New & upcoming releases from First Inversion
First Inversion is one of our advertisers – please support them. It includes the labels Divine Art, Diversions & Métier. Click on the cover images for sample tracks and to pre-order the recordings from Presto Classical. The text is based on the promotional material supplied by First Inversion.
August 2026
MEX 77145 Sinner, Don’t Let This Harvest Pass
Métier Records is excited to present Sinner, Don’t Let This Harvest Pass from rising pianist Joseph Havlat, featuring music by Michael Finnissy, Cassandra Miller, and Robert Schumann. This ground-breaking album includes Schumann’s Geistervariationen (Ghost Variations), Finnissy’s response, or allusions to, this work in his RS Geistervariationen, and Miller’s Philip the Wanderer as well as the title work, Sinner, Don’t Let This Harvest Pass, a rare co-composition between Finnissy and Miller, based on the well-known Afro-American spiritual. The compositions and working styles of Finnissy and Miller are a natural fit for this collaboration, the result of their longstanding friendship and correspondence. Released 7 August 2026
DDX 21151 Made in Germany
Announcing Made in Germany, from San Antonio, Texas-based Olmos Ensemble, the first in an exciting series of albums to be released on Divine Art Records. Originally formed by principal players of the San Antonio Symphony, Olmos Ensemble has established itself as one of the premier chamber music organizations in Texas, and features leading musicians from across the United States. Made in Germany features three composers of German origin: Richard Strauss, Rudolf Tillmetz, and Ruth Schonthal. The album includes the first recording of Laszlo Varga’s highly regarded arrangement of Strauss’ Don Quixote for six instruments: clarinet, French horn, violin, viola, cello and piano, which includes every core member of Olmos Ensemble apart from flute. As the original primary voices in the larger orchestrated work (all but piano), these six instruments work wonderfully together in recreating the thrilling tale of Don Quixote. Also included is the first professional recording of Rudolf Tillmetz’s chamber work, the Nocturne for Flute, Horn, and Piano, Op. 31. One of the few Romantic-era trios for this unusual instrumentation, the piece reflects the salon music tradition of late 19th-century Germany, emphasizing lyrical writing and equal interplay between instruments, and although not widely known is a valuable work in the horn and flute chamber music repertoire. German-born Jewish composer, Ruth Schonthal fled Nazi persecution early in her life, first moving to Mexico and later America to study with Paul Hindemith. The album leads off with a rare recording of her late-career Theme and Variations for Solo Flute, which distills her lifelong commitment to melodic expressiveness and emotional narrative into a unique work for solo flute. Released 7 August 2026
DDX 21139 Anthony Hedges: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1
Divine Art is delighted to present the first of three albums from British pianist Adam Davies presenting the entirety of this prolific composer’s concert music for piano. This first volume documents a thirty-year maturation showcasing the full breadth and diversity of Hedges’ creative output, starting with the earliest of the published piano pieces, the Five Preludes of 1959, fresh with youthful energy and verve, and ending with the bright and evocative Five Aphorisms of 1990. Between these sit two weighty centrepieces marking important stylistic departures: Four Short Pieces, his gritty foray into serialism, and the bold intensity of the First Sonata. Interspersed with these are delightful miniatures written for budding pianists, reflecting the composer’s pianistic skill and facility in writing for younger musicians. This music is colourful, rich in its allusions, and expertly crafted. Many of these works are being recorded for the first time. Released 14 August 2026
DDX 21150 Joby Talbot: Piedra de Sol (Sunstone)
Announcing Piedra de sol (Sunstone), featuring acclaimed composer Joby Talbot’s stunning choral setting of Mexican poet Octavio Paz’s epic masterpiece, performed by GRAMMY® Award-winning choir Conspirare and Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson. Releasing on digital and CD on August 21, 2026 on Divine Art Records. Drawing on the symbolism of the Aztec calendar stone, Octavio Paz’s poem Piedra de sol (1957) is like no other. It uses techniques of modern poetry, particularly surrealist imagery, to meditate on cyclical time and the possibility of breaking its grip through poetry and love. On this recording, the choir includes tenor Haitham Haidar (whose recently released debut album Zaytoun on Athene was nominated for a JUNO Award), Savannah Porter of Voces8, early music specialists Jonathan Woody and Dann Coakwell, and the incredible Basso Profundo Glenn Miller. Released 21 August 2026
July 2026
MEX77139 Eric Craven: Set Two for Piano
Métier presents Set Two for Piano from visionary composer Eric Craven, the latest in a series of releases showcasing his ‘non-prescriptive’ method of composition. This unique method features different levels of notation allowing the performer varying degrees of freedom to manipulate choices around a set core. The composer states that his hope is “to reward any pianist with even modest ability with immediate success” (Pieces for Pianists Vol 1 & 2) in creating something beautiful and expressive while also providing a challenge to more accomplished pianists to explore new territory. Released 10 July 2026
MEX77214 Thomas Fortmann: Lieder Zyklen
Métier is delighted to present Lieder Zyklen (Song Cycles) by contemporary Swiss composer Thomas Fortmann. Featuring settings for voice and piano trio of poetry and text by writers including Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Christian Haller, Prolitheus Pfenninger and Fortmann himself, these works demonstrate the composer’s eclectic and unusual style that combines postmodern music, serial techniques, rock and jazz. The Swiss tenor Tino Brütsch and Swiss soprano Nuria Richner perform alongside the Trio Accademia Amiata and a trio of soloists Malwina Sosnowski (violin), Donitille Jordan (cello) and Talvi Hunt (piano). Released 17 July 2026
MEX77148 David Hackbridge Johnson: A Pocket Full of Tunes
Métier presents David Hackbridge-Johnson’s A Pocketful of Tunes, a collection of fascinating works for solo violin and viola written for and performed by internationally acclaimed violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved, resulting from their friendship and hugely creative collaborations. All the works are inspired by, written for, and recorded on great historic instruments, bringing the past vividly alive. There are joyful dances and elegant suites evoking movements of the Baroque and Rococo eras alongside works responding to modern life, a showcase of David Hackbridge-Johnson’s wide range of techniques. Released 24 July 2026
