The Sorabji Archive: Alistair Hinton, Curator/Director

WARLOW FARM HOUSE
the sorabji archive

EATON BISHOP HEREFORD HR2 9QF ENGLAND
From UK 01225 852323 From UK 01225 852523 E-mail sorabji-archive@lineone.net
Ex UK +44 1225 852323 Ex UK +44 1225 852523 Websit www.sorabji-archive.co.uk
e
Alistair Hinton, Curator/Director
KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI

(1892-1988)
(photo: Joan Muspratt)
CONTENTS
GENERAL INFORMATION 02
CATALOGUE OF MUSIC AND LITERATURE 04
NEW EDITIONS 10
FIRST EDITIONS 12
DISCOGRAPHY AND REVIEWS 13
SORABJI: A CRITICAL CELEBRATION 20
NOTABLE EVENTS AND APPRECIATIONS 22
COMMENTS FROM OUR ENQUIRERS 24
GENERAL INFORMATION
The legacy of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892-1988) is vast. Composer, pianist and critic, Sorabji was born in 1892
in England. His father was a Parsi civil engineer from Bombay; his mother, once thought to be a Sicilian-Spanish
soprano, turns out to have been English. His published literature comprises articles, reviews and “letters-to-the-
editor” in English journals and two volumes of collected essays, Around Music (1932) and Mi Contra Fa: The
Immoralisings of a Machiavellian Musician (1947). Brilliantly witty, eminently readable, provocative, controversial,
pensive and trenchant by turns, their style ornate, elaborate and coruscating, they are worthy of his peers whose main
profession was literature.
It is, however, as an enormously prolific composer that Sorabji is best known. He completed over 100 works between
1915 and 1984, many for piano solo, some of enormous dimensions. Some were published between 1919 and 1931,
came under Oxford University Press’ sole selling agency in 1938 and sold out five days before Sorabji died in 1988;
no reprints were proposed. Much of his music remains for the time being in manuscript only.
An auto-didact, Sorabji lived in self-chosen and self-made isolation and independence from the general profession of
music making. A reluctant performer who loathed public gatherings of any kind, he premièred a few of his pieces,
most notably in the 1930s in Erik Chisholm’s historic Glasgow-based Active Society for the Propagation of
Contemporary Music concert series. Sorabji’s final concert appearance (1936) may have coincided with a decision to
withdraw his work from the concert platform by vetoing public performances without his express consent, an unusual
and courageous step that led to virtual silence for almost 40 years. Sorabji continued composing at a furious pace,
blissfully undaunted by lack of public performances, approbation or criticism of what he was writing.
In 1969, I found by chance, in Westminster Library, London, a copy of Sorabji’s early published masterpiece, Opus
Clavicembalisticum - a monumental solo piano work some 4½ hours long. Its score created a profound impression.
Like most musicians, however, I knew nothing of its composer. My efforts at discovery were thwarted at every turn,
information being elusive, conflicting and unreliable. However, Humphrey Searle, with whom I was studying, had
attended a 1936 performance of part of Opus Clavicembalisticum, knew a little about Sorabji. He proved
encouraging and helpful, lending me a copy of the long out-of-print Mi Contra Fa: The Immoralisings of a
Machiavellian Musician.
I corresponded with Sorabji from 1972 and met him later that year at his Corfe Castle, Dorset, home a week after his
80th birthday. This first of many visits initiated a priceless friendship and professional association. Caring for the
fate of his music, I made what the redoubtable Nicolas Slonimsky may have called “manifold endeavors” to focus
attention on it and persuade him to sanction public performance by musicians of his choice. His entrenchment made
it a daunting task. Disinterested in public opportunities to hear his work, he had already refused proposed
performances. Never obstructive for the sake of it, his personal warmth and spiritual generosity were as unfailing as
they were legendary. Whilst its scope was unprecedented, his desire to protect himself from inadequate presentation
was hardly unreasonable.
In 1976, Sorabji finally relented in favour of Yonty Solomon, who performed some early piano works at a
momentous London recital in December that year. This inevitably led to increasing international interest in his
music; following Solomon’s pioneering, more performers presented authorised performances, broadcasts and
commercial recordings, laying to rest at last the long-held myth of its unplayability. In suitable conditions, Sorabji
permitted – even encouraged – this once he recognised the existence of musicians capable of doing it justice.
Cognoscenti of the major keyboard works do not predict such compendia of fearsome difficulties becoming “standard
repertoire”, but whilst the music hurls uniquely forbidding challenges at performers, it exerts an immediate
intellectual and emotional grip on listeners.
International artists of distinction who have performed, broadcast and recorded Sorabji’s music include pianists
Yonty Solomon, John Ogdon, Marc-André Hamelin, Michael Habermann, Donna Amato, Ronald Stevenson,
Geoffrey Douglas Madge, Carlo Grante and Charles Hopkins, organist Kevin Bowyer and sopranos Jane
Manning, Jo Ann Pickens and Sarah Leonard.
His centenary was marked not only by performers and broadcasters but also by Scolar Press’s publication of Sorabji:
A Critical Celebration, a multi-author symposium edited by Prof. Paul Rapoport. This first full-length survey of
Sorabji was reprinted in 1994. One of its contributors, Prof. Marc-André Roberge, is preparing a substantial Sorabji
biography; now nearing completion, it is anticipated for publication shortly.
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An ironical consequence of the burgeoning Sorabji performing tradition was that, as his music became more
accessible to the ear, it became less so to the eye; increased sales of publications ran them out-of-print from 1977.
Protracted discussions with Sorabji led to my founding The Sorabji Music Archive to caretake all his works; we have
actively continued to develop its collection, encourage research and assist in the preparation of performing editions
ever since.
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Established in 1988 and renamed in 1993, The Sorabji Archive’s collection of literature by and about Sorabji includes
articles, essays, reviews and previews of publications, performances and recordings, personal correspondence,
“letters-to-the-editor”, performance and broadcast history, discography and much else. We issue copies of his
remarkable scores and writings to the public worldwide and welcome visits by appointment from performers and
scholars. Distinguished musicians, including Marc-André Roberge, Chris Rice and several outstanding Sorabji
performers, have already prepared a number of definitive editions of Sorabji’s works and more of these are in
progress; in particular, Kevin Bowyer’s exquisitely calligraphed edition of Organ Symphony No. 2, a staggering 396
A3 landscape pages, has to be seen to be disbelieved. The possibility of accurate representations in performance of
Sorabji’s music will arise only as a result of such work. The Sorabji Archive is immeasurably grateful to each
member of its expanding corpus of score editors who expend unstinting patience and hard work voluntarily without
expectation of financial benefit.
The Sorabji Archive does not enjoy charitable status; its foundation and operation are wholly self-funding. We
receive no public or private sponsorship, grants or subsidies. Our continued existence and future depends solely upon
proceeds of sales of scores, literature and recordings and on performance, broadcast and recording royalties.
This brochure includes the following:

CATALOGUE OF MUSIC AND LITERATURE
a comprehensive catalogue, including prices, of all music scores, books and literature by Sorabji which
we supply to the public, including new publications, manuscript and computer-printed new definitive
editions and corrected publications of music scores
FIRST EDITIONS
a list of original out-of-print scores and literary publications which, though rare, we endeavour to
source and supply upon request
DISCOGRAPHY AND REVIEWS
a chronological list, including critical commentary where possible, of commercial recordings of music
by Sorabji, of which we supply all those released on the Altarus label
SORABJI: A CRITICAL CELEBRATION
ed. Paul Rapoport (Scolar Press [now Ashgate Publishing], Aldershot, UK; 1992, repr. 1994)
a copy of the publishers’ leaflet detailing this first full-length volume about Sorabji, which we also
supply.
The first Sorabji Archive internet website was created by Erica Schulman in 1996; for many years, it was located and
maintained within McGill University, Montréal, Canada. In 2005 it was redesigned and updated; its URL is now
www.sorabji-archive.co.uk
All rights in all Sorabji’s musical and literary works are vested exclusively within The Sorabji Archive.
Acknowledgements
The Sorabji Archive wishes to offer especial thanks to:

