"Amy Beach's Piano Quintet of 1908 is a fine piece by any standards, expertly written in a late Romantic idiom owing most to Brahms and Dvorak, and distinguished by some memorable melodic writing, especially in the deeply felt slow movement. The members of the Ambache...meet its demands with technical command and passionate fervour...a well-rounded portrait of a significant figure, which, with a clear recording in a warm church acoustic, makes enjoyable listening from beginning to end." Anthony Burton, BBC Music Magazine

AMY BEACH CHAMBER MUSIC 2 - Chandos Chan 10162 (£14)

Quartet for Strings, Op 89
Violin Sonata, Op 34
Pastorale, Op 151
Dreaming, Op 15 No 3

Gabrielle Lester, violin; Ruth Ehrlich, violin
Martin Outram, viola; Judith Herbert, cello
Diana Ambache, piano; Helen Keen, flute
Jeremy Polmear, oboe; Joan-Enric Lluna, clarinet
Timothy Brown, horn; Brian Sewell, bassoon

This CD has been awarded a Rosette in the Penguin Guide to CDs.
String Quartet (excerpt), Sonata (end of Finale), Pastorale (excerpt), Dreaming (excerpt).
This is the Ambache's second CD of Beach chamber music and it follows from the success of the first. Using three Innuit songs, the Quartet in One Movement reflects Beach's interest in ethnic music. One of the great Romantic works for violin and piano, the Sonata is written on a large canvas, in characteristically passionate mode; a sombre opening movement is followed by a scintillating Scherzo; the great tragic arc of the Largo is succeeded by a bravura Finale. The two, contrasting miniatures are charming: the Pastorale (for Wind Quintet) evokes the of peace in the New Hampshire Woods, and Dreaming (for cello and piano) is an exquisite song without words.

"Bravo to the Ambache for resuscitating these pieces; the String Quartet is particularly worth hearing in this sympathetic performance" Jessica Duchen, Classic fm Magazine

"The disc is thoroughly recommended for the group's perceptive and idiomatic approach to this delicate and enchanting music. ... a sparkling reading of the Violin Sonata, with beatifully measured lyrical lines. The dancing Scherzo is lithe and lovely, the Largo crafted with much sensitivity, and the bravura finale is rich with interest." Catherine Nelson, The Strad

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LOUISE FARRENC CHAMBER MUSIC - AMB 6003 (£8)
This CD was originally issued in 1995, and is not available in the shops

Sextet for Piano and Wind in C minor, Op 40
Nonet for Strings and Wind in E flat, Op 38
Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano in E minor, Op 45

Diana Ambache, piano
Sophie Langdon, violin; Martin Outram, viola
Susan Dorey, cello (Nonet), Naomi Butterworth, cello (Trio)
Lynda Houghton, double bass
Helen Keen, flute; Jeremy Polmear, oboe
Joan Enric Lluna, clarinet; Mark Paine, horn
Brian Sewell, bassoon

Click here to hear the first minute of the Nonet Scherzo.

"A single year younger than Berlioz, who had some good words for her, Louise Farrenc lived through busy times in Paris... everything she writes in these three wind works is beautifully textured, with a range of colour and variety of timbre... She is an unfailingly inventive composer, and one of great wit and charm. These qualities are very much appreciated by the players here, who clearly enjoy the considerable challenges which she can set them... Farrenc is a very sympathetic composer, whose music can give great pleasure in a way that excites intelligent interest without making very serious demands... The recording is suitably lively and colourful." John Warrack, Gramophone

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ROMANTIC WOMEN COMPOSERS - AMB6004 (£10)
This CD is not available in the shops

Clara Schumann (1819-96) Konzertsatz in F minor
Ambache Chamber Orchestra, Diana Ambache (piano)

Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-47) Piano Trio in D minor, Op 11
Sophie Langdon (violin), Susan Dorey (cello), Diana Ambache (piano)

Louise Farrenc (1804-75) Clarinet Trio in E flat, Op 44
Joan Enric Lluna (clarinet), Naomi Butterworth (cello), Diana Ambache (piano)

Marie Grandval (1830-1907), Romance and Gavotte
Jeremy Polmear (oboe), Naomi Butterworth (cello), Diana Ambache (piano)
Schumann (start) , Mendelssohn (start) , Grandval Romance (middle)

Originally issued to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Clara Schumann's death (May 1996) by the BBC Music Magazine, one woman in their office said "it's the best cover CD we've done". She seemed to be expressing her delight at discovering that classical music by women could be so accomplished, and so enjoyable. It is only available from us. The Konzersatz is still little played.

