James Francis Brown has established a reputation as a composer of exciting, visionary and emotionally rewarding music. His Piano Quartet has become a popular addition to the repertoire - as testified by the Birmingham Post review: “Hushed, close-harmony string passages danced and fizzed, while climaxes broke with torrential force and gleaming string-tone. The great sweep up to Brown's sonorous finish was superbly paced and delivered with breathtaking verve. Enthusiastic applause greeted what would prove to be the high point of the evening.” The Shakespeare-inspired Prospero’s Isle, described as ‘lyrically suave’ by Paul Driver in The Times and a ‘unique voice [with] a grand elegiac quality’ by The Strad, forms the dramatic centre piece of this CD – qualities which are equally abundant in the Violin Sonata and the String Trio. This recording reflects the composer’s close association with some of today’s most talented and celebrated artists on the international scene - most of whom presented the premieres of these works: Katya Apekisheva, Gemma Rosefield, Nicola Eimer, Tamás András, Sarah-Jane Bradley and Classical Brit Award winner Jack Liebeck, deliver stunning performances in music which makes many emotional and technical demands. This is a tour de force of contemporary virtuosity and lyrical intensity.

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