Nicolas Medtne

A blithely youthful homage, this, to the patron saint of children. The earliest work on the disc, the posthumously published ‘Christmas suite’ Christ’s Nativity, dates from the 17-year-old Britten’s first year at the Royal College of Music; while its two companion pieces, the dramatic cantata St Nicolas and Psalm 150 (joyously celebrated here by the New London Children’s Choir and London Schools’ Symphony Orchestra), although written at approximately 15-year intervals thereafter, still sport their old school ties, having been composed as centenary offerings …….

Mark Pappenheim @ classical-music.com

Robert Orledge's research into Debussys sketches and incomplete drafts has resulted in the unearthing and reconstruction of numerous lost masterpieces, the piano versions of which are given their première recordings here. Unknown versions of famous pieces such as La Fille aux cheveux de lin and an unused movement from Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien appear alongside the ecstatic Prélude de lHistoire de Tristan. This uniquely valuable programme also includes the life-affirming suite for No-ja-li (Le Palais du Silence) with narration.