestigious Gramophone Awards 2008. Robin Blaze's "heart-stopping" (The Gramophone) contribution to the Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki Bach Mass in B minor has been nominated in the Baroque Vocal section, and can be heard on the BIS label (BIS-SACD1701/2). Winner of the first ever Gramophone Chamber Music Award, The Fitzwilliam String Quartet with Anna Tilbrook accompanies James Gilchrist in a "wonderfully imaginative account of Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge and The Curlew" (The Gramophone), nominated in the Solo Vocal category. This superb recording on the Linn Records label (CDK 296) has received rave reviews from national and international press. back to news headlines
_______________________________________________________________more information on the Fitzwilliam String Quartet more information on Robin Blaze 
New Artist: bass-baritone Simon KirkbrideWe're delighted to announce the addition of bass-baritone Simon Kirkbride to the Rayfield Artists roster. Simon has in recent years enjoyed a full international career both on the concert platform and the opera stage, at opera houses and festivals including Glyndebourne, the Berlin Staatsoper, Opera National de Paris and Aix-en-Provence, and for conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, William Christie, Emmanuel Haim, Daniel Harding and Christophe Rousset. Engagements this season include Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream in Athens, Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte for Glyndebourne, Nazarene in Salome and Hobson in Peter Grimes for the Grand Theatre de Geneve, and Thaddeus in concert performances of Birtwistle's The Last Supper in Milan and Turin. _______________________________________________________________ 
Rayfield Artists at the Edinburgh FestivalThree Rayfield Artists singers appear at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, which ranks as one of Europe’s biggest and best cultural events. Countertenor Robin Blaze and bass-baritone Matthew Brook sing of fire and brimstone, leaping frogs and buzzing flies as they lead the Children of Israel to the Promised Land in Handel’s epic oratorio Israel in Egypt. Emmanuel Haïm conducts the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, in this sold-out performance on 13 August in Usher Hall. Matthew Brook performs again with John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir as soloist in Brahms’ Requiem and Schütz’s Musikalische Exequien in another sold-out performance in Usher Hall on 19th August. Kate Valentine enjoys her third successive appearance at the Festival and a leading role in Smetana’s The Two Widows. This flagship co-production between Scottish Opera and the Edinburgh International Festival runs at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre 9th, 11th and 12th August. For more information, Click here to visit the Edinburgh International Festival website. _______________________________________________________________
Rayfield Artists at the Three Choirs FestivalThe Three Choirs Festival is one of the oldest music festivals in the world, but Worcester Cathedral has a brand new organ, which Dame Gillian Weir plays in recital on Friday 8th August in a programme ranging from Bach chorale preludes to Messiaen's L'Ascension. Gothic Voices feature too, in a programme of medieval love songs by Machaut and Solage in Great Whitley Church on Wednesday 6th August. For more information, Click here to visit the Three Choirs Festival website. _______________________________________________________________ Scottish Opera lead role for Kate Valentine - REVIEWS ADDEDKate Valentine stars in her first leading role for Scottish Opera this month, whilst also making her third successive appearance at the Edinburgh International Festival. Kate made her Festival debut in 2006 in Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music with David Jones and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and appeared again last year as Second Women Dido and Aeneas under Nicholas McGegan. This year, Kate sings the eponymous role of Karolina in Smetana's The Two Widows, a tale of two young widows and their games of love and jealousy, conducted by Francesco Corti in his first producton as music director of Scottish Opera. For more information, visit the Edinburgh International Festival website. Once again, critical acclaim for Kate's performance has been glowing: " a star in the making, beautifully poised, witty and commanding the stage with her striking presence"; "Kate Valentine in sensational voice as Karolina" - The Sunday Times; "stupendously cast, with Kate Valentine in dazzling form as Karolina" - The Herald; "ideal for the task. As the gay Karolina, Kate Valentine was light and buoyant" - The Independent; "Kate Valentine proved a natural comedienne." - Financial Times Look out for Kate's next appearance, as Cathleen, in ENO's upcoming Riders to the Sea. _______________________________________________________________  New Artist: mezzo-soprano Louise WinterRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the addition of British