Building on the legacy of Rory Boyle’s own youthful studies as a clarinettist and pianist, the works on this new portrait disc span a near forty-year compositional period, from the Sonatina – written as a gift to Boyle’s teacher Lennox Berkeley – to Dramatis Personae and Burble, written for the present performers. Fraser Langton’s communicative flair in this music – with its striking rhythmic energy and refreshing absence of sentimentality – is infectious, while pianist James Willshire already has an acclaimed solo album of Boyle’s piano music to his credit (released on Delphian in 2011, Boyle’s sixtieth-birthday year). Together, and joined by Rosalind Ventris on viola in the concluding trio, they bring to life the composer’s inventiveness, humour, and unfailing sense of melodic line.

Clarinettist Fraser Langton is active as a soloist and chamber musician, having recently given recitals at London’s St John’s Smith Square and the Wigmore Hall. He performs regularly with the pianist James Willshire, whose performances of contemporary piano repertoire have been lauded for their ‘evangelizing urgency’ (International Record Review) and ‘freshness and lucidity’ (The Herald).

‘Depth of character was the main feature of Fraser Langton’s beguiling clarinet playing … A performance that captured the music’s skittish volatility as much as its sheer sensuality’ – The Herald

‘Brilliantly sustained by Willshire … compelling listening’ – The Arts Desk