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LOUISE TALMA - Naxos 8.559236 (£6)

The Ambient Air
Lament
7 Episodes
Variations on 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
Conversations for Flute & Piano
Soundshots for Piano
Full Circle for Chamber Orchestra

Diana Ambache, piano; Gabrielle Lester, violin
Martin Outram, viola; Judith Herbert, cello
Daniel Pailthorpe, flute; Jeremy Polmear, oboe
Paul Sperry, tenor; David Juritz, human metronome

Ambient Air (Driving Rain), Lament (excerpt), Soundshots (Skipping), Full Circle (excerpt).

Louise Talma (1906-96) was a multiple award winner and the foremost American Neo-classical composer. She wrote a substantial body of music in a wide range of genres. Talma's music shows a keen intellectual mind; she also engages the listener at a visceral level and she entertains them with her originality and quirkiness. She frequently combines motor energy (sometimes associated with Stravinsky) with a melancholy expression, and often creates moment of extraordinary beauty, such as in the 'lullaby' in 7 Episodes. Her music is quite unique, and includes a lightness of touch, perhaps from her time in Paris as a student of Nadia Boulanger. Her slow music is exceptionally expressive.

"This CD is a real discovery. All but one of the pieces was written by Talma in her 70's and 80's. The ensembles are intricate and carefully wrought. Talma writes especially beautifully for the flute. The soloists on this disc are all virtuosi. Not the slightest allowance has to be made for its budget price. The sound is beautiful too." David Saemann, Amazon.com

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- and some recordings by non-women:

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BEETHOVEN CHAMBER MUSIC - AMB 6002 (£8)
This CD was originally issued by Carlton Classics, now reissued by us, and is not available in the shops

Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op 16
Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op 11
Sonata for Horn and Piano, Op 17

Diana Ambache, piano; Jeremy Polmear, oboe
Joy Farrall, clarinet; Stephen Stirling, horn
Neil Levesley, bassoon; Naomi Butterworth, cello

Click here to download and hear the first minute of the Horn Sonata.

As far as we know this CD has not been reviewed, so we will have to blow our own trumpet, and Beethoven's. For here is some of his best chamber music outside the string quartets. The trumpet is not featured, but the horn most certainly is, in a Sonata of great nobility and beauty, with a recording to capture the warm sound of Stephen Stirling's horn [you can visit Stephen's own website by clicking here]. The horn features, too, in the slow movement of the Quintet - remarkable music, with piano alternating with the wind choir, and individual voices joining up in a continuous stream of melody. In the outer movements Beethoven is sunny, confident and full of invention, with beautiful writing for all the instruments. This is also true of the Trio, and the music has a strong opening and another beautiful slow movement. In the final set of variations (on an operatic theme) Beethoven dazzles us with inexhaustible creative inventiveness and - yes - sense of fun.
The recording was made in 1993 in the warm acoustic of St Michael's Church, Highgate, north London.

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THE OTHER DONIZETTI - Meridian CDE 84147 (£10)
Instrumental music by Donizetti, together with Fantasies on his operas by Liszt and Pasculli

(all works for oboe and piano unless otherwise stated)
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Sonata in F
Waltz in C (piano solo)
Concertino in G (cor anglais and piano)
Il Barcaiolo
Antonio Pasculli (1842-1924)
Concerto on themes from the opera La Favorita
Fantasia on the opera Poliuto
Franz Liszt (1811-86)
Reminisciences de Lucia di Lammermoor (piano solo)
Sonata 1st movement (middle) , Concertino (middle) , La Favorita (near start) , Liszt (middle) , Poliuto (middle)
The Other Donizetti refers to the instrumental side of a composer known mainly for his more than sixty operas, and the recording celebrates his unfailing melodic gifts. Antonio Pasculli was a celebrated oboist in his time, and his music allows plenty of opportunities for virtuosity. Both his and Franz Liszt's contributions always respect the beauty of the melodies.

