Beyond Twilight: Music for Cello & Piano by Female Composers Alexandra Mackenzie & Ingrid Sawers

• Amy E. Horrocks (1867 - 1919): Twilight (Rêverie):
• 1Horrocks: Twilight (Rêverie)02:03
• Avril Coleridge-Taylor (1903 - 1998): Who knows?:
• 2Coleridge-Taylor: Who knows?02:12
• Margaret Jacobsohn (1875 - 1971): Romanza:
• 3Jacobsohn: Romanza03:28
• Isobel Dunlop (1901 - 1975): Suite for Cello and Piano:
• 4Dunlop: Suite for Cello and Piano: I. Prelude - Conversation01:55
• 5Dunlop: Suite for Cello and Piano: II. Dance01:57
• 6Dunlop: Suite for Cello and Piano: III. Elegy05:56
• Avril Coleridge-Taylor: Can Sorrow Find Me?:
• 7Coleridge-Taylor: Can Sorrow Find Me?03:53
• Marie Dare (1902 - 1976): Le Lac:
• 8Dare: Le Lac03:58
• Romance:
• 9Dare: Romance04:34
• The Spanish Shawl:
• 10Dare: The Spanish Shawl05:02
• Ivy Parkin (ca. 1886 - 1963): Three Pieces:
• 11Parkin: Three Pieces: No. 1, Aria02:36
• 12Parkin: Three Pieces: No. 2, Cradle Song01:46
• 13Parkin: Three Pieces: No. 3, Chanson espagnole01:48
• Annie Maria Grimson (1870 - 1949): Nocturne:
• 14Grimson: Nocturne04:49
• Harriett Claiborne Dixon (1879 - 1928): Andante Religioso:
• 15Dixon: Andante Religioso07:13
• Christabel Baxendale (1886 - 1950): Plaintive Melody:
• 16Baxendale: Plaintive Melody01:43
• Ethel Barns (1873 - 1948): Idylle:
• 17Barns: Idylle03:09
• Marie Dare: Hebridean Suite:
• 18Dare: Hebridean Suite: I. Isle Of Jura (Two Impressions): Summer Sea04:28
• 19Dare: Hebridean Suite: II. Isle Of Jura (Two Impressions): The Paps of Jura02:25
• 20Dare: Hebridean Suite: III. The Blue Lochan02:04
• 21Dare: Hebridean Suite: IV. A Day Dream01:36
• 22Dare: Hebridean Suite: V. Shieling Song01:59
• 23Dare: Hebridean Suite: VI. A Fisherman’s Song01:51
• Total Runtime01:12:25

Info for Beyond Twilight: Music for Cello & Piano by Female Composers

Faced in 2020–21 with an unexpected break from concert life, cellist Alexandra Mackenzie and pianist Ingrid Sawers devoted much time instead to furthering their longstanding interest in unfamiliar repertoire.Trawling through libraries, both online and in person, they unearthed a treasure trove of short pieces by female composers, some hiding behind bland initials such as ‘A. E. Horrocks’.

Dating from the 1880s to the 1950s, these intimate, quietly powerful works include miniatures by the Scottish cellist Marie Dare and two delightful songs by Gwendolen – later Avril – Coleridge-Taylor, here newly transcribed for cello. A total of fourteen works are presented here, all but five in premiere recordings.

Every one of them deserves to be better known.

"the talented composers and performers represented on this disc have taken the cello out of the shadows and showcased it in all its wonderful glory, illuminating the instrument in a blaze of morning sunshine ... Every piece abundantly shows the aptitude of the composers for conveying different emotions and recognising the cello’s sonorous textures. The responsiveness between Mackenzie’s cello and Sawers’ piano is infused with empathy. This is ably demonstrated in Isobel Dunlop’s rollicking Dance from her Suite. From the outset, the bouncing rhythmic pace is full of electric scales and stunning pizzicato passages. The change of pace in the hauntingly melancholic four-minute Can sorrow find me? by Gwendolen Avril Coleridge-Taylor is another case in point, where the duo catch the wistfulness of the piece or in the foot-tapping habanera of The Spanish Shawl, where their musicianship and accuracy shine through.

Mackenzie makes her instrument sing in all its registers; the tonal, deep sounds are captured with clarity and capaciousness by the recording engineers, ensuring the tone of both instruments is complementary. Each piece is performed with energy, reflection, and precision. Mackenzie and Sawers' accomplished playing and meticulousness to the composers’ intentions, coupled with a pleasant and diverse programme, means this disc will be enjoyed by more than just devotees of the cello" (The Yorkshire Times)

Alexandra Mackenzie, cello
Ingrid Sawers, piano

Alexandra Mackenzie
is internationally recognised as an outstanding performer and educator, has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall and Alice Tully and played concerts in 43 of America’s 50 States. She has been a guest artist at Banff Centre for the Arts, a Fellow at Tanglewood, and has performed across the globe. Alexandra teaches at the junior department of the Royal Academy of Music and was elected an ARAM in 2011.

Ingrid Sawers
A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, accomplished pianist and chamber musician Ingrid Sawers is equally at home collaborating in instrumental and vocal repertoire, and has performed widely at venues throughout the UK, Europe and in Canada. She has partnered many fine musicians either in concert or live BBC broadcast, including Nicky Spence, Lorna Anderson, Janis Kelly, Iestyn Davies and Nicholas Mulroy. She is a passionate advocate for new music, having premiered works by composers including Judith Bingham, Graham Fitkin, Martin Butler, and Thomas Adès but equally delights in established repertoire and rediscovering pieces from archive research. She has a thriving teaching practice, travels worldwide as an examiner and coaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Booklet for Beyond Twilight: Music for Cello & Piano by Female Composers