Michael Berkeley: Collaborations
Orchid Classics ORC100321
Alice Coote (mezzo)
BBC Singers
Julius Drake (piano)
David Gilmour (guitar and vocals)
Clare Hammond (piano)
Chris Hopkins (piano)
Mahan Esfahani (harpsicord)
Madeleine Mitchell (violin)
Owain Park (conductor)
Robert Plane (clarinet)
Rachel Roberts (viola)
Joshua Ryan (organ)
Neil Tennant (vocals)
Michael Berkeley (b. 1948):
Haiku 1: Birds
Notes on the Loss of a Friend
Haiku 2: Insects
Speaking Silence
The Magnolia Tree – Robert Plane (clarinet), Rachel Roberts (viola) and Chris Hopkins (piano)
Super Flumina Babylonis
Released by Love
Cradle Song
Listen, Listen O My Child
Zero Hour
Reviews:
Shortlisted for the 2024 Presto Awards.
‘Here’s a marvellously stylish showcase for some eclectic and characteristically communicative repertoire by the seemingly indefatigable Michael Berkeley (76 years young at the time of writing)… Not to be outdone, clarinettist Robert Plane teams up with viola player Rachel Roberts and pianist Chris Hopkins for a superbly compelling rendering of The Magnolia Tree, a strongly appealing, exquisitely crafted and (by the close) memorably serene 13-minute essay commissioned for the 2023 Presteigne Festival and inspired in large part by measures from Bach’s The Art of Fugue….Exemplary production values and presentation add further lustre to a conspicuously enterprising and rewarding issue.’ Gramophone Editor’s Choice September 2024
‘The list of celebrity performers on this album …… this is an attractive and unusual album.’ Financial Times June 2024