Various Artists - Richard Pantcheff: Chamber Music - Volume 1 (2024) Hi-Res

Following on from the highly successful release of three discs of Richard Pantcheff's music for Organ solo (PFCD 174/5) and Organ with other instruments (PFCD 205), Prima Facie Records has now embarked upon a project to record the Chamber and Instrumental Music of the same composer.

Volume 1 of the series comprises world premiere recordings of a wide range of Richard Pantcheff's chamber and instrumental compositions, some of which were written when the composer was resident in South Africa. His compositions were in high demand there, and so these works were commissioned and performed by some of South Africa's top professional musicians.

Of the works written during the composer's time in South Africa, the Suite on South African Folk Tunesis amongst the most popular, drawing together into a single suite diverse folk and popular tunes from all sections of South African history. It is performed here in the version for Flute, Viola, and Piano by Rachel Smith (Flute), Lydia Lowndes-Northcott (Viola) and Duncan Honeybourne (Piano).

The other major work from the composer's South African time is the atmospheric Nocturnus II, for Solo Violin and Harp, which was commissioned and premiered by Miro Chakaryan and Ventura Rosenthal in Johannesburg. Here it is played by Benedict Holland (Violin) and Lauren Scott (Harp).

Two major instrumental works dominate the programme: the Sonata for Viola and Piano from 2005, performed by Lydia Lowndes-Northcott (Viola) and Duncan Honeybourne (Piano). Evocations, a four-movement work for solo pianoforte, was composed specially for Duncan Honeybourne in 2020, who plays it on this recording. This latter work followed on from Duncan's highly successful premiere of Richard Pantcheff's large-scale Sonata for Piano in 2019.

The disc opens with the most recent work, New England Elegy, for Solo Violin and Narrator, which was specially commissioned by friends of the composer in Massachusetts, USA. This work retells a troubling, almost ghostly, story by Nathaniel Hawthorne in an unusual combination of instruments. The Narrator on this recording is John Turner, and the Violinist is Benedict Holland.

Volume II of the CD series has already been recorded and will be released later in 2024.