1948: Russian works for cello & piano

Laura van der Heijden & Petr Limonov

CHRCD136

The winner of the BBC Young Musician Competition in 2012, Laura van der Heijden makes her debut recording with music of the Soviet era, inspired by her teachers, and by a deep appreciation of "the immense value of great art, music, and literature in Russian-speaking countries....[I] discovered the link which exists between the 'Russian soul' and the spiritual virtue of art”.

“The pieces on this album are in many ways a response to the decree issued by the communist party on the 10th of February 1948, which further restricted composers’ freedom of expression”.

Laura has already made a name for herself as a very special emerging talent, captivating audiences and critics alike with her insightful and faithful interpretations. She has appeared with leading UK orchestras, such as the Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, European Union Chamber and English Chamber Orchestras. Her recital partner on this recording is Russian-British pianist Petr Limonov.

Schubert: Quartet 15

Artea Quartet

CHRCD137

The Artea Quartet comprises Thomas Gould - violin, Rhys Watkins - violin, Benjamin Roskams - viola and Ashok Klouda – cello. They met whilst studying at the Royal Academy of Music. After studies with the Amadeus, Alberni and Wihan quartets they went on to forge a successful career, winning many awards and performing at festivals throughout the U.K. including the BBC Proms, and at venues such as the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room as well as live broadcasts for BBC Radio 3.

With busy solo and orchestral careers, this new recording represents a rare opportunity to hear them in the studio, and the repertoire reflects their desire to take on a challenge: one of the summits of the repertoire, Schubert’s last great String Quartet in G major, No 15. "It is a piece of such enormous scope and exquisite beauty that it is an intimidating peak of the repertoire to scale. It is a sobering thought that Schubert was the same age as us, if not slightly younger, when he composed it.” It was published posthumously in 1851.