"This collection shows an essentially lightweight side to the composer, but is given some substance by the stylish elegance of Jeremy Polmear's playing. The Sonata in F is an agreeable piece with a fluent Andante and a catchy finale, and the vignette Il Barcaiolo is even more engaging. The cor anglais Concertino centres on a set of variations which are not unlike the fantasias on themes from his operas by Pasculli. However, these demand the utmost bravura from the soloist. The La Favorita Concerto has a finale marked Allegro velocissimo which speaks for itself, and in the Poliuto Fantasia Jeremy Polmear is made to sound like one of Rimsky-Korsakov's bumble-bees set loose in the Italian sunshine. Diana Ambache proves a sympathetic partner and gives a suitably flamboyant account of Liszt's famous Lucia paraphrase. The artists are well balanced and are afforded striking naturalness and presence." The Penguin CD Guide

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MOZART PIANO TRIOS - Signum SIGCD081 (£12)

Piano Trio in C, K548
Piano Trio in E, K542
Piano Trio in G, K564
Triosatz in D, K442

Diana Ambache, piano;
Gabrielle Lester, violin;
Judith Herbert, cello

K548 (opening), K542 (Andante: excerpt), K564 (Allegretto), Triosatz, K442 (ending).

Issued in the Anniversary year 2006, Mozart's Piano Trios are a delightful addition to the Ambache recordings. The music dates from the late 1780s, and was written for sale to the enthusiastic amateur market in 18th century Vienna; they include his richness of melody and expressive harmony. Each Trio's character is coloured by his choice of key: celebratory C major, intimate E major, warm G major, and energetic D major.

"The star of the CD - if that's quite the right word for a chamber ensemble - is Diana Ambache. Her piano playing is exemplary, both technically and musically; her interpretations are soulful or delicate where appropriate."
Roderick Swanston, CD Review, BBC Radio 3

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MOZART PIANO AND WIND QUINTET and PIANO QUARTET - Meridian ECD 84115 (£14)

Quintet for Piano and Wind, K452
Quartet for Piano and Strings, K478


Diana Ambache, piano; Jeremy Polmear, oboe
Antony Pay, clarinet; Timothy Brown, horn
Neil Levesley, bassoon; Adrian Levine, violin
Norbert Blume, viola; Andrew Shulman, cello

Click here to hear the first minute of the Piano Quartet.

"I recently wrote with enthusiasm about Antony Pay's playing of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet... the other players are mostly new to me but they all reach the same high quality. Diana Ambache's neat crisp style and polished technique help to make it easier than usual to accept Mozart's unlikely remark that this Quintet was the best work he had ever composed. Few of his slow introductions have the quality of this one, and what follows is equally delightful. The whole work must be as much of a joy to play as it is to hear... The backing is the Quartet in G minor for piano and strings. Here too the playing is polished, stylish and very pleasing... the record is easy to recommend." Roger Fiske, Gramophone

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MOZART PIANO CONCERTOS 8 and 9, CONCERT RONDO K386 - AMB 6001 (£8)
This CD was originally issued by Pickwick, now reissued by us, and is not available in the shops

Piano Concerto No 9 in E flat, K271
Piano Concerto No 8 in C, K246
Concert Rondo in A, K386

Diana Ambache, piano/director

Ambache Chamber Orchestra
Leader Adrian Levine

No 9, 2nd Movt (piano entry) , No 8, 1st Movt (piano entry)
It is a great pleasure for us to get this CD back in action; it had originally disappeared when Pickwick did. It contains two of Mozart's earliest Piano Concertos plus a bonus, and was recorded in the rich acoustic of Rosslyn Hill Chapel, London.

Piano Concerto No 9 is a remarkable work. The first movement has a symphonic sweep that carries you through in its rich complexity; the second movement is an apparently simple outpouring of emotion; and the third just bubbles with energy, with a gentle minuet sitting improbably inside it.

Number 8 is perhaps Mozart's most playful piano concerto. Joix de vivre is everywhere and there are many witty touches. As in Number 9, Mozart uses his small orchestra of strings, oboes and horns to telling effect. The 'bonus' is a single movement Rondo (only recently restored to its original version) that exudes an engaging warmth.

