Berkeley / Barron - Winter Fragments [CD]

Following on from their lauded recording of chamber works by their namesake, Lennox Berkeley, the Berkeley Ensemble, celebrating their tenth anniversary, return to Resonus Classics to turn their attention to the music of his son, Michael. In the year of his seventieth birthday, the ensemble record a selection of Michael's chamber works from across the last thirty-five years, including the virtuosic 'Catch Me If You Can' and the Clarinet Quintet. The ensemble is joined by mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron and conductor Dominic Grier for 'Winter Fragments,' 'Sonnet for Orpheus,' and the poignant 'Seven.' Hailed as 'an instinctive collective' (The Strad) the Berkeley Ensemble was formed with the aim of exploring little-known twentieth and twenty-first century British chamber music alongside more established repertoire. It now enjoys a busy concert schedule performing throughout the UK and abroad, and is also much in demand for it's inspiring work in education.