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
“Several items on this CD reveal Robin Stevens to be a very individual and exploratory composer. Stevens make the instruments sound so different and yet marries them together so well” – British Musical Society
“Successive hearings could releave [Sonata Romantica] to be one of the greatest Romatic cello sonates in English music. Cellist Nicholas Trygstad and painist David Jones are sympathetic to Steven’s complex, technically demanding and often wide-tanging music. The recital is helped by a vbrant and clear recording. An absoring and satisfying combination.” – MusicWeb
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.
A wacky, ‘left field’ review of A Questing Soul from the Congleton Chronicle…
Modern classical music has either beaten me into submission, or this is really good. Either is possible. Despite odd jarring moments, notes that seem not quite right and an aversion to developing an actual melody, this is an enjoyable album. Some classical albums I play from time to time — or never again — but this has become a dog-walk regular on the iPod, which is high praise. It is music that creates an ambience rather than a collection of tunes, with Christine Townsend on violin and Stephen Robbings on piano doing a sterling job.
At first play-through it almost seems a startling-the-cat collection of modern music but its gentleness and nostalgic feel bring it down from harsher modernity to something warmer. Tracks are mostly violin and piano but there are some solos. It skirts around tunes that might be familiar, such as in “Scherzo in Blue”, which suggests to me “Porgy and Bess” style jazz / blues classical while shying away from anything as mundane as a tune.
Opener “The Fantasy Sonata” is fairly traditional, the violin leading over the piano; it is played well but it was written for Townsend and Robbing so they should have the hang. It’s soulful but also stirring. “Stratospheric!” is solo violin; think Eddie van Halen’s “Eruption” — you don’t have to be a fan of American rock, just “Back to The Future” — and it’s got the same vibe, only on violin. The title track (on CD2) is a more thoughtful piano piece, but is followed by solo violin piece “Tom and Jerry”, and yes it does suggest a cat scampering about after a mouse (or escaping from a bulldog).
I like “An Interrupted Waltz” which, after a lot of perhaps less conventional stuff, is a charming piece based on; well, guess. Closer, “Soliloquy” ends in as thoughtful style as the title track. I just found a review that says of this “not particularly easy listening” — I vehemently disagree; maybe if you want a nice bit of Nachtmusik it’s a little jarring, but for anyone with an ounce of curiosity it’s a strong album.
Chasing Shadows
Brass Odyssey
Orchestral Music, Volume 1
Orchestral Music, Volume 2
Orchestral Music, Volume 3
Robin is the sole performer on his two solo cello albums from 2021 and 2023, An Inward Journey, and Further Along An Inward Journey. These highly original collections of nine cello miniatures can be listened to online, on all main streaming services for individual pieces, or the complete albums.
You can also both hear and see Robin performing his ‘lockdown song’ from May, 2020, Let’s Build A Better Future, on Youtube.
Additionally, there are two single tracks of Robin’s music on other CDs. Men Improve with the Years (WB Yeats), song for mixed ensemble, track 1 on Songs for Sir John Divine Art dda 25210.
Variations on Bobby Shafto for recorder and piano, A Few More Surprises Prima Facie PFCD 246.
Three upcoming recordings in 2026 from Toccata Classics of Robin’s complete orchestral music.