mezzo-soprano Louise Winter to its roster of artists. Louise has performed at many of the world's major opera houses, including Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Toronto, Berlin, Frankfurt, Brussels and Barcelona, and her career encompasses concert performances with the world's leading orchestras and conductors, and numerous appearances at the BBC Proms. Look out for further information on this superb artist, coming soon to the Rayfield Artists website. _______________________________________________________________  Patricia Rozario opera première at Riverside StudiosPatricia Rozario premières Andrew Gant's one-women opera Don't go down the Elephant after Midnight at the Riverside Studios this weekend. Recently acclaimed by Gramophone, "a voice of liquid gold" and The Independent, "intensely musical", Patricia stars as Pat, a Mozart-obsessed taxi driver who makes a surreal journey through contemporary London with The Marriage of Figaro as her constant companion. Don't go down the Elephant plays at the Riverside Studios on Saturday 2nd August (8.30pm) and Sunday 3rd August (6.00pm). For more information and tickets visit the Tête à Tête Opera Festival website. _______________________________________________________________  Gothic Voices perform Medieval Songs by Royal CommandGothic Voices was honoured to perform in front of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall during the royal visit to The Commandery in Worcester on Tuesday 10th June. The ensemble sang whilst the company awaited the Royal couples' arrival and then sang a piece in their presence. After performing, the group was introduced to Prince Charles and his wife, whom they presented with a signed copy of their CD The Unknown Lover - "for the car journey home." Gothic Voices is performing later this year in the "Three Choirs Festival" at Great Witley Church on Wednesday, 6th August. For mor information please visit the Three Choirs Festival by clicking here _______________________________________________________________  5-star review for Patricia Rozario - "a voice of liquid gold"Reviews for Patricia Rozario's latest disc confirm her renown as an international artist and consummate performer of Sir John Tavener's music. Patricia performs three song cycles including To a Child Dancing in the Wind, and Melina for unaccompanied soprano, all reissued by RCA (RCA 88697217612) along with instumental work The Repentant Thief. Praise from critics has been unanimous: ***** Performance "To a Child Dancing in the Wind is performed with (…) loving devotion by soprano Patricia Rozario (…) Lamentation, Last Prayer and Exaltation achieves far more than seems possible with just solo voice and handbells" - Stephen Johnson, BBC Music "Patricia Rozario floats effortlessly with a voice of pure liquid gold, supported by particularly vivid and detailed recorded sound" - Marc Rochester, The Gramophone "The cycles of Yeats settings here - To a Child Dancing in the Wind and A Mini Song Cycle for Gina - are beautifully poised, unforced lyrics from the 1980s, lusciously sung by Patricia Rozario" - Andrew Clements, The Guardian "this rewarding disc (…) features the ravishing Patrizia Rozario in Yeats's song cycles To a Child Dancing in the Wind and the touching Mini Song Cycle for Gina , in which she is accompanied by the composer at the piano" - Stephen Pritchard, The Guardian _______________________________________________________________  Berlin Staatsoper debut for Andrew RadleyAndrew Radley has just made his operatic solo debut at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin in an ambitious staging of Handel's Belshazzar conducted by René Jacobs, with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. The production will go on to the Festival 'Aix-en-Provence and the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik. He will also sing Nireno Giulio Cesare this month, also for Jacobs and with the Freiburger Barockorchester, with performances in Paris, Madrid, Valladolid, and Castellon. In addition, he will take part in two more exciting operatic productions: this September he performs the lead role of Refugee in Jonathan Dove's Flight for British Youth Opera, and in 2009 he develops his international profile yet further with a return to the Göttingen Händel-Festspiele for their production of Admeto. _______________________________________________________________ Dame Gillian Weir's landmark Messiaen still tops the pollsDame Gillian Weir's landmark recordings of the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen (Priory PRCD921/26), first released in 1994, are still acclaimed as the finest performances of Messiaen's organ music committed to disc. The Gramophone (July 08) hails "the superlative Weir" as its must-have essential recording of the complete works alongside that of Messiaen himself. BBC Radio 3's Building A Library (31 May) hails her La Nativité du Seigneur (Priory PRCD921) as its first choice recommendation of the work; Jeremy Thurlow, comparing all available recordings, comments: "From the dazzling range of colours she produces, you can hear exactly why she chose the