Like many of Janáček’s late masterpieces, the genesis of the ‘Diary’ is unseparable from its composer’s intense, obsessional love for Kamila Stösslová. A song-cycle like no other, here it’s the main work in a recital which showcases the extraordinary talents of Nicky Spence, Václava Housková and the vocal trio Voice.

One of Britain’s best-known musicians, Nicholas Daniel OBE won the BBC Young Musician competition in 1980, after which he quickly established his career, travelling all over the world, broadcasting widely, and making his début at the BBC Proms. He has premièred hundreds of works for the oboe and made many critically acclaimed recordings of both new and familiar music. As a soloist he has appeared with the world’s leading orchestras, performing a huge range of repertoire and premièring works written specially for him by many of the world’s greatest composers. He is a founder member of the Britten Sinfonia, Haffner Wind Ensemble, Orsino Ensemble, and Britten Oboe Quartet.

Nicky Spence and friends perfectly capture the urgency and thrill of the opening of ‘On Wenlock Edge’; with its varied and imaginatively chosen couplings, this is an album which every RVW aficionado will want to own.

Gerald Finley and Julius Drake's previous recordings of Schubert have been praised as faultless (Winterreise) and richly satisfying (Schwanengesang)exalted standards which are easily maintained in their new version of Die schöne Müllerin.