We reveal who’s recording what, and where…
It’s been a busy month over at Decca Classics HQ, with three new signings. Jess Gillam, 19, becomes the label’s first saxophonist. Already a familiar face on the BBC a er she made it to the final of BBC Young Musician in 2016, she’ll be beamed around the world later this year when she performs at the Last Night of the Proms. She’s joined on the label by composer Rebecca Dale, whose Requiem will be released later this year, and soprano Lise Davidsen – whose debut disc of Strauss and Wagner is in the diary for early 2019.
Decca isn’t the only label nurturing brilliant young artists. Cue relative newcomer Rubicon Classics. Violinist Stephen Waarts, recent Curtis Institute graduate and winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, has been in the Wyastone studio for his first disc. He joins forces with pianist Gabriele Carcano for violin sonatas by Bartók and Schumann.
John Butt and the Dunedin Consort are heading into the studio for two Handel projects this year, out on Linn Records. First up is Handel’s Ode to St Cecilia’s Day, for which the choir and ensemble are joined by tenor Ian Bostridge and soprano Carolyn Sampson. Later on, they turn to Handel’s Samson, with, we hear, an exciting twist on the choruses.
New York Polyphony is heading to the Spanish Renaissance for its latest disc for BIS. The programme is devoted to Francisco de Peñalosa, whose music the a cappella quartet has been performing in concert over the past few years. The group’s previous recordings include discs of Palestrina, Victoria and Byrd.
The Blossom Street Choir and its director Hilary Campbell have recorded an album of female composers for Naxos. Titled ‘This Day’, the disc marks the 100th anniversary of some British women getting the vote for the first time, and includes pieces by Elizabeth Maconchy and Kerry Andrew.