“Heir of All the Ages” spans four centuries of elegiac English music, brought to life by Beth Stone on flutes and Daniel Murphy on lutes and guitars. Ranging from the timeless works of Henry Purcell to music by influential figures such as Sir Malcolm Arnold, the disc reflects EM  Records’s dedication to highlighting British composers throughout history.

The disc opens with the meditative “Christe qui lux es et dies III” by Robert White, featuring the deeply contemplative sacrum chant presented on solo flute. White’s Renaissance counterpoint finds a natural successor in the pavanes and galliards of Anthony Holborne, whose works lend a sense of continuity between sacred and secular forms. This sentiment continues in Holborne’s dances and later in Henry Purcell’s otherworldly evocation of a magical landscape in “The Fairy Queen”. Arranged by Daniel Murphy, Purcell’s work assumes a revitalised and nuanced character through the lute, while maintaining its playful yet lyrical idiom.

A highlight is the World Première recording of Henry Eccles’s Sonata Settima from his Second Livre de Sonates à Violon Seul et la Basse. Eccles, celebrated for his expressive and melancholic style, stands out as a remarkable example of musical diversity, blending elements from Italian, French, and English traditions.

The second half of the disc showcases the flute’s lyrical versatility. Works such as Malcolm Arnold’s Fantasy for Flute introduce a captivating contrast between melodious and virtuosic writing; while the disc concludes with the world premiere recording of Seth Bye’s “Bridge 12”, fusing urban and folk idioms and offering a contemporary reflection on place and identity.

EM Records is thrilled to announce the releases of no fewer than five new recordings this summer. The first of these, “The Sound of Hidden Music” (EMR CD084), is a collection of songs by Hubert Parry and is Paula Fan’s final recording in a legacy of remarkable recordings from this remarkable Chinese-American pianist, whose unique intellect remained ever curious and inquisitive. It is complemented in our catalogue by EMR CD086, works for voice and piano by Sir Arnold Bax, who was both Master of the King’s Music (under King George VI) and Master of the Queen’s Music (under Queen Elizabeth II); the disc is especially notable for the World Première recording of Bax’s twenty-five-minute setting of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s celebrated poem “The Blessed Damozel”, which lends the recording its title.

Following their breathtaking debut at the 2024 English Music Festival, Excalibur Voices, under the direction of conductor Duncan Aspden, have collaborated with EM Records to produce a disc that is both an important and a stunningly beautiful addition to the choral repertoire. “And the Blackbird Sang” (EMR CD094) features a carefully curated selection of works that highlight the ensemble’s passion for English choral song, rhythmic suppleness, and musicianship rooted in poetry and storytelling. Among the highlights are several World Première recordings, including Herbert Howell’s “Creep Afore Ye Gang”, Robin Milford’s powerfully moving “Songs of Escape”, and Alan Rawsthorne’s evocatively resonant “A Rose for Lidice”.

“Beauty Veil’d” (EMR CD091), from the Berkeley Ensemble, features the first-ever recording of Dorothy Howell’s long-lost String Quartet in D minor, a remarkable rediscovery brought back to life through the meticulous work of the ensemble’s own viola player, Dan Shilladay. It forms the centrepiece of a disc that also features four other première recordings of works by Howell and her circle. By contrast, “Incandescent Incantations” (EMR CD095) consists entirely of World Première recordings of works for solo violin and for violin and reciter by three of Britain’s finest and most acclaimed contemporary composers. Joseph Phibbs’s effervescent, evocative and colourful Suite for Solo Violin is presented alongside Richard Pantcheff’s “To Autumn” ⁠— ⁠a celebration for reciter and and violin of poets including Elizabeth Barratt Browning, John Clare, John Keats and Robert Louis Stevenson ⁠— ⁠and Richard Blackford’s “Dreams and Spells”: an interpretation of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”.

We are currently working on a new website for EM Records which we expect to be available later this year (2024). The site will have a responsive design — meaning that it will be easier to use on mobile devices — and will also feature a cleaner layout, improved typography, and a more streamlined purchasing process, including the facility to add a disc to the shopping cart directly from its ‘Details’ page. Naturally, a complete overhaul to the website such as this represents will take time to complete; but, in the meantime, please be assured that the current site will remain in service until the new one is ready.

Are you one of our regular supporters, and do you tend to purchase many of our discs? If so, why not sign up as a Foundation Subscriber to EM Records? Foundation Subscribers receive a number of benefits, such as having EM Records discs delivered direct to their door immediately upon release, receiving a pair of free tickets to all EM Records launches and events, and receiving all the benefits due to individual disc subscribers. In return, Foundation Subscribers provide much-needed regular annual income to EM Records, which allows us to plan more securely for the future, as well as the moral support that is important to a small label such as ourselves. A Foundation Subsription costs £120 per year. Visit our online shop to sign up!