This is Semaphore’s fifth release in the Sarah Beth Briggs Plays... series. Sarah performs two contrasting Debussy Suites either side of three Chopin masterpieces and arguably his finest miniature. As with her previous releases, she offers personal thoughts about her chosen repertoire in her sleeve notes.

York-based Sarah Beth Briggs was for many years the youngest BBC Young Musician of the Year finalist at 11 and one of the youngest recipients of a Myra Hess award at the same age. She was joint winner of the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg at the age of 15. A longstanding pupil of Denis Matthews, she also studied in Switzerland with renowned Arrau student, Edith Fischer and, through a Hindemith Foundation chamber scholarship, Bruno Giuranna. Her solo career has taken her to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy and the USA, and she has worked with orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, Hallé, London Mozart Players, London Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra, and Northern Sinfonia. In addition to her latest piano duet venture with James Lisney, she leads three chamber groups combining piano with wind and strings from some of the country’s leading solo and orchestral musicians.

The recording was made on a Steinway at Potton Hall, Suffolk. The producer and sound engineer was Simon Fox-Gál, whose recordings have included releases on EMI/Virgin Classics, Erato, Warner, Sony Music, Pan Classics, Avie, Naxos and BMG/RCA.

"Although traversing a well-trodden path of core repertoire, this CD demonstrates her sheer talent and artistry. The detail, intelligence, freshness and spontaneity this pianist brings to these scores is a delight. These readings stand proud with some of the best. The Potton Hall acoustic is ideal in every way, with plenty of air around the sound. The full, rich tone of the Steinway is captured admirably by the engineers. The booklet notes, in English only, include a portrait of the artist. Her insightful annotations on the works are enlightening." MusicWeb International, December 2014