The relationship between the Hallé Orchestra and their Composer Emeritus continues to blossom with a further recording devoted to his music.
The disc will feature Crossing the Alps for eight-part chorus and organ pedal together with, fittingly in this year in which we commemorate the centenary of the First World War, two large-scale works for chorus, soloists and orchestra which reflect on the conflict – No Man’s Land (a collaboration with Christopher Reid) and Aftertones, his settings of war-poet Edmund Blunden. The recording will be released in early October on the Hallé’s own label, which has already featured Matthews’ orchestrations of the Debussy Preludes and his sombre, dream-like Horn Concerto. With exciting young conductor Nicholas Collon and stellar vocal soloists Ian Bostridge and Roderick Williams, this promises to be a major addition to the already sizeable Matthews discography.
The disc can be pre-ordered on iTunes here