magnificent Frobenius organ at Aarhus Cathedral. Every movement is full of intensity, and when you hear her playing you can really feel the music bubbling over with an irrespresible sense of joy". Gillian Weir's ongoing contribution to the Messiaen centenary celebrations make for a busy year, with participation in the International Messiaen conference in Birmingham, Montreal's Messiaen Festival and Competition, and Messiaen recitals at Stanford University, Durham Cathedral and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, Music at Oxford in Christ Church Cathedral, and many others. Gillian Weir is delighted to have been invited to open the Westminster Abbey Organ Festival as part of the South Bank Centre's Messiaen Festival with a performance on July 15 of Méditations sur le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité, selected by The Gramophone as one of July's best events worldwide. Don't miss the chance to hear Gillian talk live about her recital on BBC Radio 3's 'In Tune' on Monday July 14. _______________________________________________________________  Rayfield Artists at the PromsRayfield Artists singers will make a very strong showing at this years BBC Proms season, with four artists taking part. Robin Blaze returns after a highly-acclaimed performance of Bach cantatas last year with Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan: "The discovery of the evening was Blaze's perfect little fragment of a solo cantata" (The Times). He performs the alto solos in Bach's St John Passion with Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir in Prom 51 on 24 August. Sharing the stage as bass soloist in the St John Passion is Matthew Brook, who made his Proms debut in 2007 with Gardiner and the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble in Campra's Requiem, and won high praise for his Christus in the Dunedin Consort's recent recording of the St Matthew Passion: "the outstanding Christus of Matthew Brook… is little short of masterful with the range of colour, risk and gentle courtesy he brings" (The Gramophone). Patricia Rozario makes her impressive 8th appearance at the Proms in the UK premiere of Sir John Tavener's Cantus Mysticus with the London Sinfonietta in Prom 56 on 27 August. With texts by Goethe and Dante, culminating in an ecstatic celebration of the Divine Feminine, this performance marks another landmark in the unique relationship between Rozario and Tavener, who has written over thirty works for her. Also in Prom 56, David Wilson-Johnson performs Tavener's early cantata The Whale, first heard 40 years ago under the baton of David Atherton in the London Sinfonietta's inaugural concert, and performed with Atherton again this year to celebrate the orchestra's 40th anniversary. _______________________________________________________________ New staff at Rayfield Artists Following intensive interviews, Rayfield Artists has appointed two new administrators, Elisabeth Fleming and Matthew Ross. They are both Cambridge graduates, and between them they speak fluent French, German and Italian and have over ten years of arts administration experience which will prove invaluable to the growth of the agency. Liz currently manages English Voices, a professional choir which works regularly with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Academie für Alte Musik Berlin, and Concerto Vocale, and Liz has also been the company manager for the Cambridge Handel Opera Group for the past six years. Matthew is currently the Personal Assistant to internationally renowned conductor Ivor Bolton, and previous positions include manager of Clare College Choir in Cambridge and Planning Assistant at the OAE. We are delighted that Liz and Matthew have joined the Rayfield Artists team. _______________________________________________________________  Matthew Brook's "masterful" St Matthew PassionFollowing glowing reviews last year of Matthew Brook's bass solos in the Dunedin Consort's Messiah for Linn Records (Gramophone Award Winner 2007), the same collaboration sees his "powerful Jesus" (The Independent) take centre stage on their new recording of Bach's St Matthew Passion (Linn CKD 313). Jonathan Freeman-Attwood rates his interpretation of the final bass aria, 'Mache dich, mein Herze, rein', as "little short of masterful with the range of colour, risk and gentle courtesy he brings to this superlative emblem of unswerving faith" (The Gramophone). Brook captures the essence of the work in his "forthright, very human" (The Daily Telegraph) representation, and the interaction between Evangelist and Christus is of the highest level: "… it is Mulroy's identification with the outstanding Christus of Matthew Brook which raises the stakes in this performance. The timing between the two and the realism of the musical choreography is both remarkably patient and animated" (The Gramophone). Future engagements this season include performances in major concert halls all over Europe, with notable debut appearances with the Tonhalle-Orchester, Zurich (an all-Bach programme for conductor Marcus Creed) and the Edinburgh International Festival (two performances: