Bowen, Britten & I. Holst: Chamber Music Yue Yu, Anthony Hewitt, Jeffrey Armstrong

• York Bowen (1884 - 1961): Melody for the C-String, Op. 51 No. 2:
• 1 Bowen: Melody for the C-String, Op. 51 No. 2 04:51
• Nocturne & concert allegro, Op. 21 (Version for Viola & Piano):
• 2 Bowen: Nocturne & concert allegro, Op. 21 (Version for Viola & Piano): No. 2, Allegro de concert 08:58
• Imogen Holst (1907 - 1984): 4 Easy Pieces for Viola & Piano:
• 3 Holst: 4 Easy Pieces for Viola & Piano: No. 1, Timothy's Trot 00:42
• 4 Holst: 4 Easy Pieces for Viola & Piano: No. 2, A Farewell 01:44
• 5 Holst: 4 Easy Pieces for Viola & Piano: No. 3, Mill-Field 02:22
• 6 Holst: 4 Easy Pieces for Viola & Piano: No. 4, Jenny is Dancing 01:04
• Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976): Suite for Violin & Piano, Op. 6 (Version for Viola & Piano):
• 7 Britten: Suite for Violin & Piano, Op. 6 (Version for Viola & Piano): V. Waltz. Alla valse, vivace e rubato 05:21
• 3 Duos for Violin & Viola:
• 8 Bowen: 3 Duos for Violin & Viola: No. 1, Poco lento 03:37
• 9 Bowen: 3 Duos for Violin & Viola: No. 2, Allegro vigoroso 01:37
• 10 Bowen: 3 Duos for Violin & Viola: No. 3, Presto leggiero 01:00
• Romance in A Major, Op. 21 No. 1 (Version for Viola & Piano):
• 11 Bowen: Romance in A Major, Op. 21 No. 1 (Version for Viola & Piano) 06:20
• Imogen Holst: Duo for Viola & Piano:
• 12 Holst: Duo for Viola & Piano: I. Allegro molto 02:28
• 13 Holst: Duo for Viola & Piano: II. Poco lento 03:43
• 14 Holst: Duo for Viola & Piano: III. Vivace 03:47
• York Bowen: Romance in D-Flat Major (Version for Viola & Piano):
• 15 Bowen: Romance in D-Flat Major (Version for Viola & Piano) 06:03
• Melody for Viola & Piano in G-Flat Major, Op. 47:
• 16 Bowen: Melody for Viola & Piano in G-Flat Major, Op. 47 04:59
• Rhapsody in G Minor, Op. 149:
• 17 Bowen: Rhapsody in G Minor, Op. 149 15:29
• Total Runtime 01:14:05

Info for Bowen, Britten & I. Holst: Chamber Music

An accomplished horn and viola player, York Bowen is said to have preferred the tone of the viola to the violin. Inspired by the virtuosity and vibrato style of the distinguished violist, Lionel Tertis, Bowen wrote several works for him and became his accompanist. Bowen’s subtle shifts of key and heartfelt melodies are well in evidence here, including the powerful and poised Rhapsody, Op. 149, considered to be one of his most important works. Gustav Holst’s daughter Imogen is represented here by the open-air freshness of her Four Easy Pieces and the terse, laconic narrative of her Duo for Viola and Piano. Britten’s spiky Waltz is full of 1930s wit.

Yue Yu, viola
Anthony Hewitt, piano
Jeffrey Armstrong, violin

Yue Yu
Named as one of the 2022 Classic FM Rising Stars, violist Yue Yu was the winner of the 2021 Salzburg Paul Hindemith Viola Concorso and the 2019 Stockport International Young Musicians Competition. A finalist in the 2017 Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition, she was awarded a £5,000 silver mounted Guillaume viola bow for her outstanding performance of Bowen’s Viola Sonata No. 1 in C minor.

Yue studied at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with Louise Lansdown, where she also won numerous prizes and awards, including the Principal’s Prize, and is currently a student at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, studying with Thomas Riebl. She is also a scholar at the International Academy of Music in Liechtenstein, and a member of Ensemble Esperanza.

Yue has given concerts in prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall, London; Town Hall, Birmingham and Solitär Hall, Salzburg. Chamber music is one of her greatest passions. She has worked with Pavel Gililov, Lea Hausmann and Sam Shepherd (of the Amatis Piano Trio), Krysia Osostowicz, the London Bridge Trio and the Primrose Piano Quartet, and has attended numerous leading international chamber music festivals.

Anthony Hewitt
Award-winning British pianist Anthony Hewitt has performed internationally with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and with leading orchestras in Germany, Poland, Russia and the UK. He has appeared at prestigious venues across the UK including Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room, London and Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

Hewitt’s discography includes his critically acclaimed debut album Live at the Wigmore (Master Musicians); Protégé (Divine Art), the first coupling on disc of the Liszt and Reubke sonatas, which received praise in International Record Review and Gramophone; and a 2015 recording of the complete preludes of Scriabin (Champs Hill Records), which was lauded in The Guardian, among others.

In 2004, Hewitt founded the Ulverston International Music Festival. He is also on the faculty of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. In 2012, as the ‘Olympianist’, he cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats with a piano in his ‘BeethoVan’, giving a full-length recital at the end of each day and raising £13,000 for charity.

Jeffrey Armstrong
South African-born violinist Jeffrey Armstrong currently studies with Elisabeth Kufferath at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. He previously studied at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where he received many accolades, including the Principal’s Prize. In 2021 he was awarded First Prize at the UNISA National Strings Competition.

Armstrong has performed as a soloist with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra. He has participated in the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa and Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival, and as part of Lawrence Power’s string ensemble Collegium has appeared alongside John Myerscough and Vilde Frang. During his Bachelor’s degree, Armstrong performed with the Continental and Fletcher String Quartets, with engagements at venues including Wigmore Hall, Cheltenham Town Hall and Windsor Castle.

In Hanover, he is often concertmaster of Ensemble Geräuschkulisse. He has been coached and mentored by musicians including Oliver Wille, Jian Wang, Eberhard Feltz, Anthony Spiri, Jonathan Kelly and Louise Lansdown.

Armstrong recently founded the Cape Chamber Music Collective, and has also been involved in the ARCO Project.

Booklet for Bowen, Britten & I. Holst: Chamber Music