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One of the most enjoyable aspects of running a recording label dedicated to promoting fresh ideas and new artists is to be able to follow the progress of Landor artists through their careers. Two of the highlights of my last month have been concerts given by Evelina Puzaite and James Barralet in London.
The New Year was ushered in by a spectacular recital at the Wigmore Hall where many of Evelina’s enthusiastic army of fans had gathered to hear a barnstorming programme of romantic piano music, in an evening crowned by a coruscating Kodaly Dances from Marossek. This of course features on Evelina’s debut recording for Landor, following her win at the 2006 Landor Competition and has become something of a trademark for her – but as always with her playing, each performance throws up new nuances and insights.
Kodaly coincidentally provided a bridge to James Barralet’s recitals under the auspices of the Park Lane Group, both on a freezing lunchtime in St James’ Piccadilly and, a few days later, at the Wigmore. His playing of the monumental Kodaly solo cello sonata astonished us judges in the 2007 Landor Competition and forms the centre piece of his new recording which appears in the spring. Having been at some of the recording sessions, I await the edits with keen anticipation!
We are already in the full planning stage for this year’s competition (watch this space) and it will be fascinating to see who comes forward and which instruments or voices captivate the judges. But we already can see a special occasion on the horizon when Landor sponsors the prestigious London String Quartet Week whose finals are held in April. I am delighted to be able to say that we will record the eventual winners and the prospect of a new chamber group on the label is truly exciting.
The reviews of the latest Górecki release and Ilona Timchenko’s recital are truly exciting, with Norman Lebrecht in the Evening Standard hailing Chamber Domaine’s ‘gorgeous playing’ in the Górecki, which also receives a 5-star review in BBC Music and Bryce Morrison in Gramophone stating of the Timchenko that ‘this is among the most commanding and musically fascinating of all new and recent piano issues’.
In an example of the type of cross promotion that the music industry will need to embrace, Landor is the first label to be showcased on the arts jobsite www.artsculturemediajobs.com. The 30,000 unique monthly visitors on this website will be serenaded by excerpts from all Landor’s recordings for the next month.
There sometimes seems little enough to look forward to in 2009, but at least on Landor there are some highlights to come. Guy Harvey
Chief Executive, Landor Records
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