Peter Maxwell Davies, the composer, focused on chamber music during the period these works were composed, including a cycle of ten 'Naxos' String Quartets.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The Piano Trio: A Voyage to Fair Isle by Peter Maxwell Davies was inspired by his visit to Fair Isle, a remote island between the Orkney and Shetland archipelagos, and the community's involvement in a music festival.
Performer Biography
Vittorio Ceccanti, the cellist on this recording, plays a cello made in Venice in 1720 by Carlo Tononi.
Composition History
The Sonata for Violin Alone, one of Peter Maxwell Davies' final works, was composed in 2013 and premiered in Venice in 2014 by Duccio Ceccanti, to whom it is dedicated.
Compositional Technique
Peter Maxwell Davies based his Piano Trio: A Voyage to Fair Isle on a plainsong proper to the day composition commenced, which generates and permeates the entire single-movement work.
Performer Biography
Bruno Canino, one of the pianists, is deeply interested in contemporary music and has collaborated with distinguished composers like Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Peter Maxwell Davies' Sonata for Violin and Piano traces an imaginary walk across Rome, inspired by an architect friend's proposal for a continuous walkway.
