Released by Naxos Records in 2019, Thomas Simaku’s CD, Solos & Duos has been chosen among the ten best CDs of the year, by critic James H. North in the prestigious Fanfare magazine in the USA. The list includes recordings of works by Beethoven and Bartok, as well as two 21st century composers from the Netherlands and USA.
In his article, which appears in the issue 44:2 of Fanfare magazine (November-December 2020), the American critic writes: ‘Every work by Albanian/English composer Thomas Simaku is breathtaking. This is his second Naxos CD and his second appearance on my Want Lists; several more works heard on YouTube and elsewhere are equally stimulating.’
Thomas Simaku’s music has been reaching audiences across Europe, the USA and further afield for three decades now, and it has been awarded a host of accolades for its expressive qualities and its unique blend of intensity and modernism. Major works include Concerto for Orchestra – the winning work of the Lutosławski Prize (2013), The Scream for String Orchestra (2017) based on the iconic painting by Munch, and a cycle of highly virtuosic solo pieces for various instruments. You can hear his BASCA Award-winning work Soliloquy V – Flauto Acerbo, described as ‘visionary and entirely original’.
The CD includes works such as ENgREnage, written for Peter Sheppard-Skaerved and Roderick Chadwick, Deux Esquisses written for the pianist Joseph Houston, and his Soliloquy V – Flauto Acerbo – commissioned by the BBC Performing Arts Fund performed by the dedicatee Chris Orton.
