Sacconi Quartet

Sacconi Quartet
David Pyatt horn
Roderick Williams baritone
John McCabe piano
John McCabe (1939-2015) was a prolific composer and pianist, bequeathing in all an impressive seven symphonies and seven string quartets, as well as numerous concertos and several major ballets. McCabe was appointed CBE by the Queen in 1985 for his services to British music. Three highly expressive chamber works make up this album. The piano quintet The Woman By The Sea draws inspiration from a the Kenji Mizoguchi film Sansho Dayu (1954). It was recorded in 2009 and features John McCabe on piano, with the Sacconi Quartet. Silver Nocturnes for baritone and string quartet, sets poetry by three of the so-called ‘Silver Poets’ of the sixteenth century: Henry Howard (Earl of Surrey), Sir Edward Dyer, and Sir Philip Sidney. There is a mournful, almost austere tone established through the Britten-esque vocals, here sung by Roderick Williams. McCabe described the french horn as "one of the most evocative and beautiful of all instruments". His Horn Quintet was written especially for the artists on this recording: David Pyatt and the Sacconi Quartet.
The bonus download-only track, Desert III: Landscapes, for piano trio, is inspired by McCabe's fascination with deserts and performed by the Australian Piano Trio.
THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 100 BEST ALBUMS OF 2017
'The finest performance of this work I have heard ... NMC's sound, mastered by David Lefeber, is superb' Gramophone
'Beguiles and intrigues' BBC Music Magazine
‘As always from NMC, the quality of production is excellent … a welcome addition to the catalogue.’ British Music Society
‘The music is powerfully evocative’ Records International
Horn Quintet was recorded on 13 April 2016 and Silver Nocturnes on 17 March 2017, both at All Saints Church, East Finchley, London.
DAVID LEFEBER Recording Engineer & Producer
The Woman by the Sea was recorded on 16 November 2009 at Champs Hill, West Sussex.
ALEXANDER VAN INGEN Recording Engineer & Producer
DAVE ROWELL Editing