Album Releases | Robin Stevens Composer

A generous family bequest in 2017 has enabled Robin to embark on the ambitious project of recording all his major compositions. In personally supervising these recordings it has been his privilege to work with some of the very best Classical musicians in Britain.

String Quartets and String Quintet, Divine Art, dda 25203

This CD from 2020, with a generous playing length of 76 minutes, embraces the Late Romanticism of Robin’s youthful String Quintet; the expansive Modernism of his String Quartet No.1; and the dramatic, heartfelt concision of his String Quartet No.2, all given vibrant performances by the London-based Behn Quartet.

Prevailing Winds:
Music for Wind Instruments
Divine Art , dda 25194

Prevailing Winds (2019) is a double-album of twenty five pieces centring on orchestral wind instruments, covering an enormous stylistic range, from Classical Romantic, through Jazz, Folk and pastiche Medieval to Contemporary Classical. The wind players are some of the finest – Sarah Miller (flutes), John Bradbury (clarinet), Richard Simpson (oboe), Helen Peller (bassoon), Lindsey Stoker (French horn), and John Turner (recorders) – and they give some truly outstanding performances. With a running time of 88 minutes this ambitious album is not to be missed by any lovers of wind music.

Music for Cello and Piano,
Divine Art, dda 25217

Music for Cello and Piano (released in January, 2022) sees the lead cellist and the piano accompanist of the Manchester-based Hallé Orchestra combining in compelling renderings of Robin’s best music for this challenging compositional medium. Pride of place on the CD goes to the searing Sonata Romantica, a single-movement, half-hour epic of the genre. But the beauty of this 77-minute album is the way that high-brow Modernism rubs shoulders with the melodic affability of delightful miniatures such as A Birthday Trifle and the ever-tuneful Balmoral Suite.

Balmoral Suite (and other recorder favourites)

Prima Facie PFCD101

Robin’s popular Balmoral Suite reappears as the headline piece on this collection of contemporary recorder music. It receives a sparkling performance from John Turner and the Manchester Sinfonia in this delightful arrangement for recorder and chamber orchestra. An affectionate portrayal of Britain’s most famous family, including a poignant character-study of the late Prince Philip.

Robin is the sole performer on his solo cello album from 2021, An Inward Journey. This highly original collection of nine cello miniatures can be listened to online – for individual pieces or the complete album – via his CD Baby site, robinstevens.hearnow.com

You can also both hear and see Robin performing his ‘lockdown song’ from May, 2020, Let’s Build A Better Future, on Youtube.

In late-2022 Robin releases a CD comprising three big chamber works: his Clarinet Quintet; his Septet for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet; and his Fantasy Trio for Classical guitar, flute and cello.”