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"The performances are stunning, the Hallé playing with superb address and conviction, guided by the deeply sympathetic Wigglesworth ... a distinguished and valuable release recommended without reservation ..." - ClassicalSource.com "Five Stars ... among the most powerful orchestral pieces of recent years ... Wigglesworth and the Hallé give performances of amazing concentration, accuracy and passion, aided by recorded sound of a matching depth and clarity ... an essential release." - BBC Music Magazine "The scores are wonderfully evocative and full of event ... the performances are beyond praise; the Hallé musicians playing these technically daunting works as if they were the most natural thing to master. The sound is both substantial and translucent, with huge impact where needed ... a first-class release of essential contemporary works." - Fanfare This award-winning album from the Hallé Orchestra and conductor Ryan Wigglesworth is a collection of premiere recordings of orchestral works by Sir Harrison Birtwistle, spanning a period of 10 years between 1994 and 2004. The pieces move away from the composer's forceful and monolithic grandeur, with which he has become associated; instead they have a more reflective, otherworldly and subtle sound, exploring the world of melancholy.