Recordings

This disc include the world premiere recordings of William Sterndale Bennett's Concerto in A minor (completed by Martin Yates), and the Concerto for two pianos, which Bennett wrote jointly with Alexander Macfarren.

With the Berkeley Ensemble: Sophie McQueen (violin) & Francesca Barritt (violin, Howell Quartet and Dare), Dan Shilladay (viola), Gemma Wareham (cello) & Tom Wraith (cello, Dare)

Despite his facility in playing the violin and the importance he attached to his lessons with Albert Sammons, Lloyd was relatively slow to compose works for his own instrument. It was not until 1970 that Lloyd wrote Violin Concerto No. 1, his first piece with a leading role for his own instrument, but this achievement seemed to stir his enthusiasm and during the next seven years he completed a number of pieces for violin and piano, a fully-fledged sonata and a second concerto.

With Michael Trainor (violin), Zahra Benyounes (viola), Jessie Ann Richardson (cello) & Ashok Klouda (cello)

This album delves into the Eastern European landscapes through the intimate lens of violin chamber music. It features compositions by Enescu, Janáček, and Prokofiev, highlighting the region’s rich contribution to the classical music canon. The pieces reflect the stark realities of nations in turmoil, with the composers’ experiences of war and suffering influencing their creation. While some works portray the horror and terror of conflict, others offer solace in the sweet nostalgia of childhood memories. Each piece harbours a powerful and intimate narrative, weaving through realms of imagination, folklore, and emotional depth. Coco Tomita

This is the fourth Romantic Piano Concerto album from Simon Callaghan, and that combination of talents which made his first three so successful—not least a flair for exploring the neglected byways of the Romantic repertoire, and the technique and musicianship to do them justice—proves just as compelling here.

Premiered at Wigmore Hall in 1909 by the composer, Cyril Scott's First Sonata Op.66 is a large-scale masterpiece, showcasing Scott's unique language and offering a glimpse into the style of his own playing. The frequent change of time signatures in Scott's music is said to have influenced Stravinsky, while Scott's music in general was admired by composers as revered as Claude Debussy and Percy Grainger, who played the Op.66 sonata many times in his recitals.

This CD brings together three prolific but little-known British composers: Dorothy Howell (1898-1982), Pamela Harrison (1915-90), and Madeleine Dring (1923-77). Working in the same country at the same time, these composers had much in common. All studied at either the Royal Academy or Royal College of Music, and went on to have dual careers as composer-performers. They wrote tonal music in a style that would fall out of fashion in the later twentieth century, which has certainly contributed to their disappearance from concert halls. And above all, they composed with a great sense of humour. The music on this disc sparkles with wit and energy. In the mid-twentieth century the two piano combination was popular both in the concert hall and for light entertainment. It proved a perfect medium for composers who liked to bring a lightness of touch to their work, allowing them to write pieces that were fun both to play and to watch.

Lyrita releases British Piano Concertos Volume 2 with Simon Callaghan and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (SRCD 416) on 4 September 2023, with three world première recordings of works by John Addison, Gordon Jacob and Edmund Rubbra. The album is conducted by Stephen Bell and George Vass.

With Miloš Milivojević (accordion)

With Raphael Wallfisch (cello)

A prolific composer, respected and influential in his lifetime—the Romantic Piano Concerto again turns up trumps with three concertos by Carl Reinecke.

With Hiro Takenouchi (piano)

Another amazing collection from the Rarities of Piano Music Festival in the North German city of Husum.

William Busch first mentions Rebecca Clarke in his diaries on 26 October 1927: “Went to a Gordon Byron concert – Brosa, Rebecca Clarke and John Slater, violin, viola and flute respectively – and heard new and old works – nothing particular. Then to CMC at the Court House. The Brosa Quartet played the String Quartets by Bax, Honegger and Hindemith.” There are 22 more references to Clarke until 1937. Busch performed Clarke’s music in August 1932, when he wrote “Broadcast from London Regional – I read Rebecca Clarke’s piece from the Manuscript.” They certainly talked a lot about music, and Bush played through her piano pieces as she composed them. On 30 August 1932 – William gave the first performance of Clarke’s Cortege, then his own ‘Gigue’.

With Clíodna Shanahan (piano)

As part of Vaughan Williams’s 150th anniversary celebrations, RVW150, this album gives listeners full insight into the composer’s works for violin and piano, played by Midori Komachi and Simon Callaghan, who have performed and researched the music of 20th century British composers to critical acclaim. Accompanying their performance is a CD booklet with photos specially taken with the artists at Leith Hill Place, Vaughan Williams’s childhood home. Additionally, based on extensive research in the manuscript archives, Komachi's liner notes in this booklet illustrate how these pieces encompass the composer's complete musical development.

Simon Callaghan, Martyn Brabbins and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales team up for this new recording which draws on the lighter side of musical life in repertoire which cannot fail to provoke a smile!

It was an utter delight to collaborate with violinist, Coco Tomita on her début album!

I was delighted to be invited as guest pianist by the London Piano Trio, for this exciting disc of contemporary works by Arnold Rosner and Carson Cooman, on Convivium.

With Adrian Farmer

The music on this album dates from the composer’s later years, and are largely based on themes from his earlier successes. The inspiration for Holbrooke’s music was almost always literary; hence, the large number of symphonic poems and pieces with literary titles or subtitles in his work list.