 Terry Hinton, Grace Keaton (1908-2000), George Ross (1929-1998), Chris Rice and Charles Hopkins (1952-
2007), for ongoing valuable voluntary assistance of many kinds
 George Ross, for his Herculean achievement in preparing an index of Sorabji’s published literature
 Chris Rice, moving spirit behind Altarus, the record company which has to date contributed far more than any
other in the furtherance of the Sorabji cause
 Ann Orchard, for librarianship and general assistance
 Erica Schulman, for constructing and arranging maintenance of the first Sorabji website
 Frazer Jarvis, Vasilios Tsokis, John Wagstaffe and Michael Grossi for constructing and arranging maintenance
of the current Sorabji website
 Professors Paul Rapoport and Marc-André Roberge for their inestimably valuable pioneering work in
endeavouring to encompass Sorabji within book covers
 Charles Hopkins, for providing splendid English translations of the original French texts of many of Sorabji’s
songs
 All the editors of Sorabji’s music and literature
 Last but by no means least, all the dedicated performers of Sorabji’s works.
We update our information continuously and welcome all enquiries concerning Kaikhosru Sorabji.
© Alistair Hinton
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30.12.2020
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CATALOGUE OF MUSIC AND LITERATURE
All items unless otherwise indicated are available from:-
the sorabji archive

WARLOW FARM HOUSE EATON BISHOP HEREFORD HR2 9QF ENGLAND
From UK 01225 852323 From UK 01225 852523 E-mail sorabji-archive@lineone.net
Ex UK +44 1225 852323 Ex UK +44 1225 852523 Website www.sorabji-archive.co.uk
Supply format and item description

 All items, including handwritten and computer-set editions, out-of-print publications, copyists’ manuscripts and the
composer’s autograph manuscripts are issued on paper as duplex (double-sided) photocopies, enlarged where practicable to
aid legibility and ring-bound in hard card covers unless otherwise specified or requested; alternatively, all items may be
supplied electronically in .pdf format.
 Publications currently in print are identified as “Publication” and issued as supplied by the publisher.
 Please note that original out-of-print publications (see FIRST EDITIONS on page 3 above) are not included in this catalogue;
details of these are to be found under FIRST EDITIONS on pages 12 and 13.
 All item descriptions refer to the entire work as named in the left hand column, unless different editions/formats contain only
part of a work, in which cases the part concerned will be identified and priced separately.
 “Miniature Score” refers to a large orchestral score reproduced in A3 Portrait format in cases where A4 Portrait format would
be barely legible; in such cases, “Full Score” refers to such a score reproduced in A2 Portrait format. Where no “Miniature
Score” is shown, “Full Score” refers to an orchestral score reproduced in A3 Portrait format.
 No manuscript parts for any orchestral or chamber works are known to have been produced by Sorabji.
Editions
 Editions other than those described as “Publication” are either typeset or in the editor’s hand, described as “Ed.” and duly
credited; handwritten editions are identified with the symbol “m” (manuscript).
 Some out-of-print publications have also been annotated / corrected by editors and are accordingly described as “Corrected
Copy Publication”.
 Items described as “Critical Ed.” include historical and other background material in addition to substantial and detailed
editorial commentary.
 Some text has been touched-up and pagination or repagination added / corrected by editors.
 Items in italics are editions in progress; please enquire as to their current status at the time of ordering.
Text translations
 Charles Hopkins’s English translations of all the original French song texts are included where appropriate.
Copy quality
 Master copies of all items supplied in paper form have been prepared by The Sorabji Archive; most were created from
original autograph manuscripts, out-of-print publications and new editions but a few have had to be made from paper copies
of microfilms of autograph manuscripts of varying age and quality.
 All paper copies supplied are prepared in-house to order. Copy quality is the highest achievable from the originals using the
archive’s analogue monochrome photocopier which, whilst it served us well over the years, has since been replaced with an
equivalent digital copier upon which all paper copies are made for distribution.
 Marginal loss of clarity of blue-grey feint printed stave lines (at times very faint) has occasionally been unavoidable,
particularly in the reproduction of post-1975 scores; a few minor background blemishes and ink bleeding were evident in the
original paper at the time some of the master copies were made.
A guide to the catalogue
 The Pages column shows the number of pages in each item and acts as an indicator as to how their prices are calculated.
 The Date column includes, where known, the year of completion of each work or the period of years over which it was
composed or revised.
 Durations are given in minutes; those of works yet to be performed are allotted estimates in the form “c.[xxx’]”.
 The Format column gives paper size / orientation: P = Portrait and L = Landscape.
 The No. column shows The Sorabji Archive’s work numberings. Those for works which are either incomplete or whose
completion remains uncertain bear the suffix “a”. The existence of a few works has been discovered since the original
numberings were made; amendments have accordingly been implemented. It seems unlikely that many more Sorabji works
remain to be unearthed, so The Sorabji Archive hopes not to be involved in any further renumbering exercises.
 The Edition column gives descriptions of the publication format of each item. All items without such a description are
copies of Sorabji’s autograph manuscripts. The designation “Ms.” likewise refers to Sorabji’s autograph manuscripts but
appears only in instances where other edition formats of the same work are also available.
 The Price (paper) column shows the amount in £ sterling (GBP) payable for each item including packing and ordinary
mailing within UK only; prices remain valid until further notice. Surcharges for guaranteed, express or other special mailing
/ shipping services and for all orders to be shipped outside UK are quoted on request. In the interests of our valued
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customers we no longer ship items by sea mail due to adverse past experience; it may in some cases appear somewhat more
economical, but we have also found it to be very unreliable. Most of our prices have remained unchanged since the
Archive’s foundation, despite increases in costs of materials and shipping.
 The Price (.pdf) column shows the amount in £ sterling (GBP) payable for each item as an uploaded .pdf file; we have
offered this service since June 2012 as an alternative to paper copies for anyone who prefers to receive items in this format.
Files in .pdf format
We have been offering material in this format, either as attachments to emails or via file transfer software such as sendspace,
wetransfer &c. since June 2012. The advantage of these, for those who prefer them, is that they are much cheaper than paper
copies and can be sent very promptly, whereas paper copies are subject to shipping costs and can take days to arrive.
It has come to our attention that some enquirers have difficult in receiving very large files this way; this appears to be down to
the recipient’s operating system and the default .pdf software that comes with it. Whereas Microsoft™ Windows® users have
Adobe Reader as the default .pdf programme and this seems not to give rise to any file receiving problems, users of other
operating systems that do not come with Adobe Reader as default software may encounter problems. The easy solution is to visit
http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/ and download Adobe Reader, which is free software.
Payment
Payments are accepted in £ sterling (GBP) only in favour of The Sorabji Archive by any of the following means:
PAYMENT TYPE PAYMENT CONDITIONS PAYMENT METHOD
Personal/company Drawn on a UK bank By mail to the above address
cheque
Bank draft Negotiable on a UK bank By mail to the above address
UK£ Travellers’ cheques By mail to the above address
Direct credit to our bank All fees including UK agent Bank A/c Sort Code A/c No.
fees payable by purchaser Coutts & Co. The Sorabji Archive 18-00-02 0923133
1
IBAN GB86COUT18000209231331
IBAN BIC COUTGB22
Crossed UK Postal Order By mail to the above address
PayPal Via our e-mail address sorabji-archive@lineone.net
Terms: in advance All items remain the property of The Sorabji Archive until paid for in full
Reproduction by any means of all or any part or parts of all musical and literary works printed or otherwise by Kaikhosru
Shapurji Sorabji and its sale hire or distribution except by prior written consent of The Sorabji Archive, its authorised
agents or suppliers shall constitute infringement of copyright and is therefore unlawful
This catalogue is regularly updated to incorporate new and newly completed editions, recently discovered works (if any)
and other new information. Please refer to copyright date when comparing earlier issues.
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MUSICAL WORKS BY KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI
Pages Date Duration Format No. Edition Price (paper) Price (.pdf)
ORCHESTRA
Poem Chaleur 23 1916-17 9 ’
A3P 15 Ed. (Jarvis) Full Score £12 £5
54 A3P Parts £POA £5
40 A3P Ms. Full Score1 £15 £5
32 A3P Ms. Full Score £13 £5
Symphony No. 1 (orch./pf./org./chorus) 300 1921-22 c.100 ’ A2P 30 Ms. Full Score £POA N/A
300 A3P Ms. Miniature Score £70 £20
Opusculum 40 1923 c.15 ’
A3P 34 Ed. (Jarvis) Full Score £15 £5
152 Full Score + Parts £15
36 A3P Ms. Full Score £15 £5
Symphony No. 2 (orch./pf./org./chorus, + baritone solo) Jāmī 733 1942-51 c.280 ’ A2P 72 Ed. (Carter) Full Score £ £
A3P Miniature Score £ £
A3P Parts £ £
824 A2P Ms. Full Score £POA N/A
Messa Alta Sinfonica (orch./org./soli/chorus) 1955-61 c.320 ’ A3P 84 Ed. (Fabre) Miniature Score £ £
PIANO AND ORCHESTRA

