Lennox Berkeley: Chamber Works Berkeley Ensemble

• Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989)
• 1 Piece for flute, clarinet and bassoon 02:50
• Sextet for clarinet, horn and string quartet, Op. 47
• 2 I. Allegro moderato 05:46
• 3 II. Lento 04:59
• 4 III. Allegro 03:56
• In Memoriam Igor Stravinsky (1971)
• 5 Canon for String Quartet 01:32
• for double bass and piano
• 6 Introduction and Allegro (1971) 06:42
• String Trio, Op. 19
• 7 I. Moderato 05:55
• 8 II. Adagio 04:39
• 9 III. Allegro 05:16
• Three Pieces for Solo Viola
• 10 I. Moderato 01:00
• 11 II. Largo 03:01
• 12 III. Allegro 01:57
• Sonatine for clarinet and piano
• 13 I. Moderato 04:11
• 14 II. Lento 05:31
• 15 III. Allegro 02:31
• Total Runtime 59:46

Info for Lennox Berkeley: Chamber Works

Following their acclaimed debut recording (Clarion Call – RES10127), the Berkeley Ensemble returns with a programme of chamber works by the British composer Lennox Berkeley, one of the two composers (father and son) after whom the group gets its name.

Featuring a number of world premiere recordings, the ensemble presents a selection of works that covers most of Berkeley’s creative life from the early Francophile clarinet Sonatine written in Paris while a student of Nadia Boulanger to the inventive Introduction and Allegro for double bass and piano. Also featured are the Three solo pieces for viola and the large scale String Trio Op. 19 and Sextet, Op. 47 for clarinet, horn and string quartet, and the emotive miniature In Memoriam Igor Stravinsky.

Berkeley Ensemble

The Berkeley Ensemble
takes its name from two British composers of the last hundred years, father and son Sir Lennox and Michael Berkeley. It was formed in 2008 by members of Southbank Sinfonia, Britain’s young professional orchestra, with the aim of exploring the wealth of little-known twentieth- and twenty-first century British chamber music alongside more established repertoire. It now enjoys a busy concert schedule performing throughout the UK and abroad, and is also much in demand for its inspiring work in education.

Finalists in the 2009 Royal Over-Seas League competition and selected by Making Music for the Concert Promoters’ Network in 2010 and 2013, the ensemble has performed with leading musicians including Sir Thomas Allen, Richard Sisson and Gabriel Prokofiev. The group is an enthusiastic champion of new music and has worked with composers John Casken and Robin Holloway. It was proud to premier its first commission, Michael Berkeley’s Clarion Call and Gallop, in 2013.

The ensemble is rapidly building a reputation for innovative and thought-provoking programming, aided by its flexible configuration and regular collaboration with leading young guest artists. Equally at home on the summer festival circuit as in the concert hall, the group has performed at the Latitude and Greenbelt festivals. In 2012 the opening concert of Stealing, Borrowing, Remembering, its series exploring the links between composers Igor Stravinsky and Lennox Berkeley, was awarded a four-star review in The Independent.

Taking its music to new audiences, most importantly through education, is central to the ensemble’s activities. Its work in this area includes self-directed projects in addition to collaborations with Southbank Sinfonia, Merton Music Foundation and Pan Concerts for Children. The ensemble regularly coaches students in chamber performance at the University of York, is ensemble-in-residence at Queen Elizabeth School in Cumbria and runs an annual residential chamber music course in Somerset.

Booklet for Lennox Berkeley: Chamber Works