Champs Hill Records

Emily Pailthorpe is joined by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins in performances of two oboe concertos, pairing a beguiling new concerto The Better Angels of Our Nature by Richard Blackford alongside Richard Strauss's much-loved classic. Emily also performs a selection of chamber works by Samuel Barber and Leos Janacek with soloists of the BBC SO to round off this highly-recommended recording.

James Turnbull continues to highlight the sonic possibilities of the oboe with a new recording celebrating some fascinating solo works for the instrument drawn from the last 30 years. Airs, Blues and Dances includes compositions by Michael Tippett, Judith Weir , John Tavener and Richard Rodney Bennett amongst others.

Soprano Katherine Broderick joins instrumentalists include pianist James Baillieu, flautist Adam Walker, cellist Tim Lowe and the Heath Quartet in a new recording of French Chamber Songs titled Chanson Perpetuelle. Drawn from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the repertoire draws together works by some of the finest French composers of the era, featuring pieces by Gaubert, Berlioz, Ravel, Caplet, Debussy, Saint-Saëns and Chausson.

British pianist Anthony Hewitt performs the Complete Piano Preludes of iconic Russian composer Alexander Scriabin for a new 2CD set. Inspired by the 100th anniversary of Scriabin’s death in 2015, Hewitt immersed himself in the composer’s world by memorising all 90 of the preludes, which he describes as having “an incredible depth and variety of material, each with its own very distinctive character and mood”.

New Zealand pianist Stephen de Pledge’s new album of solo piano music takes it’s title from a line in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, and presents a selection of ‘Love in Piano Music’, CHRCD093 A Madness Most Discreet.

Soprano Ruby Hughes releases her debut solo recital disc with pianist Joseph Middleton, an anthology of night songs by Mahler, Britten, Berg and Schubert, CHRCD098 Nocturnal Variations.

Sofia Gubaidulina’s Dancer on a Tightrope gives the title for this debut recording for Champs Hill from YCAT artist Bartosz Woroch, CHRCD114 Dancer on a Tightrope.

This award celebrates a unique venture in West Sussex which offers holistic support for chamber music and song: promoting excellence in performance, and through its own record label, nurturing young talent and exploring unusual repertoire in a calm and supportive environment.