Handel's Israel in Egypt under Emmanuelle Haïm and a Schütz/Brahms concert with the Monteverdi Choir and Sir John Eliot Gardiner), as well as a BBC Prom (St John Passion, also with the Monteverdi Choir and Sir John Eliot Gardiner). _______________________________________________________________  Three World Premieres in one night for Kate ValentineKate Valentine, recently signed to Rayfield Artists, has wowed critics with performances in Scottish Opera's innovative opera project Five:15. Kate garnered praise across the board for her performance as deaf and dumb Grizel in The King's Conjecture: "a starry central performance from Kate Valentine" - Financial Times; "the remarkable Kate Valentine" - The Stage; "the finest performance came from Kate Valentine, whose vibrant soprano, crisp diction and ardent presence lent several of the drabber pieces a degree of glamour they did not merit" - The Independent; "a beautiful soprano aria, a highly charged climax and a starry central role for Kate Valentine, who has developed in leaps and bounds since her Rosalinde for Scottish Opera's Fledermaus" - Opera. She also turned heads with her expressive characterization as Maria in Gesualdo, set to a libretto by number-one best selling crime novelist Ian Rankin: "Valentine again shone in the smaller part of Maria, this time as much for her histrionic charisma as for her personable soprano" - Opera. This season for Scottish Opera Kate sings Karolina in Smetena's The Two Widows at the Edinburgh International Festival and covers Alice Ford in Falstaff. Next season bring the exciting prospect of two company debuts: First Lady in The Magic Flute for ENO and Constanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail for Opera North. _______________________________________________________________  New Artist: Fitzwilliam String QuartetRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the addition of the legendary Fitzwilliam String Quartet to its artist list. The quartet, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2009, has a long history of collaborations with leading composers and musicians - most notably its personal association with Dmitri Shostakovich, for whom it gave the Western premières of his last three quartets, before becoming the first ever group to perform and record all fifteen. Its extensive repertoire encompasses not only all the great masters but also many works by contemporary composers, and its performances, invariably infused with a refreshing combination of depth and vitality, have been heard in major concert halls across Europe, Russia, North America, Africa, and the Far East. It is the only quartet equally at home performing on both period and modern instruments, a tribute to the extraordinary technique and flexibility of the players. The quartet has an enviably wide-ranging recording catalogue: its complete cycle of the Shostakovich Quartets for Decca Records won the first ever Gramophone Award for Chamber Music in 1977 and later a coveted Penguin Record Guide rosette, and it remains pre-eminent having been recently included in Gramophone's "Hundred Greatest-ever Recordings". The quartet's current collaboration with Linn Records is proving very fruitful - its first recording with the company of Haydn's Seven Last Words received nothing but the highest praise ('A chaste, inward reading [of the Seven Last Words], deeply musical and thoughtfully articulated......I'll stick with this beautifully balanced new recording.' - The Gramophone) and was followed by equally well-received discs of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet and a disc of 20th century English songs with piano quintet (including Vaughan Williams's On Wenlock Edge), in which it collaborated with James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook. Future plans include recording string music by Purcell, the Bruckner String Quintet, and the complete quartets of Tchaikovsky for Linn Records as well as invitations to perform all around the UK, and in the USA, South Africa, Switzerland, Denmark, Greece and Turkey. _______________________________________________________________  Outstanding reviews for Julia Sporsén's Donna AnnaJulia Sporsén's recent début with English Touring Opera has met with outstanding success. Her fiery portrayal of Donna Anna is inspirational and persuasive, and a tribute to the dramatic qualities of this rising star. Critical acclaim has been unanimous: "Julia Sporsén's gorgeously sung Donna Anna" - The Independent; "Julia Sporsén showing great promise as Donna Anna" - The Daily Telegraph; "Julia Sporsén makes Donna Anna an avenging fury, with steely tone and menacing coloratura" - The Sunday Times; "Julia Sporsén's Donna Anna…sings with a full-blooded intensity" - The Times. The tour continues throughout April and May. For more details please visit the ETO website by clicking here _______________________________________________________________  New Artist: soprano Mhairi LawsonRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the signing of one of the UK's most sparkling baroque sopranos, Mhairi Lawson. Mhairi has just started rehearsals at