Piano Concerto No. 1 177 1915-16 c.35 ’ A3P 6 Ms. Full Score £40 £15
Piano Concerto No. 2 1917 c.25 ’ A3P 14 Ed. (Pipatjarasgit) 2-piano reduction £ £
Ms. Full Score N/A N/A
49 A3P Ms. 2-piano reduction £15 £5
Piano Concerto No. 3 100 1918 c.25 ’ A3P 16 Ms. Full Score £25 £10
Piano Concerto No. 4 100 1918 c.25 ’ A3P 18 Ms. Full Score £25 £10
45 A3L Ms. Piano part £14 £5
Piano Concerto No. 5 (published as No. 2) 144 1920 29 ’ A3P 27 Full Score Copy Publication £35 £10
Ms. Full Score N/A N/A
312 A3P Ed. (Visser) Parts £POA £20
456 A3P Full Score Copy Publication +
Ed. (Visser) Parts £30
48 A3L Ms. Piano part1 £15 £5
Piano Concerto No. 6 (described in ms. as No. 3) 144 1922 c.35 ’ A3P 32 Ms. Full Score £35 £10
Piano Concerto No. 7 Sīmurgh-‘Anqā 100 1924 c.25 ’ A3L 38 Ms. Full Score £25 £10
Piano Concerto No. 8 (described in ms. as No. 5) 344 1927-28 c.100 ’ A2P 45 Ms. Full Score £POA N/A
Symphonic Variations (adapted from solo piano work of same title [q.v.]) 534 1938-56 c.200 ’ A3P 78 Ed. (Vignani) Full Score £150 £40
122 A3L Piano part £35 £10
Opus Clavisymphonicum 333 1957-59 c.100 ’ A2P 80 Ms. Full Score £POA N/A
Opusculum Clavisymphonicum 1973-75 c.160 ’ A3L 94 Ed. (Eisenbruk) Full Score £ £
334 A3L Ms. Full Score £75 £25
VOICE(S) AND ORCHESTRA

Music to The Rider by Night (text, Robert Nichols) (part lost) 73 1919 ? A3P 22 Critical Ed. (Roberge) Full Score £23 £10
34p A3L Ms. Full Score £12 £5
Cinque Sonetti di Michelangelo Buonarroti (baritone/chamber orchestra) 92 1923 12 ’ A3P 36 Critical Ed. (Roberge) Full Score £26 £10
40 A3L Ms. Full Score £12 £5
Partsm see a see a
BELLS
Suggested Bell-Chorale for St. Luke’s Carillon (Campanile of St. Luke’s Church, 14 1961 1’ A4P 82 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
Germantown, Philadelphia) 1 A3L Ed.m (Hamelin) £12 £5
1 A3L Ms. £12 £5
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ORGAN
Symphony No. 1 168 1923-24 120 ’ A3L 39 Critical Ed. (Bowyer) £45 £10
107 A3L Corrected Copy Publication (Bowyer) £30 £10
81 A3L Ms. £20 £10
Symphony No. 2 465 1929-32 490 ’ A3L 53 Critical Ed. (Bowyer) £115 £35
396 A3L Ed.m (Bowyer) £95 £30
350 A3L Ms. £75 £25
Symphony No. 3 458 1949-53 c.500 ’ A3L 73 Critical Ed. (Bowyer) £115 £35
305 A3L Ms. £70 £20
VOICE AND ORGAN

Benedizione di San Francesco d’Assisi (baritone) 6 1973 2’ A4P 91 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
2 A3L Ms. £12 £5
VOICE AND PIANO

The Poplars (Dučić, translated Selver) (2 versions) 1915 3’ A3P 1 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
3/4 A3P Ms. two versions £12 £5
Chrysilla (de Régnier) 20 1915 3’ A4P 2 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5

4 A3P Ms. £12 £5
Roses du Soir (Louÿs) 3 1915 3’ A3P 3 Ed. (Powell) £12 £5
4 A3P Ms. £12 £5
l’Heure Exquise (Verlaine) 14 1916 4 ’
A4P 4 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
4 A3L Ed.m (Hamelin) £12 £5
2 A3P Ms. £12 £5
Vocalise (2 versions) 14 1916 2’ A4P 5 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
Apparition (Mallarmé) 6 1916 4’ A4P 7 Ed. (Abrahams) £12 £5
5 A3P Ms. £12 £5
Hymne à Aphrodité (Tailhade) (2 versions) 26 1916 6’ A4P 8 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
l’Étang (Rollinat) 14 1917 3 ’
2 A3P Ms. £12 £5
I was not Sorrowful (Dowson) 12 1917 3’ A4P 11 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
3 A3P Ms. £12 £5
Le Mauvais Jardinier (Gilkin) (incomplete) 10 1917 ? A4P 11a Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
1 A3P Ms. £12 £5
Trois Poèmes 9 1918-19 9 ’
A4P 21 Copy Publication £12 £5
(i) Correspondances (Baudelaire) 4 A3L Ms. (iii only) £12 £5
(ii) Crépuscule du Soir Mystique (Verlaine)
(iii) Pantomime (Verlaine)
Arabesque (Shamsu’d-Dīn) 10 1920 1’ A4P 24 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
2 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Trois Fêtes Galantes (Verlaine) 11 1924? 10 ’ A4P 37 Copy Publication £12 £5
(i) l’Allée Ms. N/A N/A
(ii) à la Promenade
(iii) Dans la Grotte
Trois Poèmes du Gulistān de Sa‘dī (translated Toussaint) (2 versions) 26 1926 rev.30 11 ’ A3L 42 Ed. (Wolfson) 2 £12 £5
(i) la Lampe 16/16 A3L Ms. two versions £12 £5
(ii) la Jalousie
(iii) la Fidelité
l’Irrémédiable (Baudelaire) 35 1927 7’ A4P 44 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
8 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Vocalise: Movement 13 1927/31 8 ’
A3L 52 Ed. (Abrahams) £12 £5
9 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Three Songs 48 1941 10 ’ A4P 65 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £15 £5
(i) le Faune (Verlaine) 20 A3P Ed.m (Hinton) £12 £5
(ii) les Chats (Baudelaire) 13 A3L Ms. £12 £5
(iii) la Dernière Fête Galante (Verlaine)
Frammento Cantato 11 1967 1’ A4P 88 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
1 A3L Ms. £12 £5
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CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
Piano Quintet No. 1 64 1920 29 ’ A3L 26 Copy Publication Score £15 £10
64+29 A3L + A3P Score + Parts £30 £10
144 A3L Ms.1 £35 £10
Ms. N/A N/A
Piano Quintet No. 2 459 1932-33 c.240 ’ A3L 54 Ed. (Abercrombie) Score £115 £35
604 A3L Parts £160 £40
1064 A3L Score + Parts £65
432 A3L Ms. Score £90 £30
Concertino non grosso (4 violins/viola/cello 3/piano) 130 1968 c.30 ’ A3L 89 Critical Ed. (Roberge) Score £35 £10
206 A3P Score + Parts £70 £20
48 A3L Ms. Score £15 £5
Il Tessuto d’Arabeschi (flute/string quartet) 60 1979 16 ’ A3L 99 Critical Ed. (Roberge) Score £17 £10
32 A3L Ms. Score £12 £5
Fantasiettina Atematica (oboe/flute/clarinet) 14 1981 2’ A4P 103 Critical Ed. (Roberge) Score £12 £5
5 A3P Ed.m (Burton-Page) Scoremm £12 £5
15 A3P Parts (score × 3) £15 £5
2 A3L Ms. Score £12 £5
PIANO
Sonata No. “0” 45 1917 23 ’ A3P 9 Ed. (Jarvis) £13 £5
30 A3P Ms. £12 £5
Quasi Habanera 27 1917 3’ A4P 12 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
6 A3P Ms. £12 £5
Désir éperdu 1 1917 1 ’
A3P 13 Ed. (Jarvis) £12 £5
1 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Two Pieces
(i) In the Hothouse 21 1918 7’’ A3P 17 Copy Publication £12 £5
(ii) Toccata 1920 3 (A3P) 23 Ms. N/A N/A
Fantaisie Espagnole 32 1919 18 ’
A3P 19 Corrected Copy Publication (Amato/Rice) £13 £5
27 A3L Ms. version 1 £12 £5
23 A3L Ms. version 2 £12 £5
Sonata No. 1 43 1919 22 ’ A3P 20 Copy Publication £13 £5
42 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Prelude Interlude and Fugue 18 1920 15 ’
A3L 25 Copy Publication £12 £5
Ms. N/A N/A
Sonata No. 2 65 1920 51 ’ A3L 28 Copy Publication £16 £5
39 A3L Ms.1 £13 £5
49 A3L Ms. £13 £5
Sonata No. 3 80 1922 83 ’ A3L 29 Copy Publication £20 £10
76 A3L Ms. £18 £5
Trois Pastiches 82 1922 13 ’ A4P 31 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £23 £10
(i) Valse in D flat major, Op. 64/1 (Chopin) 7 A3L Ms.1 (i) £12 £5
(ii) Habanera from Carmen (Bizet) 17 A3L Ms. (i/ii/iii) £12 £5
(iii) Song of the Hindu Merchant, from Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov)
Rapsodie Espagnole (Ravel) (transcription de concert) 30 1923 c.18 ’ A3L 33 Ed. (Jarvis) £12 £5
15 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Le Jardin Parfumé 21 1923 27 ’
A3L 35 Ed. (Powell) £12 £5
36 A3L Copy Publication £13 £5
16 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Valse-Fantaisie (Hommage à Johann Strauss) 35 1925 17 ’ A3L 40 Corrected Copy Publication (Amato/Rice) £13 £5
16 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Variations and Fugue on Dies Iræ 1923-26 c.220 ’
A3L 41 Ed. (Ezaki) £ £
201 A3L Ms. £47 £15
Fragment (Prelude and Fugue) 3 1926 c.2’ A3L 41a Ed. (Huisman) £12 £5
3 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Fragment 38 1926 rev.28/37 3 ’
2/4/2 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Toccata No. 1 84 1928 75 ’ A3L 46 Ed. (Younger) £22 £10
66 A3L Ms. £17 £10
Djāmi 26 1928 22 ’ A3L 47 Ed.m(Powell) £12 £5
70 A3L Ed. (Hopkins) £22 £10
28 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Sonata No. 4 129 1928-29 123 ’ A3L 48 Ed. (Abrahams) £36 £10
111 Ms. £30 £10
Passacaglia (unfinished) 41 1929 ? A3L 48a Ms. £13 £5
Introduction Passacaglia Cadenza and Fugue (completion of above) 79 1929/2005 c.75 ’ A3L 48a Ed. / Compl. (Abercrombie) £23 £10
Toccatinetta 11 1929 8’ A3L 49 Ed.m(Jarvis) £12 £5

