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Vivaldi’s most famous work, Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons), contains some of the most instantly recognizable music ever composed and is today viewed as a pinnacle of musical art. In their second release on Linn Records the Avison Ensemble explores the rich diversity and delights of all twelve concertos in Vivaldi’s Opus 8. Pavlo Beznosiuk, directing this refreshing performance, states:  ‘The Fours Seasons are well-known, well-loved and great fun to play, but let us not forget how richly characterful the other eight concerti are also. Throughout the set Vivaldi’s musical energy vibrates within us, connecting us to him in an irresistible, celebratory collection’.  2 CD set on Linn Records.

• BBC Radio 3 CD Review Disc of the Week, 19th November 2011

"... a recording of Vivaldi I've really enjoyed ... Here's a disc that presents those four famous concertos in context. The seasons are fine but there are so many joys in the rest of the concertos. Lovely, warm colourful playing."
Andrew McGregor, BBC Radio 3 CD Review

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AVAILABLE NOW.

Studio Master, MP3 and CD quaility downloads are available from Linn Records here.

Vivaldi’s most famous work, Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons), contains some of the most instantly recognizable music ever composed and is today viewed as a pinnacle of musical art. In their second release on Linn Records the Avison Ensemble explores the rich diversity and delights of all twelve concertos in Vivaldi’s Opus 8. Pavlo Beznosiuk, directing this refreshing performance, states:  ‘The Fours Seasons are well-known, well-loved and great fun to play, but let us not forget how richly characterful the other eight concerti are also. Throughout the set Vivaldi’s musical energy vibrates within us, connecting us to him in an irresistible, celebratory collection’.  2 CD set on Linn Records.

• BBC Radio 3 CD Review Disc of the Week, 19th November 2011

"... a recording of Vivaldi I've really enjoyed ... Here's a disc that presents those four famous concertos in context. The seasons are fine but there are so many joys in the rest of the concertos. Lovely, warm colourful playing."
Andrew McGregor, BBC Radio 3 CD Review

Read more reviews here.

AVAILABLE NOW.

Studio Master, MP3 and CD quaility downloads are available from Linn Records here.

Opus 9 was one of Avison's most popular sets of concertos published in his lifetime and shows him at the height of his powers. The complete set is recorded here with his final set of published works, the rich and varied opus 10. 2 CD set on Divine Arts.

"Avison's Opus 9 and Opus 10 'Concerti Grossi' are sweetly melodic, succinct and conservative. Led by Pavlo Beznosuik, the ensemble does its composer proud in a stylish series of sturdy allegros, graceful largos and delicate, attractive arias."
Anna Picard (The Daily Telegraph)

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This world-premier recording of Charles Avison's opus 6 displays the full imagination and variety of England's greatest concerto composer of the 18th century. They perhaps reveal a tunefulness and style that could be classed as a Geordie idiom? An important addition to any collection of English baroque music. 2 CD set on Naxos.

"The arrival of this splendid issue should surely win Avison the host of new friends he certainly deserves. The scores are also unusually well supplied with very precise phrasing and dynamic markings, of which the Avison Ensemble take full advantage in spirited, crisply articulated and expressive performances."
Elizabeth Roche
The Daily Telegraph, July 2004

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These hitherto unknown works are real baroque gems. The opus 1 Trio Sonatas led by the strings, are accompanied by Robert Howarth on chest organ continuo; while Robert moves front of stage and to the harpsichord in the Keyboard Sonatas, opus 8. 2 CD set on Divine Arts.

Robert Howarth (harpsichord & chest organ)
Pavlo Beznosiuk & Caroline Balding  (violins)
Richard Tunnicliffe (cello)

"… Played here with relish and charm by the four members of the Avison Ensemble. It characterizes so much of what I feel about this release; essentially, that the rediscovery of this composer and his music in recent years has been long overdue.  … Ideal sound. That little set of variations at the end of Avison's Op, 8 is just the icing on the cake of a most desirable release."

Piers Burton-Page, International Record Review

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Dazzling colour, tones and textures make this Baroque masterpiece stand out as one of the definitive examples of the concerto grosso form. Widely regarded as Handel's greatest contribution to the Baroque period this triple album is the perfect debut for the Avison Ensemble on Linn Records. Pavlo Beznosiuk, who directs this fresh and insightful performance, states: 'These readings are, above all, a chance to joyously revel in some of the greatest string music ever penned'. 3 CD set on Linn Records.

• Shortlisted for the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2011 - Baroque Instrumental category
• Awarded an Opus d'Or Award 2010
• Awarded Best Recording 2010 by High Fidelity Magazine
• Ring of ClassiqueInfo award
• Nominated for the 2011 International Classical Music Awards
• Released on Linn Records - Gramophone Magazine Label of the Year 2010

"Where the Avison Ensemble really triumphs...is in conveying a sense of occasion and musical opulence...Magnificent!"
Andrew O'Connor, International Record Review

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Studio Master, MP3 and CD quaility downloads are available from Linn Records here.

Charles Avison wrote these concertos to fill the demand for music by orchestral and concert societies around the country in the 18th century. It is likely they were well known in their time, but as fashions and tastes changed they were left overlooked. This set of 14 concertos gives a fascinating insight into the world of music making in the mid 18th century and show why Avison is regarded at the greatest English concerto of the 18th century. 2 CD set on Naxos.