A special digital-only release for Christmas 2020

In a heart-warmingly similar situation ten years later, Poulenc was spending time with the granddaughter of one of his cousins. Noting that she became bored with the music he was playing, Poulenc put Brunhoff’s Babar on the piano and began to improvise, to the great delight of the young girl. The musical ideas born that day were to simmer away at the back of Poulenc’s mind until he completed the work in 1945. It was premiered on French radio the following year.

With Clare Howick (violin)

With Raphael Wallfisch (cello)

The story of British music for violin and piano is a fascinating one, but by no means as fully appreciated as it might be. It forms part of the broader genre of British chamber music, overshadowed by the breadth of orchestral, choral, and solo vocal music. Violinist Clare Howick and pianist Simon Callaghan pay tribute to the remarkable flourishing of British violin sonatas in the 20th century with a collection of music by six key figures of the modern chamber music renaissance in Britain.

Les Soirées de Nazelles and Carnaval are not only two of my favourite pieces to perform, but as some of the finest examples of sets of miniatures, they also make excellent companions on disc. It is such a pleasure to be able to present them both here, alongside another set of character pieces by Schumann, his much-loved Kinderszenen. Making this recording has been a true labour of love.

SOMM Recordings’ The Deeper the Blue offers an intriguing exploration of colour and timbre in music and a revealing investigation of the connections between four very different composers over a near-100-year period.

The two works by Sherwood presented on this disc were not published during the composer's lifetime and are recorded here for the first time, using texts prepared and edited by Hiroaki Takenouchi from manuscripts held by the Bodleian Library.

Felix Draeseke’s description of Nicodé as ‘more a moderate progressive than a cacophonist’—in contrast to his younger contemporary Richard Strauss—may have been intended as a compliment, but doesn’t begin to do justice to this profoundly enjoyable music, its several influences (most notably Schumann) never far away.

Dominic Childs and Simon Callaghan present an engaging recital of works either written by or inspired by women, and that were written with both piano and orchestral accompaniment in mind – the 1903 Rhapsodie by Claude Debussy sits alongside works by Fernande Decruck, Paule Maurice & François Borne.

Another amazing collection from the 32nd Rarities of Piano Music Festival in the North German city of Husum. A wide selection of interesting and often forgotten piano music played by some of the leading pianists of today.

Classical short pieces in unique combinations with cello, piano and bandonéon

Karel Bredenhorst and I are very pleased to present our first CD, on the new Cervo Chamber Music label! It was a wonderful experience recording in Cervo and the fantastic acoustic of the Oratorio di Santa Caterina is captured on this disc in some of the finest works for cello and piano. The first ever CD recording in Cervo, undoubtedly the first of many!

It is my great pleasure to be involved in this disc, released to celebrate Thea Musgrave's 90th birthday in 2018! I really enjoyed working with Nathan Vale, Simon Wallfisch and Hiroaki Takenouchi in her 'Poets in Love', a fascinating cycle of 17 poems spanning many centuries and languages.

Just what the Romantic Piano Concerto series does best: three works unlikely to be encountered in the concert hall, in performances by artists who wholeheartedly—and justifiably—believe in the music. The high expectations of this series are amply realised in volume seventy-six. Watch the trailer here.

My second CD with Karel Bredenhorst, recorded at the beautiful Oratorio di Santa Caterina in Cervo (Liguria) was released in December 2017.

Given the 'romantic' nature of these two sonatas, Saint-Saëns could have been forgiven for producing two-piano versions that treated the originals as bases for his own imaginings. In fact, as far as a fourth party can judge, he has been scrupulous in respecting the composers' intentions.

Simon Callaghan’s début concerto disc for Hyperion’s lauded Romantic Piano Concerto Series features the world premiere recordings of Roger Sacheverell Coke’s concertos with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins. Watch the trailer here.

The annual piano festival featuring rare repertoire started 30 years ago and the latest CD features a large selection of the works performed, all played by the leading pianists of today. All the previous years are available on the Danacord website.

World première recordings of works by Thomas Best.

Little is known about Derbyshire pianist and composer R.S. Coke though he was clearly valued during his lifetime and there is an entry about him in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Artists who admired his work include Eugene Goossens who conducted Coke's opera "The Cenci", Sir Henry Wood who conducted the composer's first symphony (broadcast on the BBC) and the Brosa Quartet who performed his chamber music. He was a friend of both Moiseiwitsch and Rachmaninov and dedicated his 2nd Symphony to Rachmaninov with his permission. Watch the trailer here.

Featuring works for two violins and piano, Warp and Weft brings together a fascinating variety of works written for this instrumentation by 20th and 21st Century British composers. It is a unique exploration, in which the two violins interweave lines to make a web of sound.

Our first volume of Delius’s orchestral music transcribed for two pianos provides us with a fresh and enjoyable slant on music which we most of us know and love. Hear an excerpt here.

Following SOMM’s successful release in 2012 of Volume I of arrangements for two pianos of Delius’s orchestral music (SOMMCD 0112) SOMM has now released Volume II transcribed by largely the same composers and friends of Delius in the same enjoyable, interesting mix as before.

Colours of the Heart is the début disc from emerging violinist Midori Komachi and Steinway Artist Simon Callaghan. Highly sought after for their performances of the Delius Violin Sonatas, these two award-winning artists based their album on the intriguing story of Delius and Gauguin.

Featuring James Barralet's new arrangement of Brahms’s 21 Hungarian Dances for cello and piano! There is no doubt that his compositional skill, coupled with his deep love and knowledge of the instrument have inspired him to make a wonderful transcription of these evergreens. Brahms had originally written the Dances for piano duet and also re-arranged them for solo piano.