NEW Album: Pastoral 21

NEW Album Alert! After a tour in Switzerland, gigs at COP26 in Glasgow, and in London: Pastoral 21 the album is finally out on Signum Records. In short, it’s a contemporary exploration on what the concept of ‘Pastoral’ means to us in this time of climate crisis.

It opens with the first movement of Beethoven’s 6th Symphony, “Pastoral” (arranged for sextet), taking us back to a time when we had a much less troubled relationship with nature. Then the album moves into the present, exploring current issues of consumerism, digital life, and impending crisis with pieces from ‘Breaking Screens’; then the central work of the album: ‘Pastoral Reflections’, five movements which echo the symphonic narrative of Beethoven, but from a contemporary perspective.

Today, the concept of 'pastoral' is bittersweet: we can still experience the beauty of nature, but the traces of humanity and industry are always present, and the spectre of the ever-increasing climate crisis is looming. 

“Considering the natural world’s present state, I expected more anger from Prokofiev’s music. But ruefulness can be telling too, especially when conveyed via the excellent string playing of the UNLTD Collective.” 

Geoff Brown, The Times  ★★★★

Now streaming on all major platforms…