Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Four previous releases on BIS Records have all featured John Pickard’s music for large orchestra – or, in the case of the Gaia Symphony, large brass band. This new album, on the other hand, presents scorings ranging from a solo oboe to a chamber ensemble of eight players. The seven works cover just over 30 years; the earliest one, Serenata Concertata, was Pickard’s first paid commission written at the age of twenty. In his liner notes, Pickard notes that he has an aversion to repeating himself: ‘so each new work tends to be a reaction against the character, structure and technique of the previous one… The result has been a body of work with a wide expressive range and this disc gives some indication of that. The pieces on it are grouped in a broad progression from the serious to the more lighthearted’.
The two opening works are indeed inspired by serious matters – the background to The Gardener of Aleppo is the war in Syria, while Daughters of Zion, the only vocal work on this recording, sets a text that reflects on anti-Jewish aspects of certain Early Christian celebrations.
In the latter work, Susan Bickley joins the players of the celebrated Nash Ensemble, who go on to lighter fare in Three Chicken Studies (Pickard himself has kept chickens as pets) and Ghost Train, a perpetuum mobile built on a cantus firmus derived from the "Dies iræ" theme. For this and the other chamber ensemble pieces the conductor Martyn Brabbins, a longtime collaborator of Pickard’s, wields his baton. © BIS Records
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $17.49/month
Lucy Wakeford, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Philippa Davies, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - John Pickard, Composer - Scott Dickinson, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Nash Ensemble, Ensemble, MainArtist - Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Martyn Brabbins, Conductor, MainArtist - Susan Bickley, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - John Pickard, Composer - Gavin D’Costa, Lyricist
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Martin Robertson, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Ian Brown, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Adrian Brendel, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - John Pickard, Composer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Serenata Concertata (John Pickard)
Nash Ensemble, Ensemble, MainArtist - Philippa Davies, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Martyn Brabbins, Conductor, MainArtist - John Pickard, Composer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Nash Ensemble, Ensemble, MainArtist - Philippa Davies, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Martyn Brabbins, Conductor, MainArtist - John Pickard, Composer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Nash Ensemble, Ensemble, MainArtist - Philippa Davies, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Martyn Brabbins, Conductor, MainArtist - John Pickard, Composer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Nash Ensemble, Ensemble, MainArtist - Philippa Davies, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Martyn Brabbins, Conductor, MainArtist - John Pickard, Composer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Nash Ensemble, Ensemble, MainArtist - Philippa Davies, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Martyn Brabbins, Conductor, MainArtist - John Pickard, Composer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
3 Chicken Studies (John Pickard)
Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Gareth Hulse, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - John Pickard, Composer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Gareth Hulse, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - John Pickard, Composer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Gareth Hulse, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - John Pickard, Composer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Ian Brown, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - John Pickard, Composer - Ursula Leveaux, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Nash Ensemble, Ensemble, MainArtist - Simon Fox-Gál, Producer, SoundEngineer - Martyn Brabbins, Conductor, MainArtist - John Pickard, Composer
2020 BIS 2020 (P) BIS
Album review
Four previous releases on BIS Records have all featured John Pickard’s music for large orchestra – or, in the case of the Gaia Symphony, large brass band. This new album, on the other hand, presents scorings ranging from a solo oboe to a chamber ensemble of eight players. The seven works cover just over 30 years; the earliest one, Serenata Concertata, was Pickard’s first paid commission written at the age of twenty. In his liner notes, Pickard notes that he has an aversion to repeating himself: ‘so each new work tends to be a reaction against the character, structure and technique of the previous one… The result has been a body of work with a wide expressive range and this disc gives some indication of that. The pieces on it are grouped in a broad progression from the serious to the more lighthearted’.
The two opening works are indeed inspired by serious matters – the background to The Gardener of Aleppo is the war in Syria, while Daughters of Zion, the only vocal work on this recording, sets a text that reflects on anti-Jewish aspects of certain Early Christian celebrations.
In the latter work, Susan Bickley joins the players of the celebrated Nash Ensemble, who go on to lighter fare in Three Chicken Studies (Pickard himself has kept chickens as pets) and Ghost Train, a perpetuum mobile built on a cantus firmus derived from the "Dies iræ" theme. For this and the other chamber ensemble pieces the conductor Martyn Brabbins, a longtime collaborator of Pickard’s, wields his baton. © BIS Records
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 13 track(s)
- Total length: 01:19:17
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Nash Ensemble Martyn Brabbins
- Composer: John Pickard
- Label: BIS
- Genre: Classical
2020 BIS 2020 BIS
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.
Playlists