11 A3P Ed. (Amato) £12 £5
8 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Opus Clavicembalisticum 1929-30 285 ’ 50 Annotated “Working Copy” Publication
260 A3L + ms. Analysis £60 £15
260 A3L Ms. £60 £15
see also b
Symphony No. “0” (complete piano part of work originally intended 1930-31 c.320 ’ A3L 51 Ed. (Abercrombie/Rice) £ £
for piano/orch./soli./chorus but abandoned as such) 333 A3L Ms. £75 £20
Fantasia Ispanica 64 1933 62 ’ A3L 55 Ed. (Powell) £17 £10
54 A3L Ms. £15 £10
Pasticcio Capriccioso (Valse in D flat major, Op. 64/1 [Chopin]) 41 1933 4 ’
8 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Toccata No. 2 164 1933-34 c.140 ’ A3L 57 Ed. (Abercrombie) £43 £15
111 A3L Ms. £30 £10
Sonata No. 5 Opus Archimagicum 434 1934-35 c.330 ’ A3L 58 Ed. (Abercrombie) £110 £30
336 A3L Ms. £75 £20
Symphonic Variations 1935-37 c.540 ’ A3L 59 Ed. (Jarvis) £ £
484 A3L Ms. £120 £35
Symphony No. 1 Tantrik 488 1938-39 c.270 ’ A3L 60 Critical Ed. (Sánchez-Aguilera) £120 £35
284 Ms. £68 £20
Chromatic Fantasia (J. S. Bach) (transcription with another Bach fugue) 52 1940 16 ’ A4P 61 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £13 £5
15 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Quaere Reliqua Hujus Materiei inter Secretiora (based on the story 22 1940 20 ’ A3L 62 Ed. (Jarvis) £13 £5
Count Magnus [M. R. James]) 32 A3P Ed.m (Rice) £13 £5
16 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Gulistān (The Rose Garden [Sa‘di]) 30 1940 35 ’ A3L 63 Ed.m(Powell) £20 £10
57 A3L Ed. (Hamelin) £20 £10
28 A3L Ms. £12 £5
St. Bertrand de Comminges (He was Laughing in the Tower) (based on the story 18 1941 21 ’ A3L 64 Ed. (Powell) £12 £5
Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook [M. R. James]) 42 A3P Ed.m (Rice) £14 £5
16 A3L Ms. £12 £5
One Hundred Transcendental Studies 864 1940-44 c.440 ’ A3L 66 Ed. (Huisman/Jarvis/Abrahams/Powell/
(individual studies may be ordered from the edition of this set – paper copies only; Abercrombie) £245 £55
please contact us for quote) 456 A3L Ms. £110 £35
Rapsodie Espagnole (Ravel) (transcription de concert) 33 1945 18 ’ A3L 67 Ed. (Acuña/Jarvis) £12 £5
26 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Prelude in E flat (J. S. Bach) (transcription) 21 1945 3 ’
4 A3L Ms. £12 £5
10
Concerto per Suonare da me Solo 72 1946 61 ’ A3L 69 Ed. (Powell/Younger/Abercrombie/Fabre) £23 £10
70 A3L Ms. £20 £10
Schlußszene aus Salome (Strauss) (concert paraphrase) 35 1947 17 ’ A3L 70 Ed. (Powell) £13 £5
25 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Sequentia Cyclica super Dies Iræ 377 1948-49 430 ’
A3L 71 Ed. (Abercrombie) £85 £30
335 A3L Ms. £75 £25
Un Nido di Scatole 26 1954 28 ’ A3L 74 Ed. (Powell) £12 £5
26 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Symphony No. 2 248 1952-54 c.270 ’ A3L 75 Ms. £60 £15
Toccata No. 3 (lost) 1955? ? 76 Ms. N/A N/A
Passeggiata Veneziana (based on Barcarolle from Les Contes d’Hoffman [Offenbach]) 24 1955-56 20 ’ A3L 77 Ed. (Powell) £12 £5
24 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Rosario d’Arabeschi 43 1956 35 ’ A3L 79 Ed. (Powell) £14 £5
45 A3L Ms. £13 £5
Symphony No. 3 224 1959-60 c.135 ’
A3L 81 Critical Ed. (Sánchez-Aguilera) £55 £15
144 A3L Ms. £35 £10

