Sometimes, even the best-laid plans take a while to come to fruition.

The prospect of The Yehudi Menuhin School recording an album for Orchid Classics was first mooted in early 2020. But fitting such an ambitious project into an exceptionally busy school schedule – one which is full to the brim with concerts, tours and all manner of musical activities – was never going to be easy, especially when factoring in the availability of the guest artists who feature on many of the tracks contained herein. And so it came to pass that it took over 3 full years for this particular acorn to become a tree, with sessions staggered across a lengthy period.

Given the busyness of The Menuhin School diary, and the need to carefully balance the workloads of its pupils, every major project that the school undertakes must be vetted for its educational value. The experience of recording a commercial album at such a young age (participating pupils range from 12-19) is something that will have life-long benefit to those who took part, and to be guided through the process by a range of exceptional artists and a world-class producer made for a truly wonderful series of sessions at The Menuhin Hall.

The Menuhin School is home to a small but extremely diverse community, with pupils – most often supported by bursaries or the Music and Dance Scheme – coming from all around the world. It was this cosmopolitan mix which served as the inspiration for the theme of this album; although it would be impossible to create a CD-length playlist which showcases every nationality represented at the school – to do so would take much more than 80 minutes! – our traversal of the globe, and the range of musical styles incorporated along the way, captures the essence of our society.

The school is blessed with an extraordinary array of young talent, and this album is intended to showcase their eclectic musical backgrounds. We have included arrangements by both staff and students, we cover multiple musical genres, and several pupils appear on more than one instrument. We are privileged to welcome Maxim Rysanov (the school’s first-ever Associate Artist), Otis Enokido-Lineham (our Head of Orchestral Training) and Matthew Taylor (the distinguished composer and educator) to lead the school orchestra, whilst staff members Robin Wilson (Professor of Violin) and Ashley Wass (Director of Music) also make brief cameos, as does one the school’s most celebrated recent alumna, Coco Tomita. Pulling the strings (no pun intended) behind the scenes at all sessions was the wonderful Andrew Keener, for whose sensitivity, wisdom, generosity and professionalism that he provided we are eternally grateful.

Choosing a running order for such a long and varied track listing prompted much debate, but the notion of beginning close to home (with ‘home’ being South-East England), and then following a relatively ordered and logical geographical traversal of the globe, eventually presented the most palatable musical journey. Moving across continents in this way provides a fascinating exploration and evolution of styles, proving once and for all that music really has no boundaries.

Our odyssey starts in leafy, sleepy England, with Elgar’s Chanson de Matin. A predictably popular piece at The Menuhin School in its original format for violin and piano, here it is heard in an arrangement for string orchestra by William Henry Reed. One can almost picture being on the school’s beautiful grounds when listening to this miniature tone poem, such is the serenity and grace of the pastoral scene evoked. Things become altogether more fiery as we cross to mainland Europe and are whisked into the world of Spanish dance via Sarasate’s Navarra. Here played by the Tomita sisters, both pupils of The Menuhin School, this take on the traditional jota showcases the most virtuosic of violin playing. Crossing into France, we then encounter Debussy’s Danses Sacrée et Profane, and are immediately plunged into a strange and mystical atmosphere. Debussy’s trademark harmonic movements suit the harp perfectly – here played by one of our pupils, Rebecca You; its shimmering sounds gently suspended by the orchestra. Waltzing pulses recall the elan and glamour of the “belle epoque.”

Heading further east, the rich and storied Silesian culture is exhibited in four playful miniature melodies from the pen of one the 20th century’s most original voices, Witold Lutosławski, whilst Bartók’s eternally popular Romanian Dances, here presented in an arrangement by Arthur Willner with further modifications by Maxim Rysanov, offer excitement and exoticism in equal measure through their dramatic reinterpretations of Transylvanian folk tunes.

Pulsing, motoric patterns form the core of Bulgarian-British composer Dobrinka Tabakova’s Pirin. Originally written as a piece for solo viola and transcribed by the composer specially for this album, the music draws inspiration from the Gadulka, a Bulgarian folk instrument, to evoke the dramatic Pirin mountain range. By contrast, our final stop in Eastern Europe – Armenia – transports us into a world of solemnity through Arno Babajanian’s deeply moving Elegy in memory of Khachaturian. Arranged for piano and strings by another Menuhin School pupil, Sasha Parker, this piece takes its theme from a traditional Armenian lullaby, as one musical giant from the region pays tribute to another.

Leaving Europe behind, we travel to the Asian Steppe, where we encounter horses galloping in a grand race across the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Originally composed in the 1950s by Huang Haihuai, and arranged (and conducted) for this album by a Menuhin School pupil, Tom Yang, the piece serves as a showcase for virtuosic string playing and melodies inspired by regional five-note scales.

Travelling to Australia, we meet the music of Tasmanian-born composer, Peter Sculthorpe, whose work regularly blends elements of Western classical style with the Aboriginal music of his homeland. The three movements of the Little Suite evoke sincere affection, with typically heart-warming and uplifting results, for the Australian landscape and way of life.
Next stop: Africa. Fela Sowande was born in Nigeria, at the time under British rule. His diverse musical output reflected his circumstances; a young chorister in Lagos, jazz pianist and organist in London, and eventually an ethnomusicologist, who focused on the exploration of his Yoruba heritage. All these experiences find their way into “Akinla”, the cheerful final movement of his African Suite.

The next legs of our journey focus on the Americas. Beginning south of the equator, we arrive on the streets of Buenos Aires. Composer and double bass virtuoso, Andrés Martín, champions the nuevo tango style, pioneered by compatriot composer Astor Piazzolla. Here, two basses dance together in a charged showcase depicting a bustling Argentinian market. Crossing the border into Brazil, we are introduced to the samba-choro, courtesy of Darius Milhaud’s “Scaramouche”. Paying tribute to his time in South America, the highly evocative, light-footed final movement is performed here by four pianists and eight hands across two pianos.

Across the Caribbean Sea we find the island nation of Cuba – an extraordinary, complex culture – captured for this album through the fascinating and kaleidoscopic music of Leo Brouwer. An influential guitarist and composer, Brouwer’s innovative use of the four-guitar ensemble masterfully evokes the pitter-patter of rain across exotic landscapes.

Leaving Cuba behind, we land stateside, to be greeted by the exuberance of Florence Price’s Juba, a movement from her Piano Quintet which is regularly performed as a standalone piece. Hailing from Little Rock, Arkansas, Price regularly used her music to champion the African American hambone or juba dance, in which participants had to act as their own percussion, and stomping rhythms take centre stage in this example to foot-tapping effect. By contrast, George Gershwin’s Three Preludes are highly evocative of an alternative American genre – the uproarious creativity of Tin Pan Alley. Eclectically arranged here for violin, double bass and guitar by Richard Wright, Principal Guitar Teacher at The Menuhin School, these miniature masterpieces contrast outer movements full of rhythmic vitality with a languorous central piece recalling the summer blues.

Our globetrotting comes to its end as we whizz back across the Atlantic to County Derry. The Londonderry Air is a traditional folk tune, which is perhaps today most popularly known as ‘Danny Boy’. Once again, we turn to a Menuhin School student – Mika Petrovic – to arrange it for strings. This beautifully and imaginatively harmonised version, which gives each member of the ensemble an opportunity to shine, provides a fitting end to our journey.

The Menuhin School has a rich, storied history, and has made an extraordinary contribution to the world’s musical landscape since its opening in 1963. Being the School’s first ever fully commercial recording, this album marks a major milestone, and we would like to acknowledge the generosity and support of The Friends, without whom the project would not have been possible.