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MOZART PIANO CONCERTOS 14 & 18 - Meridian ECD 84086 (£14)

Piano Concerto No 14 in E flat, K449
Piano Concerto No 18 in B flat, K456

Diana Ambache, piano/director

Ambache Chamber Orchestra
(leader Adrian Levine)


Click here to hear some of the slow movement of Concerto No 18 by C.
"All true Mozartians will be attracted by Diana Ambache's recording... a well-matched orchestral strength of 27 players; splendid tempi, of the most superbly-judged kind, revealing fully the grand symphonic sweep of these undoubted masterpieces; and orchestral playing that is quite exceptional in modern-day Mozart performances." Music and Musicians

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RESPIGHI CHAMBER MUSIC - Chandos Chan 9962 (£14)

Piano Quintet in F minor (1902)
String Quartet in D minor (1909)
Six Pieces for violin and piano (1901-5)

Marcia Crayford, violin
Ruth Ehrlich, violin
Martin Outram, viola
Judith Herbert, cello
Diana Ambache, piano

This CD received a 5* rating for both performance and recording
in the BBC Music Magazine (March 2002)

These pieces all date from the first decade of the 20th Century, well before The Fountains of Rome, and already show Respighi's consummate technical skill combined with late Romantic intensity (as heard in the opening of the Piano Quintet).

The D minor string Quartet keeps up this intensity, and is a huge piece, lasting more than half an hour. The density of the string writing also means that finding rests in which to turn the pages is quite difficult, and extra music stands are required! Here is the opening of the Quartet's third movement.

The Six Pieces for Violin and Piano come as a refreshing antidote. They truly are little gems, with simple, affecting violin lines underpinned by piano writing that is much more subtle than it first appears. Here is the start of the Berceuse - the first piece.

"The Ambache, an eminent group of five on this disc, play it all superbly well, the crowning duo of Ambache and Crayford in the beautiful Six Pieces rounding off a highly enjoyable feast of unfamiliar music." Christopher Fifield, Music Web

"Wonderful playing from the Ambache. You can sense the players' enjoyment of Respighi's rich textures, and technically they are completely reliable. The recorded sound is first-rate. This one is a very definite winner, and I recommend it highly." Fanfare

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SWEET MELANCHOLY - (£10)

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Six Studies in English Folk-Song (cor anglais & piano)
Benjamin Britten (1913-76)
Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, Op 49 (oboe solo)
Malcolm Arnold (b 1921)
Sonatina, Op 28
Edmund Rubbra (1901-86)
Sonata in C, Op 100
York Bowen (1884-1961)
Sonata, Op 85
Madeleine Dring (1923-77)
Danza Gaya
Vaughan Williams 6 Britten Arethusa (start) Arnold (start) Rubbra (start) Bowen (1st Movt complete) Dring (start)

"This is a recording not only for oboists; amateur or professional, people will have occasion to enjoy such finished performances in the repertory. Also, the artistry of Léon Goossens created an interest in the vein of music-making in English composition. Some of the pieces here were written for him (Malcolm Arnold, with his engaging, haunting Sonatina, and York Bowen); others were for performers inspired by his playing to take the instrument up. One such was Joy Boughton... for her Britten wrote his skillfully fashioned Metamorphoses, yet another tribute to his technical skill in its drawing of so much music out of a single unaccompanied line. Another was Evelyn Rothwell, later Lady Barbirolli... who won from Rubbra a sonata that is easily accepted for its lyrical qualities. These are some English versions of pastoral, as of course are Vaughan Williams' Six Studies (really for cello, here well suiting the cor anglais)...there is something to be learnt, and to be enjoyed, in music as well-crafted as this.

"Jeremy Polmear plays the works with the unaffected enjoyment of their virtues. He is a sympathetic, musicianly artist, with a sweet, Goossens-like tone (though - for oboists to note - he plays a Marigaux, richer-toned than Goossens' elegant Loree). He finishes with a charming little piece by the talented, lamented Madeleine Dring, who wrote it for her husband, another superb oboist, Roger Lord." John Warrack, Gramophone