NMC Recordings featuring the works of Harrison BIRTWISTLE   ~   David BLAKE Harrison BIRTWISTLE (b. 1934)_________________NMC D200 Gawain       Gawain, Opera in 2 Acts Marie Angel, soprano, Morgan le Fay • Anne Howells, mezzo soprano, Lady de Hautdesert • Richard Greagor, tenor, Arthur • Penelope Walmsley-Clark, soprano, Guinevere • Omar Ebrahim, baritone, The Fool • Alan Ewlng, bass, Agravain • John Marsden, tenor, Ywin • Francois Le Roux, baritone, Gawain • Kevin Smith, countertenor, Bishop Baldwin • John Tomlinson, bass baritone, Th« Green Knight/Bertiltak de Hautdesert • Royal Opera Chorus • Orchestra of the Royal Opera House • Elgar Howarth, conductor More Information Harrison BIRTWISTLE (b. 1934)_________________NMC D156 Night's Black Bird       The Shadow of Night • Night’s Black Bird • The Cry of Anubis Owen Slade, tuba • The Hallé • Ryan Wigglesworth, conductor 'These three relatively recent works could be by nobody else, yet there is manifest development   …The Cry of Anubis is a perfectly plausible tuba concerto, with a superb soloist in Slade.   Wigglesworth admirably brings out key detail from fiendishly complex scores' - The Sunday Times It won the GRAMOPHONE AWARD for BEST CONTEMPORARY RECORDING in 2011 More Information Harrison BIRTWISTLE (b. 1934)_________________NMC D050 The Mask of Orpheus       3 CD Set Soloists include Jon Garrison, tenor • Peter Bronder, tenor • Jean Rigby, soprano • Anne-Marie Owens, mezzo-soprano • Alan Opie, baritone • BBC Symphony Orchestra • BBC Singers • Andrew Davis, Martyn Brabbins, conductors 'Unquestionably the greatest acheivement by a British composer in our time. Now, with the arrival of this magnificent recording, based upon a semi-staged performance at the Royal Festival Hall, there is at last a chance to explore it carefully … the performance is beyond praise' The Guardian 'This has to be one of the most important recording events of the decade' The Sunday Times GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER 1998 Harrison BIRTWISTLE (b. 1934)_________________NMC D138 Punch & Judy       ANCORA - 2 CD SET Phyllis Bryn-Julson, soprano • Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano • Philip Langridge, tenor • Stephen Roberts, baritone • David Wilson-Johnson, bass-baritone • John Tomlinson, bass • London Sinfonietta • David Atherton, conductor 'This brilliantly sung and played account has a gripping luridness that makes it hard to imagine how the work — a 1960s expressionist masterpiece — could be done differently, never mind better' The Sunday Times 'Still packing a punch after all these years… no CD collection should be without it' Gramophone Previously available on Decca Headline and Etcetera, it won a GRAMOPHONE AWARD in 1980 More Information Harrison BIRTWISTLE (b. 1934)_________________NMC D009 Ritual Fragment Melencolia I • Meridian • Ritual Fragment Antony Pay, clarinet • Mary King, mezzo-soprano • Michael Thompson, horn • Christopher van Kampen, cello • London Sinfonietta • Oliver Knussen, conductor 'Needless to say, the performances, as one would expect from Oliver Knussen and the London Sinfonietta, arehexemplary… no one should hesitate before acquiring this indispensable disc' Tempo GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE 1993. THE GUARDIAN PICK OF 1993 Harrison BIRTWISTLE (b. 1934)_________________NMC D148 Secret Theatre Carmen Arcadiae Mechanicae Perpetuum • Secret Theatre • Silbury Air London Sinfonietta • Elgar Howarth, conductor More Information Harrison BIRTWISTLE (b. 1934)_________________NMC D088 The Triumph of Time       ANCORA Gawain's Journey • Ritual Fragment • The Triumph of Time Philharmonia Orchestra • Erigar Howarth, conductor 'It is good to have [these] excellent recordings of two of the composer's major orchestral works resurrected from their Collins Classics grave by the ever-welcome new-music specialist label NMC' The Daily Telegraph David BLAKE (b. 1936)_________________________NMC D129 Violin Concerto       ANCORA In Praise of Krishna • Violin Concerto lona Brown, violin • Philharmonia Orchestra • Norman del Mar, conductor 'A lyrical and sensuous song-cycle makes a pleasing return to the catalogue … a significant issue on NMC's Ancora imprint' Gramophone Mark BOWDEN (b. 1979)_______________________NMC D214 Sudden Light Lyra • Five Memos • Heartland • Sudden Light Oliver Coates cello • Julian Warburton percussion • BBC National Orchestra of Wales • Grant Llewellyn conductor • Hyeyoon Park violin • Huw Watkins piano More Information Charlotte BRAY (b. 1934)_______________________NMC D202 At the Speed of Stillness At the Speed of Stillness • Fire Burning in Snow • Oneiroi • Replay • Songs from Yellow Leaves • Caught in Treetops Aldeburgh World Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder conductor • Lucy Schaufer mezzo-soprano • Alexandra Wood violin • Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Huw Watkins piano - Oliver Knussen conductor • Claire Booth soprano - Andrew Matthews-Owen piano More Information NMC Recordings are distributed in Australia by Rockian Trading, P.O.Box 44, Briar Hill, Vic, 3088, Australia Telephone (03) 9432 4149 ~ Facsimile (03) 9444 6879