A Garland for John McCabe

“A glance at the batting order reveals a prodigious and diverse group of composers. The performances by all the artists are convincing, competent and thoroughly engaged. I was impressed by the CD sound, which is clear and well-balanced. This is altogether a charming ‘Garland’ for John McCabe. There is much here to delight, enchant and call to mind one of the most important and best of ‘modern’ composers.”

“This is a fascinating collection of short pieces taking listeners on a highly charged emotional roller-coaster ride, boasting some exceptional compositions convincingly delivered by some exceptionally talented instrumentalists. A magnificent musical monument in memory of a great man… a mesmerising taste of ingenious creativity.”

“This record demonstrates the wide-ranging influence [McCabe] had on the musical community.” 

“… I found every one of these tributes quite moving, and doubtless John McCabe would have been brought to tears by any one of them. Given that the pieces are well performed by all involved, I have no trouble at all giving this collection an enthusiastic recommendation.”    David deBoor Canfield

“… In many ways, this disc makes me very happy. A more eloquent in memoriam could hardly be imagined, and all credit to Divine Art for hosting this tribute from a total of 19 composers. The disc is a wonderful tribute to a major compositional talent for whom full recognition is yet to come.”   Colin Clarke

“... As a whole this is a wonderful set of pieces, with a great variety of styles and make up of ensemble, but throughout the performances are excellent. Peter Lawson’s piano playing is thoughtful and at times evocative of McCabe’s own style, whilst John Turner’s tone is, as ever, beautiful throughout, with the same being true of both that of Linda Merrick and Alistair Vennart, with all performers having a significant part to play in my enjoyment of this disc. The sound is very good and this helps to get the best from the music …"

"... The 19 works collected here form a wonderfully balanced sequence of pieces large and small. Although the prevailing mood is elegiac-to-wistful, there are plenty which remember John’s engaging, pithy sense of humour. The musical styles are many and varied, from the formally dramatic, the abstract, and straightforwardly tonal. Beautifully performed by all four players and recorded to match, John would have been delighted."