New York City Opera in the Mark Morris production of Purcell's King Arthur in which she made her ENO debut in 2006 to excellent reviews ("…'Fairest Isle' sung here with immense poise by Lawson…" - The Independent; "...Mhairi Lawson shone in 'Fairest Isle'.." - The Telegraph; "The work’s best-known number, 'Fairest Isle', is delivered beautifully by Mhairi Lawson in a tableau all the more effective for its stillness." - The Evening Standard). More information and performance dates can be found on the NYCO website. Mhairi continues to perform regularly in opera houses and concert halls worldwide with such ensembles as Les Arts Florissants, The Gabrieli Consort and The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and with many leading conductors such as William Christie, Sir Charles Mackerras, Paul McCreesh, Jane Glover and Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and she has a specially close relationship with the virtuoso baroque band La Serenissima with whom she has made several recordings of Vivaldi arias. _______________________________________________________________  Gramophone Editor's Choice and Radio 3 Record of the Week for Rebecca OutramRebecca Outram's latest recording of Handel's Esther on Somm Records has been receving the highest critical plaudits, including the Record of the Week on BBC Radio 3's CD Review programme, as well as Editor's Choice in the January issue of Gramophone, where James Inverne said "Handelians will be flocking to this one, but so should everybody...An exciting, important and touching recording." Rebecca sings the role of Israelitish Woman in an all star cast that includes Rosemary Joshua and James Bowman, with the London Handel Orchestra under Laurence Cummings. Rebecca will be in the studio again next month recording Handel's Il Parnasso in Festa with the King's Consort. _______________________________________________________________ New Artist: Kate ValentineRayfield Artists is delighted to announce the signing of another very exciting young talent, soprano Kate Valentine. Kate graduated from the National Opera Studio in 2006, and has already sung the Countess for Glyndebourne On Tour, Rosalinde for Scottish Opera and a particularly successful Donna Anna for the Samling Foundation directed by Sir Thomas Allen. Having just finished covering Konstanze for Scottish Opera, she will remain with the company for the rest of the season covering the role of Alice Ford, and singing in two new short operas (Grizel in The King’s Conjecture and Maria in Gesualdo) as part of the five:15 chamber opera series as well as one of the title roles (Karolina) in Smetana's The Two Widows. _______________________________________________________________ Two important new Bach CD releasesfor Robin Blaze Robin Blaze continues to feature as a star soloist in Masaaki Suzuki's ongoing Bach recording project with the Bach Collegium Japan for BIS records. The two latest releases mark a high-point for Robin's contribution. The first is the monumental Mass in B Minor, and Gramophone has already described his contributions as follows "...the 'Et in unum Dominum' (with the admirable Carolyn Sampson and Robin Blaze) reveals its expectant delights, as does Blaze's heart-stopping 'Agnus Dei'." You can hear the entire Agnus Dei track by clicking here. The second release is a complete disc of Bach's solo cantatas for counter-tenor, featuring the cantatas Gott soll allein BWV169, Vergnügte Ruh BWV170 and Geist und Seele BWV35. Gramophone magazine was again effusive in its praise: "this accounts to a reading of some substance...Witness more golden Blaze in the last cantata to cap a disc of especially committed and engaged performances." Berta Joncus, on Radio 3's CD Review programme went even further saying "[Robin Blaze] just shines literally throughout this disc...Blaze is an extraordinary interpreter when it comes to sensitivity to text. I don't think I've ever heard such a seductive, limpid beauty of tone that has so much emotion behind it". For more information please click here. _______________________________________________________________ New Artist: David Wilson-JohnsonRayfield artists is delighted to have taken over the exclusive UK management of British baritone David Wilson-Johnson. David continues to enjoy a busy concert diary, and performances this season include Handel's Theodora with the SCO, Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri with Simon Rattle and the OAE, Berlioz's L'Enfance du Christ with Ivor Bolton in Salzburg, Tippett's Child of our Time with Andrew Davis and the RPO, and a BBC Prom of Tavener's The Whale with the London Sinfonietta and David Atherton. His discography continues to grow, and his latest CD of Handel's Solomon with Daniel Reuss and the Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin has inspired glowing reviews. _______________________________________________________________ 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. _______________________________________________________________  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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