"Amply gifted as an orchestral composer…purified intensity, immediacy and unrestrained lyricism"
– Paul Griffiths, The Sunday Times
Signum Classics has released two new albums of works by award-winning composer Brian Elias. Both Music for Strings and Music for Wind feature world-class performances by some of the best interpreters of contemporary music in Britain and abroad, including the Castalian and Sacconi Quartets, Natalie Clein and Nicholas Daniel.
Brian Elias was born in Bombay, India, and has lived in the U.K. since he was thirteen years old. After studying at the Royal College of Music he undertook private studies with Elisabeth Lutyens. His first major orchestral work L’Eylah was premiered at the BBC Proms in 1984. He has since had his works performed and recorded extensively by leading orchestras and soloists; his monumental Five Songs to Poems by Irina Ratushinskaya was premiered in 1989 and secured his reputation as one of Britain’s preeminent composers.
Together, the new albums act as a retrospective of Elias’ chamber music spanning nearly 50 years. Highlights include Duo (1970) for violin and piano, his String Quartet (2012) first commissioned and performed by the Jerusalem Quartet and his Oboe Quintet (2016) for Nicholas Daniel.
Two concerts featuring his music with the Fidelio Trio will accompany a launch event at the Music@Malling Festival on 28 September.