Fantasiettina sul nome illustre dell’egregio poeta Christopher Grieve 10 1961 5’ 230×305P 83 Publication c £13 N/A
ossia Hugh M’Diarmid Ms. N/A N/A
Symphony No. 4 232 1962-64 290 ’ A3L 85 Ed. (Abercrombie) £65 £15
242 A3L Ms. £60 £15
20 Frammenti Aforistici 9 1962-63 10 ’ A3L 86 Ed. (Steininger) £12 £5
9 Ms. £12 £5
Toccata No. 4 1964-67 c.150 ’
A3L 87 Ed. (Steininger) £ £
149 A3L Ms. £39 £10
104 Frammenti Aforistici (Sutras) 46 1962-72? 35 ’ A3L 90 Ed. (Smetryns/Huisman) £13 £5
37 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Symphony No. 5 Symphonia Brevis 113 1973 140 ’
A3L 92 Ed. (Rice/Abrahams) £32 £10
120 A3L Ms. £30 £10
Variazione Maliziosa e Perversa sopra la Morte d’Åse da Grieg 2 1974 1’ A3P 93 Ed.m(Rice/Jarvis) £12 £5
2 A3P Ed. (Rice) £12 £5
2 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Symphony No. 6 Symphonia Claviensis 272 1975-76 285 ’ A3L 95 Ed. (Powell/Abercrombie) £70 £20
270 A3L Ms. £65 £20
4 Frammenti Aforistici 3 1977 1’ A4P 96 Critical Ed. (Huisman) £12 £5
1 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Symphonic Nocturne 90 1977-78 c.120 ’ A3L 97 Ed. (Huisman) £30 £10
113 A3L Ms. £28 £10
Il Grido del Gallino d’Oro (variations and fugue on a theme from 95 1978-79 85 ’ A3L 98 Ed. (Abercrombie) £27 £10
Le Coq d’Or [Rimsky-Korsakov]) 93 A3L Ms. £24 £10
Villa Tasca 46 1979-80 52 ’ A3L 100 Ed. (Abrahams) £15 £10
47 A3L Ms. £13 £5
Opus Secretum 52 1980-81 55 ’
A3L 101 Ed. (Smetryns/Huisman) £15 £10
48 A3L Ms. £13 £5
Passeggiata Variata 9 1981 c.3’ A4P 102 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5
3 A3L Ms. £12 £5
2 Sutras sul Nome dell’amico Alexis 3 1981/8? 1 ’
A3P 104 Ed.m(Jarvis) £12 £5
2 A3P Ed. (Rice) £12 £5
1 A3L Ms. £12 £5
Passeggiata Arlecchinesca (based on material from Rondò Arlecchinesco [Busoni]) 1981-82 12 ’ A3L 105 Ed.m(Powell) £ £
31 A3P Ed. (Amato) £12 £5
16 A3L Ms. £12 £5
11
LITERARY WORKS BY KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI
Pages Format Date Edition Price (paper) Price (.pdf)
PUBLISHED BOOKS/BOOK CHAPTERS
Around Music (London, Unicorn Press) 292 A4P 1932 Copy Publication with £35 £15
collected essays, 35 chapters / Annotated Index (Roberge, 1992) corrections by Sorabji
Mi Contra Fa: The Immoralisings of A Machiavellian Musician (London, Porcupine Press) 288 A4P 1947 Copy Publication with £35 £15
collected essays, 30 chapters / Annotated Index (Roberge, 1992) corrections by Sorabji
Annotated Indexes to Around Music (1932) and Mi Contra Fa: The Immoralisings of a 65 A4P 1992 First Edition £12 £5
Machiavellian Musician (1947) by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (Roberge)
The Validity of the Aristocratic Principle (London, Luzac & Co.) 6 A4P 1947 Copy Publication with £12 £5
chapter XIII from Art and Thought, a 70th birthday tribute to Dr. Ananda Kentish corrections by Sorabji
Coomaraswamy, ed. K. Bharatha Iyer; pp. 214-218
The Greatness of Medtner (London, Dennis Dobson) 12 A4P 1955 Copy Publication £12 £5
a chapter from Nicolas Medtner, 1879 4-1951, ed. Richard Holt; pp. 122-132
OTHER WRITINGS (see note below)

Collected Published Writings (2 Vols., unedited and unpaginated) (see also next item) c.1250 A4P 1914- Copy publications £80 £35
I Book Chapters (available separately [q.v.])/Articles/Essays/Notes/Letters-to-the-Editor
II Reviews [various journal/newspaper etc. items]
An Index of Proper Names to be found in the Complete Published Writings 247 A4P 1994 First Edition £35 £15
of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (Ross) (see also previous item)
An Annotated Bibliography of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji’s Collected Published Writings (Roberge) 156 A4P 1993 First Edition £15 £10
(covers items from 5 serial publications; an edition incorporating the entire Collected Published Writings
is in preparation and will replace the present volume)
ITEMS SELECTED FROM ABOVE / ITEMS ON OR AROUND SORABJI
A4P Unbound
per side from £0.25 POA
min. £12
List of Performances and Broadcasts of Musical Works by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji 28+ A4P 1995- £12 £5
(Roberge/Hinton; updated by The Sorabji Archive)
As prolific a composer of articles, essays, reviews, letters-to-the-editor and personal correspondence as of music, Sorabji contributed much to the
world of intelligent, thoughtful and penetrating criticism on a vast variety of subjects, including, of course, music. His style is as appealing as it is
compelling; his wit is irrepressible, his erudition devastating and his terms of reference as wide-ranging as can be imagined. Jami, Leonardo, St. John
of the Cross, Macchiavelli, Bach, Pareto, Liszt, Busoni, Guénon, Coomaraswamy, van Dieren, MacDiarmid, Godowsky, Sitwell 5 and Szymanowski
are some of his idols; cant, humbug, democracy, egalitarianism, systematised mass education, cultural trendiness, sentimentality, linguistic
imprecision, obscurantism, received opinion purveyors and busybodies are his bêtes noires. One who damns so-called “Musical Appreciation”
classes as training in “how to obtain the highest rate of investment return from Beethoven” and the science of educational psychology as “the drawing
of obscurity from fools” is arguably a preternatural controversialist; one who displays unfailing emotional and intellectual precision, pansophy and
heroic sanctity in commending beaux idéaux to his readership is surely an instinctive and radiant communicator: one who does both is, uniquely and
inevitably, Sorabji. This Archive’s extensive collection of his published and unpublished literature is now indexed; items from these and many other
files containing writings about him, including performance programme and review material, are issued subject to copyright as A4 single- or double-
sided photocopies.
NOTES
p The ms. contained 54 pages but only pp. 1-20 & 41-54 remain
1 In the hand of a copyist, annotated by the composer
2 Only the title page, “epistle dedicatory” and pp. 1-2 & 15-16 of the revised version is available (pp. 3-14 having been lost); the origin of the
1978(?) “codetta”, re-setting the final lines of the last song, is unknown
3 The ms. specifies two cellos, but contains text for only one
4 (sic) - Medtner was born in 1880, according to our calendar
5 Sir Sacheverell
ALL ITEMS IN THIS CATALOGUE ARE OBTAINABLE FROM THE SORABJI ARCHIVE ONLY, except
those with letter codes instead of prices, which are obtainable from the following Authorised Suppliers:
a Prof. Paul Rapoport, Department of Music, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, HAMILTON, Ontario L8S 4M2, CANADA
b The première publication of Sorabji’s analysis of this work is in the book accompanying John Ogdon’s historic recording of it [ Altarus AIR-
CD 9075(4), UK, 1989, reissued as AIR-CD-9075(5), USA, 2004], also available from The Sorabji Archive
c Trade orders only must be referred to MDS Ltd., Brunswick Road, Cobbs Wood Estate, ASHFORD, Kent, TN23 1DX, ENGLAND
12
FIRST EDITIONS
Oxford University Press’ selling agency for Sorabji’s published scores ended in 1988 when the last of them went out-
of-print. As well as supplying photocopies, we receive requests for original publications; although these are now very
rare and hard to obtain, we make every effort to source them and, when successful, offer them for sale. Prices are for
unmarked items in excellent condition so may vary considerably for those bearing annotations and/or inscriptions or
in less than pristine condition. Limited editions printed on handmade paper are priced as below × 300%.
MUSICAL WORKS BY KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI
Date No. Edition Price
PIANO AND ORCHESTRA
Piano Concerto No. 5 (published as No. 2) 1920 27 Full Score £225
ORGAN
Symphony No. 1 1923-24 39 £200
VOICE AND PIANO
Trois Poèmes 1918-19 21 £125

(i) Correspondances (Baudelaire)
(ii) Crépuscule du Soir Mystique (Verlaine)
(iii) Pantomime (Verlaine)
Trois Fêtes Galantes (Verlaine) 1924 37 £125

