The Arrow of Time features seven world-premiere recordings of pieces commissioned by seven contributors to the Tavener: Palintropos recording Indiegogo funding project.

The pieces are varied in style and express Michael Stewart's love for experimentation and boundary crossing between genres. Some of the pieces explore polyrhythmic tempi (think Ligeti Etudes) whilst others explore territories more familiar to the sound worlds of Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds. The disc also includes three bonus tracks, of which two, Uji 1.1 and Uji 1.3, are excerpts from a larger forthcoming project Everything and Nothing.

British-born composer, pianist and producer Michael Stewart studied with composition with John Tavener in the late 70s. In 2019 he founded the record label A Flock Ascending and the label debuted with the world-premiere recording of John Tavener's Palintropos for piano and orchestra in 2020, with the Japanese pianist ARUHI making her debut recording, together with the New London Orchestra conducted by Ronald Corp. The recording received critical acclaim, from Gramophone Magazine, BBC Music Magazine, The Times, and The Morning Star. The album also included Michael Stewart's Beyond Time and Space for piano and electronics and strings.

"Always melodic, it's an emotionally charged and meditative work which reflects Stewart's interest in cosmology, time, memory, spirituality, Zen philosophy, sacred geometry, and quantum theory. It typifies the ambition and courage of A Flock Ascending, a label which is clearly a force to be reckoned with." - Simon Duff, Morning Star ***** (Beyond Time and Space)

"As for turning back to Palintropos, I have already done so with undiminished wonder..." - The Times, 23 October 2020 **** (Tavener - Palintropos)

"The timelessness of Tavener's mature works is already present ...That this curious mix hangs together as a convincing entity is a tribute to Tavener's compositional skills, aided here in this remarkably assured first recorded performance from Japanese pianist Aruhi and the New London Orchestra under Ronald Corp" - BBC Music Magazine, January 2021 **** (Tavener - Palintropos)

"some of the most sheerly beautiful music to be found anywhere in Tavener's output ... Recommended" - Pwyll ap Sion, Gramophone Magazine, April 2021 (Tavener - Palintropos)