Description
Released on a DigiSleeve CD and on all digital platforms: 8 November 2024
Matthew Owain JONES (b. 1974)
String Quartet No. 1, ‘Deletia’ (1993)
1. I. Andante
2. II. Allegro Minaccioso
Ensemble MidtVest
Matthew Owain Jones, Karolina Weltrowska violin
Sanna Ripatti viola
Jonathan Slaatto cello
3. Wind Quintet (Liberamente – Piu mosso – Andante semplice e cantabile – Poco meno mosso) (2016)
Ensemble MidtVest
Charlotte Norholt flute
Peter Kirstein oboe
Tommaso Lonquich clarinet
Yavor Petkov bassoon
Neil Page horn
Carl NIELSEN (1865–1931)
Aladdin, Op. 34 (1919) (excs. from complete ballet, ed. and arr. M.O. Jones, 2020)
4. I. Negro Dance
5. II. A Beautiful Square in Isfahan
6. III. Distant Festival Music
7. IV. Andante
8. V. Chinese Dance
9. VI. March
10. VII. Hindu Dance
11. VIII. Aladdin’s Dream / Dance of the Morning Mist
12. IX. Oriental Festival March
Ensemble MidtVest
Karolina Weltrowska, Ana Feitosa violin
Sanna Ripatti viola
Jonathan Slaatto cello
Charlotte Norholt flute
Peter Kirstein oboe
Tommaso Lonquich clarinet
Yavor Petkov bassoon
Neil Page horn
Martin Qvist Hansen piano
All première recordings
Tracks 1–3 recorded at the Concert Hall, HEART (Herning Museum of Contemporary Art), Birk, Denmark,
6 December 2017 (tracks 1–2) and 11 January 2018 (track 3)
Recorded and produced by Michael Ponder • Edited by Jennifer Howells • Mastered by Adaq Khan
Tracks 4–12 recorded at Den Jyske Sangskole, Herning, Denmark, 29–31 August 2018
Recorded, edited and produced by Morten Mogenson
Mastered by Morten Mogenson • Adaq Khan
24bit, 96kHz high resolution recording, editing and mastering
Press Quotes
‘A delight [Nielsen]… This is highly appealing music [String Quartet No. 1]… Performances of all three pieces are excellent, the recording warm and detailed. Appealing sleeve art too.’ (The Arts Desk)
‘Begun when he was 19, Jones’s String Quartet is instantly captivating: with more than a whiff of Barber, there are suspensions galore in the Andante, while the Allegro channels Glass-like minimalism. His Wind Quintet, composed in 2016, is more mature, but no less attractive – while the chamber arrangements from Nielsen’s Aladdin are boisterous, energetic fun.’ (**** BBC Music Magazine)
‘This is an interesting disc, contrasting Jones’ own engaging compositions with the lively Nielsen arrangements, all performed with energetic commitment by Ensemble MidtVest.’ (Classical Notes)
‘Matthew Owain Jones (b 1974) is a viola professor and head of chamber music at the Guildhall School. Here are 2 of his works, one early, one recent. The 2-movement, 36-minute String Quartet 1 (1993) has a gorgeous, yearning I and an anxious, driven II. The 17-minute Wind Quintet (2016) is by turns introspective and intricately busy. The program ends with Jones’s arrangement of 9 movements of Carl Nielsen’s colorful music for the ballet Aladdin (1919). Fine playing by Denmark’s Ensemble MidtVest.’ (American Record Guide)
‘His string quartet is solidly diatonic in character, with gorgeous ensemble harmonies and straightforward melodies. It is a very beautiful piece… If you’ve had a hectic day, this music [Wind Quintet] is sure to bring peace and convince you that all is right with the world… The performances by the Ensemble MidtVest are excellent throughout and the sound, captured in two different venues, is great too. This was an unexpectedly enjoyable release.’ (Fanfare)