(i) l’Allée
(ii) à la Promenade
(iii) Dans la Grotte
CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
Piano Quintet No. 1 1920 26 score only £175

score + parts £200
PIANO
Two Pieces £125

(i) In the Hothouse 1918 17
(ii) Toccata 1920 23
Fantaisie Espagnole 1919 19 £125
Sonata No. 1 1919 20 £150
Prelude Interlude and Fugue 1920 25 £125
Sonata No. 2 1920 28 £175
Sonata No. 3 1922 29 £200
Le Jardin Parfumé 1923 35 £125
Valse-Fantaisie (Hommage à Johann Strauss) 1925 40 £125
Opus Clavicembalisticum 1929-30 50 £300
LITERARY WORKS BY KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI
Date Price
PUBLISHED BOOKS/BOOK CHAPTERS
Around Music (London, Unicorn Press) 1932 £175

collected essays - 35 chapters
Mi Contra Fa: The Immoralisings of a Machiavellian Musician (London, Porcupine Press) 1947 £200
collected essays - 30 chapters
The Validity of the Aristocratic Principle (London, Luzac & Co. Ltd.)2 1947 £150
chapter XIII from Art and Thought, a 70th birthday tribute to Dr. Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy, ed. K. Bharatha
Iyer; pp. 214-218
Date Price
The Greatness of Medtner London, Dennis Dobson 2

1955 £150
a chapter from Nicolas Medtner (18791-1951), ed. Richard Holt, pp. 122-132
NOTES
1 (sic) - Medtner was actually born in 1880 according to our calendar

2 Prices quoted are, of course, for the entire volume
13
DISCOGRAPHY AND REVIEWS
Commercial recordings of Sorabji’s music are shown in chronological order of issue. Availability is not guaranteed.
Altarus, whose products we sell, never withdraws CDs from sale; other items are obtainable from reputable record
retailers. Selected extracts from published reviews are included; no value judgement is implied by their size or
number, but extensive appreciations of John Ogdon’s Opus Clavicembalisticum reflect the exceptional wealth of
consideration that continued for years after its release. Recordings made solely for broadcast or in formats such as
mp3 are excluded.
MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano) “Piano Music by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji”

Introito/Preludio-Corale (Opus Clavicembalisticum, Pars Prima, 1/2) MHS4271L LP Musical Heritage
In The Hothouse / Toccata MHC6271M Cassette Society
Fantaisie Espagnole MM20015 LP MusicMasters
Fragment (final revised version) MM60015 CD USA, 1980
Pastiche on the Habanera from Carmen (Bizet) (Trois Pastiches, ii)
“...of considerable interest...notes are informed and concise...an epoch-making release...the music...is wonderful...piano music as important
as any from this century...” / “...the great and greatly neglected Modern, Kaikhosru Sorabji”
Fanfare / Fanfare, The Want List
“From the first notes, one is aware that one is in the presence of an extraordinary musical personality...”
Contemporary Keyboard
“...would that all composers could find such capable and dedicated performers...”
Tempo
“...this fabulous composer...(Habermann) has the equipment and the dedication...”
Journal of The American Liszt Society
“pleasingly varied and absorbing...(Sorabji’s) total command of musical craft...Habermann’s performance fully up to its exacting demands”
Stereo Review
“...much to thank...Habermann for...one can peer in awe at the 70-year creative span...that still awaits discovery”
Market Square
“...Habermann’s vivid performances...it is to be hoped that he, Solomon and...other pianists will introduce us to more of Sorabji’s mature
works”
The Gramophone
MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano) “Le Jardin Parfumé”

Nocturne: Djami MHS4811Y LP Musical Heritage
Pastiche on Hindu Merchant’s Song from Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov) MHC6811Z Cassette Society
(Trois Pastiches, iii) MM20019 LP MusicMasters
Le Jardin Parfumé MM60019 CD USA, 1982
Pastiche on Valse, Op. 64/1 Minute Waltz (Chopin) (Trois Pastiches, i)
“...(the works are) subtle, sensuous and scintillating...well worth the concentration they demand...the record is a spectacular achievement” /
“...welcome and important, featuring some of the most astonishing pianism on discs...”
Fanfare / Fanfare, The Want List
“Habermann...to be congratulated...exotic and colorful qualities of the music...sensuous...and captivating in every manner... highly
recommended”
“...fluent, impressionistic...skilled at holding a work together while giving the impression of...rhapsodic freedom... Habermann
plays...beautifully”
The Washington Post
GEOFFREY DOUGLAS MADGE (piano) RCS4-800 4-LP set Keytone

Opus Clavicembalisticum Netherlands, 1983
“...Madge has triumphantly accomplished the impossible......clearly, this is music with a future...the boxed set is rounded out with an
illustrated brochure featuring all too brief annotations by Madge and preeminent Sorabjists...this stupendous musical edifice...a very fine
representation of OC...overall, (Madge) is extraordinary...a long overdue tribute...”
Fanfare
“Any listener has to be dumbfounded at what Geoffrey Douglas Madge has accomplished here...”
Stereo Review
“...hard to imagine a more persuasive account...Madge beautifully conveys the subtlety and transcendental beauty of Sorabji’s scoring...in
the...many virtuosic sections...seems fully in command...Madge’s adventurousness...the accompanying booklet contains several opulently
illustrated essays on the composer, the music and the pianist...”
Ovation
“...the boxed set is tasteful......sound quality: excellent...”
“Madge’s ability...impressive in the extreme...throughout, there persists a sense of flow...continuity...overall form...this set is a must”
American Record Guide
“Cette œuvre monumentale...”
Le Devoir, Montréal
“...fascinated by this titanic showpiece...Madge’s playing consistently...as purposeful...as Sorabji’s 248-page score...astounding document”
High Fidelity
MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano)

St. Bertrand de Comminges (He was Laughing in the Tower) MHS7530H LP Musical Heritage
Prelude Interlude and Fugue MHC9530K Cassette Society
Valse-Fantaisie (Hommage à Johann Strauss) MMD20118Y LP MusicMasters
MMD40118Y Cassette
MMD60118W CD USA, 1987
“...the performance...very convincing...the LP...well pressed...the audience for this live recording...is appropriately enthralled (and silent)”
Fanfare
14
“Habermann has the knack of letting the music breathe...clear articulation...technical finesse and intellectual rigour... exceptional approach”
Musical Times
“...glad...that Habermann has recorded this repertoire”
Musical America
KEVIN BOWYER (organ) CCD1001/2 2-CD set Continuum

Organ Symphony No. 1 UK, 1988
“...a superb example of twentieth-century writing for the instrument...the work(’s) immense significance...the recording itself is masterly and
the whole performance stunning...the work is unique, highly original and aurally demanding on player and listener alike and it makes full use
of the tone colours available on a large organ...(Bowyer’s) grasp of the idiom, the spirit and genius of the composer is incomparable, his
performance...electrifying where needed but it is in the slow movement that I most appreciate his insight into the composer’s mind...small
wonder that this movement was chosen as Sorabji’s Requiem at his memorial service”
The Organ
“...Bowyer gives a masterly account of the score...quite gripping”
Hi-Fi News
“Kevin Bowyer’s performance of this vast work is beyond praise...The opening Passacaglia reveals far greater variety of manner than
appears from the printed score; the form is admirable for providing a tether to Sorabji’s fantasizing imagination...(the last movement’s)
superbly impressive moments...the climax is tremendous, with the B-A-C-H theme thundered out in chromatic, unrelated chords over pedal
sextuplets that really need not an organist but a tap-dancer...textural problems...have been remarkably well solved by the (recording)
engineers...a rich stock of delights and fascinations...” / “Revelatory...I for one am happy to relish the exploration of the work of a man
whose fascinating and generous character is manifest in his music”
The Gramophone / The Gramophone Critic’s Choice
“...amazement at Kevin Bowyer’s feat in playing it...”
The Independent
“...an explosive force, elaboration and sustained power...inexhaustible invention of decorative figuration...Bowyer’s performance may be
soberly described as fantastic. There are many passages where I would have thought the pedal part alone would demand all of the player’s
attention, yet the hands are simultaneously having to resolve all manner of complexities on the manuals. Bowyer brings off a marathon of
musical understanding and virtuosity that could scarcely be overpraised. This work makes the fullest use of a large organ’s resources...a
landmark in our...advance into Sorabji’s world”
Musical Opinion
“...technical ability...Bowyer is a fine organist...very useful album notes...I look forward to...Bowyer’s further explorations of this repertory”
Fanfare
“(its) 128[sic] minutes...seem to be over in about 40...an astonishing achievement by the young Kevin Bowyer, capture an immense range of
sound, including some of the most shattering climaxes ever demanded of an organ...Sorabji’s anticipations of Messiaen”
Tempo
“Kevin Bowyer is magnificent...a stunning example...the Organ Symphony is truly astonishing...one can only applaud Bowyer for
championing this incredibly difficult work. It is a supreme challenge to the intellect and technical ability of any performer who dares to
tackle it, and the listener who decides to invest in a score as well as the recording can be assured of a fascinating experience...this is a
performance and a work which can inspire admiration to the point of incredulity”
Organists’ Review
“Bravo to organist Kevin Bowyer for his performance of an extremely difficult score!”
“...exhilarating...expansive...tremendous contrapuntal intricacies...dark, but floating harmonies of great beauty...difficult, but ultimately
satisfying, even devastating music...a treasure-trove”
Audion / repr. Option
“...like no work previously composed for the instrument...”
Jersey Evening Post
“...this work...was indisputably years ahead of its time...there is no doubt that the music is magnificent...helpful notes... Kevin Bowyer...
brings enormous technical skill...he plays this desperately difficult music with audible conviction. Even to play through the work requires
Olympian strength; to make this much of it is a heroic achievement...an act of considerable artistic courage...the recording...is excellent”
CD Review
“Kevin Bowyer tut sein Bestes, aus diesem Urwald Gestalthaftes herauszupräparieren und abwechslungsreich zu charakterisieren. Er stellt
sich extremsten spieltechnischen Herausforderungen - ein Reinhold Messner des Orgelspiels...”
FonoForum
“...monumental...Kevin Bowyer, an executant hardly less amazing than Ogdon...we must hope the discovery...will continue apace”
The Wire
MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano) “The Perfumed Garden” CD AMM159 CD ASV UK

