Recent Projects - a quick tour of what we are up to ....

Frédéric Chaslin - Wuthering Heights - a major new opera

Wuthering Heights is a major new opera composed by Maestro Frédéric Chaslin, on a libretto by P.H. Fisher based on Emily Bronté's gothic romance. Currently in post-production, it was recorded by The Classical Recording Company in September 2008 and September 2009 with the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valencia, and the LSO & Philharmonia Choruses from London, at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia - the stunning new opera house in Valencia, Spain.

Soloists include the tenor Andrew Richards as Heathcliff, the soprano Olga Peretyatko as Cathy, the baritone Leigh Melrose as Hindley and the mezzo-soprano Constance Hauman as Nelly.

The multitrack recording was produced by Simon Weir and engineered by Morgan Roberts and Bertram Kornacher with technical facilities supplied by CRC in London and our partner Cable Musical in Madrid and will be released in 2010.
www.chaslin.com  www.lesarts.com

Clelia Iruzun - in recital at Menuhin Hall

November 2009 will see the release of a musically and visually stunning 90 minute DVD featuring the Brazilian pianist Clelia Iruzun, filmed in the magnificent Menuhin Hall at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Surrey, England.

With her combination of colourful Brazilian spirit and musicianship, London based pianist Clélia Iruzun is one of the most exciting musicians to emerge onto the international scene in recent years. Having graduated at the Royal Academy of Music with the coveted Recital Diploma, Clélia performs throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia. Her 7 CDs, with repertoire ranging from Latin-American composers to the Mendelssohn concertos, have been praised by the critics and the public alike.

Filming took place over two days using state-of -the-art High Definition cameras. Director - Nick Williams, Producer - Simon Weir, Camera - Simon Drew, Sound Morgan Roberts

A Classical Recording Company production in association with Chromavision Worldwide
www.cleliairuzun.com

Eclipse - Spanish Spice & Forgotten Secrets

This pair of stunning CDs was recorded in a secluded church on the Dorset coast. Including elements from Flamenco dance and Sephardi music these discs bring together the worlds of contemporary and baroque performance in a blaze of musical colour.

Members of Eclipse include Layil Barr - Recorders & Viol, Joy Smith - Harps & Hammered Dulcimer with guest artists Eligio Quinteiro - Theorbo & Baroque Guitar, Andres Ticino - Percussion, Clare Norburn - Soprano and Ulises Diaz-Ropero Conde - Flamenco Singer.

The recordings were produced by Simon Weir and engineered by Campbell Hughes.
Copies can be ordered via this website - just follow the link from the homepage.
www.eclipse-baroquefusion.com

Kit & The Widow

After the roaring sucess of Kit & The Widow’s version of Walton’s “Facade” with the South Bank Sinfonia released last year, we are delighted to have produced their latest cabaret album to celebrate their collective 100th birthday. Recorded live at the Arts Theatre, London this disc of all new material can be ordered via this website - just follow the link from the homepage.
www.kitandthewidow.com

Rosenblatt Recital Series

For the tenth consecutive year we are recording this series of songs and arias, at St John’s Smith Square and Cadogan Hall. Ian Rosenblatt takes up the story...

“When my law firm sponsored the concert given by José Cura with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in March 1999, it occurred to me that in Britain we get the opportunity only infrequently to hear truly great voices, except at productions at the Royal Opera House or the occasional one-off recital. So, I conceived a plan, hopefully not too ambitious, to create a recital series where we could hear international artists at reasonably regular intervals.

Following the tremendous success of the Recital Series, which has featured singers such as Jose Cura, Carlos Alvarez, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Juan Diego Florez, Kostyantyn Andreyev, Martene Grimson and the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World winners Marius Brenciu and Nicole Cabell and thanks to your continued support, we are on the 10th Series with plans for the 11th already underway.

People say the golden age of singing is dead. The Rosenblatt Recital Series proves that the art of Bel Canto singing is very much alive!”

Starting with the first recital of the 2009/10 series, given by the baritone Leigh Melrose, as well as the standard audio recording, CRC will be filming extracts from the recitals for use on the series website.
www.rosenblattrecitalseries.co.uk

Clarinet Classics and the Classics Labels

2007 marked the 15th anniversary of Clarinet Classics - the specialist label for clarinet repertoire, with which The Classical Recording Company has had a close association for many years, producing more than half the discs on the label.

The label has now expanded under the umberella of “The Classics Labels” including Clarinet Classics, Saxophone Classics, Brass Classics, Cello Classics, LIR Classics and Omnibus Classics.

Early in 2010 we will be recording the second of two discs of Lefevre sonatas with Colin Lawson (boxwood clarinet) and Sebasian Comberti (baroque cello).
www.theclassicslabels.com

The Milken Archive of American Jewish Music

A major project to record more than 800 CDs of American Jewish Music through the ages. The recordings are taking place all around the world and The Classical Recording Company is handling the UK and European production and all of the mastering. The first batch of recordings made in November 98, drew on repertoire being performed in the 9th London International Jewish Music Festival presented by the Jewish Music Heritage Trust. Since then we have gone on to record string quartets, choral music (including sessions with the BBC Singers in a co-production with BBC Radio 3) and orchestral repertoire as well as songs in Yiddish and Hebrew. Recordings have taken place in London, Barcelona, Prague Jerusalem and Vienna.

The project includes 600 newly recorded works, 500 world premieres and over 200 American composers. To great critical acclaim, the first six discs were released in September 2003 as a joint production between the Milken Archive and Naxos of America and will be distributed worldwide through the Naxos distribution network. Each month a further two discs will be released up to the initial set of 55 CDs.  The series was launched in the UK in November 2004 and is distributed by Naxos' European parteners, Select.

Currently we are preparing to master the 100 CD “Collectors Edition” - a series of boxed sets which will be made available to institutions and collectors in 2010.
www.milkenarchive.org

Acoustiguide

Since 2000 we have been regularly working with the international audio-tour guide producers Acoustiguide, providing recording, mixing and mastering facilities for a wide rage of audio-guides including the Bath Assembly Rooms & Museum of Costume, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Manchester Art Gallery, National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, and even a stretch of the Sefton coastline.  Many of the guides are in several languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Cantonese, Basque and Urdu, which has produced some interesting challenges at the editing stage! 

Recent projects include a six part tour of “The Commandery” taking the visitor back through the ages with fully dramatised audiotours in six historic periods from monastic times to the present day. Sound design for the tour was by CRC’s Morgan Roberts.
www.acoustiguide.com 

Schotts Music Publishers

For Schotts Music Publishers we are working on an innovative project for young musicians - a series of easy repertoire books in various genres which each include a CD of all the pieces in both complete and “play-along” versions

Already available are a series of Christmas albums and three volumes of easy baroque repertoire from England, France and Sweden. Further albums are in production including baroque repertoire from Ireland.
www.schott-music.com