Stephen Biggins

Polymath Sir Stephen Hough has a growing reputation as a composer of chamber, choral and above all solo piano music with four sonatas and a constellation of dazzling arrangements to his name. This album presents the premiere recording of his first piano concerto, recorded by the pianist with The Hallé under Sir Mark Elder. Its subtitle ‘The world of yesterday’ deliberately places the work in a broader context of the pianist-virtuosi of yesteryear who composed and performed their own piano concertos as they toured the world.

Polymath Sir Stephen Hough has a growing reputation as a composer of chamber, choral and above all solo piano music with four sonatas and a constellation of dazzling arrangements to his name. This album presents the premiere recording of his first piano concerto, recorded by the pianist with The Hallé under Sir Mark Elder. Its subtitle ‘The world of yesterday’ deliberately places the work in a broader context of the pianist-virtuosi of yesteryear who composed and performed their own piano concertos as they toured the world.

The internationally acclaimed organist Stephen Farr presents his first J.S. Bach recording with the virtuosic Clavier-Übung III. Containing some of Bach's most stunning work, this collection demonstrates the composer at the height of his powers in composing for the organ and was one of the few works that Bach had published during his lifetime.
Recorded on the Metzler organ of Trinity College, Cambridge, this album follows Farr's contemporary organ recital on the same instrument released on Resonus Classics in 2012 - Jacquet's Ghost (RES10111). Clavier-Übung III is performed here in its entirety, complete with the four 'Duetti'.

Stephen Heller (1813-1888) composed (more or less) exclusively for the piano in manner as thoroughly romantic as Schumann, Chopin and Liszt. His music isn't quite the equal of either of those, of course, but it is still far, far above the standard salon music of his day. Heller did have a knack for memorable melodies and knew what to do with them, and there are some gorgeous, exquisitve and truly inspired miniatures among his output (curiously his study pieces seem to be in general better represented than his concert works).