(compilation of items above recorded by MH) and other piano works ZC AMM159 Cassette UK, 1988
JOHN OGDON (piano) AIR-CD-9075(4) 4-CD set Altarus

Opus Clavicembalisticum UK, 1989
“...(Ogdon’s) determination to go down with all guns blazing is impressive...the playing merits any critical superlative you care to
choose...The excellence of Altarus’ recording quality is a further bonus...”
The Independent
“...(in) the excellent accompanying book...documentation is admirable. Good sound...mellow Bösendorfer sonority...I doubt...anyone who
heard...Ogdon at his best will ever hear anyone to match him...not Horowitz...Arrau...Richter...(he) was one of the handful of pianists...you
can instantly identify from the sound they make...easily the most massive intellect I have ever come across...a mind...razor-sharp and
lightning-fast...Altarus...for whom (he) made most of his last recordings, including that stunning Sorabji...astonished to find how much
tenderness, how much sheer beauty Ogdon found in the score”
CD Review
“Ogdon’s projection...the most remarkable aspect of his interpretation of this...score...one of the great pianistic feats of our time”
Hi-Fi News
“...cannon-shot climaxes...incantatory stillness...Messiaenic exaltation...Heiliger Dankgesang inwardness...awesome inner intensity...almost
manic activity...Ogdon’s wildness has the force of a brainstorm...cavernous spaces...thunderous detonations to clinch structural points at
either end of the dynamic spectrum...Altarus’s recording impressively captures this massiveness...handsome 62-page booklet” / “immensely
impressive... should compel reassessment of Sorabji’s...personality...also says something fundamental about...Ogdon’s colossal contribution
to British musical life.”
The Gramophone / The Gramophone, Critics’ Choice
“...phenomenal mastery of the teeming notes...a particularly sure sense of the most significant thread(s) in...very complicated textures...”
Music and Musicians
“...(Sorabji’s) centre-stage attraction crystallised through John Ogdon’s recent performances, and...recording, of his synoptic transcendental
pianotechnicon...a staggering and unavoidable pianistic phenomenon...if any interpreter could silence one’s doubts, it would be Ogdon...an
interpretation that accumulates its own authority and displays a (literally!) tireless enthusiasm from first to last...a feat of pianism so
astonishing that it beggars any attempt at description. Ogdon’s pedalling alone...so vital to the rendering of Sorabji’s multi-layered
textures...would demand a substantial essay...altogether a handsome presentation for a release whose historic importance is likely to become
ever clearer with the passage of time...thank God that Altarus had the guts and gumption to record (Ogdon) in OC and the Busoni Fantasia
Contrappuntistica in time...in his prime in works with which he will forever be associated, in recordings which will endure as signal events in
the history of pianism...perhaps more than any of Ogdon’s achievements in the recorded repertoire, these extraordinary discs of Busoni and
Sorabji constitute his most fitting monument.”
Tempo
“Ogdon’s physical and mental stamina in staying the course throughout...this gigantic work is...to be wondered at...(his) marvellous musical
sensitiveness...perfect control of pianissimo...fully exploited...most affecting partnership of composer and interpreter...hardly worthwhile
searching for adjectives which might fittingly describe (his) performance...one of the very few players in the world capable of satisfying
15
(Sorabji’s) outrageous demands...his intellectual grasp...matched by...clearly perceptible sympathy with its spirit...Sorabji writes from the
heart as well as the head”
The Organ
“...the sound on Ogdon’s recording is spectacular...much of (his playing) is inspired beyond belief...a distinct bonus...is a sixty-four page
book, containing important essays...among much else...we must be grateful that this recording was made. It is at times stupendous...
colossally affirmative...Ogdon is brilliant in this unique work, which he had known and loved for more than thirty years.”
Fanfare
“...here (in one of his last recordings) he offers one of the most remarkable pianistic displays ever captured on record... Ogdon is downright
astonishing...He can convey a profound stillness in the luminous Adagio, while in apocalyptic moments he goes beyond anything I have
heard emanating from a single keyboard...this recording demonstrates that there was an authentic greatness in (Sorabji’s)...vision.”
Classical, USA
“Altarus was taken by surprise when the initial 1,000 copies...sold out quickly...the huge accompanying booklet has been revised, too.”
Music Week
“...presented in a large box which includes an illustrated book which provides a thorough background to this astonishing work...superbly
executed by Ogdon...will appeal to all lovers of piano music, particularly the unusual.”
Jersey Evening Post
“...sold out fast and is here reissued with an updated booklet...Often pushed beyond the limits of human capacity, Ogdon does his mighty
best on the work’s behalf and Altarus supports him lavishly from studio to final design.”
Classic CD
“Ogdon’s staggeringly brilliant recording...an epic journey...spectacular feats of virtuosity, discovers immensely still, quiet pools of lyricism,
risks being buried under avalanches of notes and pummelled by all manner of eruptive violences; and afterwards, is never quite the same
again...” / “...Sorabji’s...contrapuntal summa...Ogdon’s staggering realisation is a marvellous monument to his performing career”
The Sunday Times / The Sunday Times, Records of the Year
“...the main event...Ogdon’s London performance of Opus Clavicembalisticum in 1988...indelible occasion...perhaps the greatest of that
astonishing pianist’s many achievements...luckily the four-and-three-quarter-hours score was recorded before Ogdon’s death in 1989.”
The Wire
This recording features in many published items on Ogdon, including obituaries of Sorabji (1988) and Ogdon himself (1989). Ogdon’s last planned recording, Sorabji’s mammoth cycle of 100
Transcendental Studies, also for Altarus, would have occupied 7 CDs. He began work on it when his Opus Clavicembalisticum discs appeared. Alas, it was not to be. Less than 3 months later,
the world was deprived of one of the greatest pianists of all time. Ogdon’s final Sorabji project is now under way with pianist Fredrik Ullén (see below) recording it on the Swedish BIS label.
MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN (piano) AIR-CD-9050 CD single Altarus

