This exciting album features world premiere recordings of nine chamber and solo works, profiling the distinctive and diverse voices of five celebrated British composers. The album explores the rich theme of the English landscape and its cultural history through innovative and evocative music.

“Distant Voices, New Worlds” is inspired by the interplay of contemporary and historical perspectives on landscape. At its heart are four specially commissioned songs from 2022 for soprano and ensemble, forming the South Downs Songbook. This project meditates upon and celebrates the human experience of the South Downs, the chalk hills stretching from Winchester to Eastbourne. The project included extensive educational initiatives and the creation of a resource pack on composing, available through the Orchestra of Sound and Light, the Brighton-based ensemble known for blending traditional and contemporary instruments and incorporating visual art and moving images.

The commissioned composers – Shirley J Thompson, Rowland Sutherland, Evelyn Ficarra, and Ed Hughes – each bring a unique perspective to the project. Their works are inspired by walking the South Downs and are set to texts that offer varied views on landscape and history:

Shirley Thompson set Phillis Wheatley’s An Hymn to the Evening (1753-1784), reflecting Wheatley’s experiences in England.

Rowland Sutherland chose a poem by Charlotte Turner Smith (1749-1806).

Ed Hughes adapted words by Marion Robinson (1937), an early contributor to the Mass Observation Archive, influenced by William Blake’s visions of the South Downs skies.

Evelyn Ficarra set a poem by contemporary Brighton-based poet Valerie Whittington.

Complementing these works are five additional compositions recorded by the New Music Players, creating a kaleidoscope of new British music and historical voices. Highlights include:

An instrumental elaboration on Thomas Tallis’s motet In ieiunio et fletu by Ed Hughes.

Shirley J Thompson’s tribute to Nelson Mandela, Mighty Mandela, performed by solo flautist Rowland Sutherland.

Evelyn Ficarra’s solo piano meditation on a haiku, The Arbitrariness of Language.

A trio by Rowland Sutherland for cello, flute, and piano, blending jazz influences and a remix of Tallis’s Lamentations.

Matthew Sheeran’s Languet Anima, inspired by fourteenth-century Ars Subtilior music.

This project, developed with support from ACE and the South Downs National Park Authority, also received contributions from the Hinrichsen Foundation and Vaughan Williams Trust. It highlights the intersection of contemporary music, landscape, culture, and memory, emphasising the significance of diverse artistic expression in fostering public awareness and well-being.