The Scottish composer Ronald Stevenson (1928–2015) was a virtuoso concert pianist in the tradition of Beethoven, Liszt and Rachmaninov but, like his friend Percy Grainger, he was also fascinated by the folk musics of the world. This third album of his piano music juxtaposes his arrangements of Celtic – Breton, Cornish, Irish, Manx, Scots and Welsh – folk-songs and -dances with his Chinese and Ghanaian Folk-Song Suites and his resourceful transcription of Grainger’s visionary Hill Song No.1 for wind band, here realised as an expansive tone-poem for the piano. This is the third instalment of Christopher Guild’s exploration of Ronald Stevenson’s music –a crusade he will soon be extending to other Scottish composers.

Christopher Guild has established himself as a pianist with a keen interest in promoting music less often heard, including that of the British Isles and especially his native Scotland. He has worked on a number of projects with Judith Weir, Master of the Queen’s Music. He is a co-founder and member of the Edison Ensemble. His radio appearances have been numerous, and include a live performance on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune, a recorded performance from the Purcell Room of the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Born in Scotland in 1986, he now combines performing and recording with extensive teaching commitments: at Junior Trinity in London, where he teaches piano and classes in musicianship; and at the Godolphin School in Salisbury, where he is the full-time accompanist and teacher of academic music and piano.