In his piano music, as in his symphonies and string quartets, the English composer David Matthews (b.1943) marries the idiom of classical tradition with that of his own day. His 2009 Piano Concerto, Mozartian in spirit, contains both a tango and a blues; his Piano Sonata of 1989 includes jazz elements, and his 1997 Variations feature both further blues and a homage to Beethoven. The mood of the music on this CD ranges from contemplative introspection to fiery, rhythmic energy.

David Matthews describes the Finnish pianist Laura Mikkola as ‘a marvellous exponent of my music’. This disc is released to mark David Matthews’ 70th birthday in March 2013.

Laura Mikkola studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. She has been the recipient of many awards, including second prize in the Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition in Brussels (1995). Among the conductors she has worked with are Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mikko Franck, Valery Gergiev, Okko Kamu, Eri Klas, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Leif Segerstam and Osmo Vänskä. Since 2003 she has been the artistic director of the Iitti Music Festival in Finland.

George Vass, founder of Orchestra Nova, has made two CDs of the music of Donald Tovey for Toccata Classics. He is director of the Presteigne Festival on the Welsh borders.