Robin Stevens - Orchestral Music, Vol. 1 (Paul Mann)

Information

Composer: Robin Stevens

• Dona nobis pacem: A Prayer for Peace (2024 Revised Version)
• Disrupted Chorale
• Bassoon Concerto
• Suite écossaise

Adam Mackenzie, bassoon

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Paul Mann, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Toccata Classics

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Welsh-born, Manchester-based composer Robin Stevens (b. 1958) has a creative career shaped by two distinct periods separated by illness. His early output focused primarily on chamber music and liturgical works, while his return to health inspired a renewed engagement with large-scale forms, including three major concertos and several orchestral compositions recorded for Toccata Classics. This album centers on his expansive Bassoon Concerto, complemented by three shorter orchestral works. Together, they highlight Stevens’s skill in orchestral color and melodic storytelling, combining moments of emotional depth with an often unexpected sense of vitality and humor.

Paul Mann is an internationally acclaimed conductor who has worked with major orchestras across Europe, the USA, Australia, and the Far East. He gained prominence after winning the 1998 Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, leading to his appointment as assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. Mann earned critical acclaim as chief conductor of the Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark, particularly for performances of Beethoven, Elgar, Mahler, Schumann, and Shostakovich. He has recorded extensively for labels like Toccata Classics, often premiering rare and contemporary works. A versatile musician, Mann has also collaborated with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Bruce Dickinson, and Deep Purple's Jon Lord.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz