Huw Watkins, the composer, is also a distinguished pianist and teacher, often performing with his cellist brother Paul Watkins and violinist Alina Ibragimova.
Composition History
The Sonata for Cello and Eight Instruments was commissioned by Faber Music as part of their Millennium Series, with Huw Watkins being nominated by composer Thomas Adès.
Compositional Technique
In the Four Spencer Pieces, Huw Watkins uses repeated notes to evoke specific imagery, such as the hammering of rivets in 'Shipbuilding on the Clyde' and the hammering of nails in 'The Crucifixion'.
Composition History
The Three Auden Songs were commissioned by the Theatre Royal de la Monnaie for tenor Mark Padmore and his accompanist Andrew West, who premiered them in Brussels in 2009.
Composition History
The work 'In my craft or sullen art' is the fourth in a series of string quartets with voice commissioned by Sir Nicholas and Judith Goodison for the Wigmore Hall.
Composition History
The Partita for solo violin was commissioned jointly by BBC Radio 3 and the Royal Philharmonic Society as part of the New Generation Artists scheme.
Recording & Production
Most of the album's tracks, including the Sonata for Cello and Eight Instruments, Four Spencer Pieces, Three Auden Songs, and In my craft or sullen art, were recorded at the Menuhin Hall in Surrey.
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