"Here the concertos are played by the Newcastle-based Avison Ensemble, directed by Pavlo Beznosiuk. Beznosiuk and the other unnamed soloists contribute some fine solo playing in the concertino sections and are well supported by the main ensemble. They play Avison's music with crisp precision and lively bounce, giving it an apposite stylishness."
Robert Hugill
MusicWeb International

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Thought by many to be Avison's greatest masterpieces, these arrangements of Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas were for many decades the only Avison music known. The set shows Avison's considerable creative skill as an arranger, and clearly shows his great love of Scarlatti. This is sublime baroque music at its best, performed on period instruments. 2 CD set on Divine Arts.

• BBC Radio 3 Essential CD of the Week, 7th - 11th November 2011

"The playing is uniformly superb. The results, especially in performances of this calibre, are such that the listener is able... to return to the originals with fresh ears - surely the measure of success of any good transcription... The recorded sound is excellent.... Fascinating and colourful works."
Robert Levett (International Record Review)

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Robert Howarth, director/harpsichord
Mhairi Lawson, soprano
Lisa Wilson, soprano
Pavlo Beznosiuk, violin

Inspired by the discovery of an original manuscript by Charles Avison containing songs in tribute to the Jacobite rebellion, this new cd by The Avison Ensemble features music by Handel, Geminiani and Avison, setting the background to the political scene in Britain in the early 18th century.

A number of newly discovered works are featured on the cd, including movements of an Avison harpsichord concerto, Scottish songs and the rebellious proceedings are dramatically interrupted by the inclusion of the beautiful "Dirge" written by Avison at the request of David Garrick to be performed in his London production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

This set is the final release in the Avison Ensemble's complete recording of Avison's orchestral and chamber music, marvellous baroque works of inspiration which have been greeted with delight by customers and critics alike. Here we have the twelve harpsichord sonatas of opus 5 and opus 7 - a worthy culmiantion of a fine series. 2 CD set on Divine Arts.

Gary Cooper (harpsichord)
Pavlo Beznosiuk & Caroline Balding (violins)
Robin Michael (cello)

• MusicWeb recording of the month November 2010

"Such a rich sound & affectionable performances & adding to our knowledge and appreciation of one of Northern England's unsung musical heroes"
Andrew McGregor, BBC Radio 3 CD Review

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There are many fine compositions still lying undiscovered, and until recently this was true of the six Cello Concertos by John Garth. This native of Durham in Northern England proves to be a brilliant composer, and these concertos (which are believed to be the earliest examples of the Cello Concerto written in Britain) are surely the equal of those produced by Handel. Played on period instruments by one of Britain's leading baroque-music ensembles. 2 CD set on Divine Arts.

"The performers here cherish every note of the music. This is a very fine achievement. Memorable music, persuasively performed, richly recorded and among the most rewarding releases of the year."
Simon Heighes (International Record Review)

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Charles Avison was long neglected, but is now being recognised as one of the most brilliant and accomplished English composers of the 18th century. These recently discovered 12 Concerti are based on Geminiani's opus 1 violin sonatas, are played on period instruments and are recorded here for the first time, by the group which has itself made a reputation as one of the finest instrumental ensembles in Europe. 2 CD set on Divine Arts.

"This is music of outstanding quality.  The performances are outstanding.  The band is richly sonorous; the ensemble is faultless; the tempi are seemingly infallibly judged;  the phrasing is subtle and expressive; and virtuoso solos are dispatched with aplomb.  What more could one possibly want?  They must surely be one of the finest baroque ensembles now in existence."
Richard Maunder (Early Music News)

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Music by Charles Avison, John Garth, William Herschel

Under Charles Avison's direction his home town of Newcastle became a hotbed of culture attracting famous musicians to the town, amongst whom were violinist William Herschel (also an astronomer) and cellist John Garth, who wrote the first ever cello concertos published by an Englishman. Here we have a fine example of the lively and buoyant performances that Avison's subscription concerts must have had! Herschel and Garth both performed in Avison's orchestra.

Dr Roz Southey, lecturer at Newcastle University, has written widely on music making in the northeast during the eighteenth century. Margaret Maddison is a retired librarian who has studied many aspects of the cultural and social history of the region and has written many articles for a number of journals. David Hughes is a founder member of the Avison Society and has lectured extensively on Avison and his place in the cultural life of the area.

Charles Avison (1709-1770) was a remarkable Tyneside musician who became England's most important 18th-century concerto composer. Now the first full-length biography tells the talented composer's story, and how, through enterprise and determination, he made Newcastle upon Tyne England's greatest provincial music center of the time. The Ingenious Mr. Avison explores a world of fashionable concerts, money-making, rivalry, wigs, waistcoats, dancing, love affairs, and family tragedy. This well-researched survey also includes details of Avison's published works, a discography, and extensive notes. It is essential reading for students of English music and an informative and entertaining window onto provincial musical life in the 18th century.

156 pages, softback
ISBN No - 978 1857951295

"This is a very enjoyable account of the life of an extraordinary Geordie. It is written primarily for the general public and should appeal to anyone interested in the music of the 18th century and the North East during the Georgian era. In addition, the book is well illustrated."
Review from Amazon.co.uk