Piano Sonata No. 1 UK, 1990
“...Hamelin apporte à cette musique une virtuosité et un engagement absolus...”
La Presse, Montréal
“...the work’s originality remains secure...The rhetoric is complex but comprehensible; the emotions are unbridled but genuine. It is
a...masterpiece...Or so Hamelin makes it seem, with playing that is youthful, powerful and true both to the letter and spirit of the score.”
La Gazette, Montréal
“À peu près injouable, la partition n’est pas pour autant inécoutable...Hamelin la parcourt avec une assurance et une intelligence
remarquables. À l’entendre, on croirant que ce déluge sonore s’endigue plutôt aisement...les doigts d’un interprète aussi prodigieux”
Le Devoir, Montréal
“Hamelin makes...rampant difficulties of this music disappear...more significantly he has consistently solved the problem of how to make (it)
sing in multiple cascading, coruscating phrases, projecting it beautifully and strongly without a trace of belligerent pounding or self-
conscious point-making...pays remarkable rewards...a recording...as imaginative as it is literal: a rare combination...exhilarating”
Fanfare
“most faithful...authoritative performance...continual, dizzying transcendental efflorescence...fine shading...range of dynamics...staggering
range and confidence of Hamelin’s playing...sensitivity...incisiveness in touch and dynamics...electric performance...thrilling disc”
CD Review
“decisive, dramatic...ranges from savage climaxes to...greatest delicacy and refinement...faithfully captured by a superlative recording”
Musical Opinion
“a tour de force...(Hamelin’s) clarity and projection of textural ebb and flow...sheer musicianship...magic combination of total keyboard
command, intellectual insight...imagination...beautifully clean recording...exceptional interest of the music...”
The Gramophone
“...torrents of notes, massive declamations...moments of sultry beauty...(Sorabji) played this...to Busoni...(who) should have been lucky
enough to hear the performance recorded here...playing is remarkable and exhilarating...but never overbearing... Hamelin has the
insight...ability...grasp of detail and overall plan, to make harrowing difficulties evaporate and this tropical music clear and convincing, to let
it sing and speak to us...(he) rightly calls (it) a thrilling magic-carpet ride...Wait till you hear the end...that carpet does turns that even the
Persians might never have dreamed of”
Fanfare
“...superbly played and beautifully recorded...”
Classic CD
“...Hamelin’s scintillating advocacy...features...the most accurate and persuasive playing...”
CD Review, Pick of the Year
RONALD STEVENSON (piano) “Cathedrals in Sound” AIR-CD-9043 CD Altarus

Fantasiettina UK, 1992
(Recital of works by Sorabji, Marek, Chopin, Liszt,
Stevenson, MacDowell, Bach/Busoni)
“...a volcanic, tumultuous, cackling epigram, whose première recording...is (a) delight of this absorbing recital ...one simply doesn’t hear
playing like this every...decade...(its) recording captures Stevenson’s extraordinary dynamic range to perfection”
Tempo
“...we should be grateful for whatever a pianist of (Stevenson’s) powers can bestow upon us...a vocal phrasing...gratifying even in the
intricacies of the unholy turbulence of Sorabji’s Fantasiettina, variety of touch...spellbinding authority which are more akin to performances
from the so-called Golden Age than to today’s spate of music as note-perfect product...opulently clinging resonance...”
Fanfare
“...the Sorabji is a beautiful, if sometimes violent, piece, and splendidly performed”
Musical Opinion
YONTY SOLOMON (piano) AIR-CD-9037 CD single Altarus

Le Jardin Parfumé UK, 1992
“Yonty Solomon amply justifies...spacious tempos...the recorded sound on Altarus is also superior”
The Gramophone
“...considered tempi...Solomon’s Jardin is an extraordinary experience of super-subtle shading and refined gradations of expression,
releasing us onto an imaginative plane where, as if in meditation before the teeming detail of some Persian miniature, each event may be
savoured for its own sake in a timeless continuum of contemplation...of his Sorabji performances...this seems to me the best of all”
Tempo
“...mysterious, sensuous...despite the meticulousness of Solomon’s performance, seems like an improvisation...unforced...natural musical
emanation...the hypnotic effect of...sustained concentration of...the composing and the performance, the impression...of deep inner peace.”
The Wire
“Ganz anders der im pianissimo perlende und zerstiebende Jardin Parfumé, wofur Yonty Solomon, einer der besten Sorabji-Kenner, sich mit
weichen Fingerkuppen und dynamische Delikatesse einsetzt”
FonoForum
“...caught in transparent sound...”
16
Fanfare
“Solomon’s playing is of marvellous refinement, yet the point is the use to which it is put...(an) inward reading...the music’s sensuousness
somehow turned in on itself, the effect quite hypnotic. This is the kind of playing that Sorabji’s music needs”
Musical Opinion
DONNA AMATO (piano) AIR-CD-9022 CD single Altarus

Fantaisie Espagnole USA, 1993
“...very fine performance”
The Gramophone
“(Altarus) has recently valuably enlarged the Sorabji discography...fuller, richer sound...aristocratic poise and vibrant colour...”
Tempo
“...natural, unforced...”
The Wire
“Donna Amato spielt das Stuck brillant und angemessen suffisant gleichermassen”
FonoForum
“Amato realises the sultry atmosphere of Sorabji’s textures with admirable fidelity...her crystal-clear textures do much to point the elusive
humour of the music...recording...equally transparent...cover...a delight, a Dali-esque fantaisie espagnole... a last attractive touch to a most
desirable disc”
CD Review
DONNA AMATO (piano)

Variazione Maliziosa e Perversa sopra la Morte d’Åse da Grieg AIR-CD-9021 CD Altarus
(Recital of works by Sorabji, Hinton, Stevenson, Grieg/Stevenson) USA, 1993
“Amato, muscularly capable, passes the test...”
Fanfare
“(Amato) takes most of the bristling difficulties at speed, producing a...coherent sense of line and momentum. Indeed, for serene despatch of
continuous technical challenges this is one of her most impressive discs so far”
Tempo
“...another gloriously idiosyncratic release from Altarus...Amato copes easily with the challenges...pianist-composers throw at her...in works
so strongly reliant on counterpoint, she is particularly good at projecting the different voices that make up the texture...Altarus give her a big-
bodied tone...one of the best piano discs to come my way in a long time”
CD Review
“Amato is an excellent and very musical pianist”
Musical Opinion
CARLO GRANTE (piano) “Operatic Fantasias”

Pastiche on the “Habanera” from “Carmen” (Bizet) AIR-CD-9098 CD Altarus
(Trois Pastiches, ii)
(Recital of works by Sorabji, Busoni, Liszt) USA, 1994
“...Grante’s musical honesty...a lot of thought has gone into these interpretations...staggering technique...he knows very clearly how to make
a melodic line sing...above all, he sees each work as a whole (giving) the music a structural strength...piano sound is as clear as a bell,
allowing the listener to follow Busoni’s/Liszt’s/Sorabji’s contrapuntal adventures with ease”
CD Review
“..the accompanying booklet...chiefly concerned with Sorabji(’s) writings...regret that Sorabji never undertook a full-scale operatic Fantasia
on Lisztian lines, for he seemed ideally equipped to make a brilliant success of it...(he) decorates Carmen’s Habanera elaborately and Grante
is fully the master of this fine-spun elegance”
Musical Opinion
“Grante, the most recently arrived of an élite of...supra-transcendental pianists...resplendent and revelatory...effortless fluency...singing
elegance...digital prowess...never in doubt...sound...detailed and immediate within a spacious frame”
Fanfare
DONNA AMATO (piano) AIR-CD-9025 CD Altarus

Quaere Reliqua Hujus Materiei inter Secretiora USA, 1994
St. Bertrand de Comminges (He was Laughing in the Tower)
Toccatinetta
2 Sutras sul Nome dell’amico Alexis
Passeggiata Arlecchinesca
“Donna Amato...brings...qualities of fiery brilliance and endurance to Sorabji...much to be impressed and amazed by...”
BBC Music Magazine
“...very impressive achievement, distinguished by insightful performances of unfamiliar but...great music. Sorabji retained... deep respect for
(Busoni) all his life...it shows in (Passeggiata Arlecchinesca) written nearly six decades after Busoni’s death ...Amato’s playing evinces
similar virtues (she has made performing editions of several Sorabji scores)...her interpretations are formed through considerable knowledge.
An excellent illustrated booklet accompanies. Strongly recommended.”
The Gramophone
“If you are prepared to let yourself relax into a rare world...go to Altarus AIR-CD-9025 and listen to the exceptional Donna Amato playing
six piano pieces by Sorabji...tremendous music-making by a unique artist inspired by a unique composer”
Musical Opinion
“Written when Sorabji was 89...(Passeggiata Arlecchinesca) is...a sharply focussed yet kaleidoscopically inventive piece, taking its material
for a somewhat strenuous walk...through astonishingly varied harmonic and polyphonic surroundings: testimony to the vast experience,
defiant individuality and undimmed mental vigour of its composer. Amato’s well-balanced programme...the principal works here are
transcendentally virtuosic, yet by Sorabji’s standards quite short and eminently programmable within the confines of an orthodox recital...as
remarkable for their onomatopœic wit and power of sulphurous suggestion as for their exuberant cartwheels across the entire range of the
keyboard. Ms Amato - who herself prepared the performing editions...falls short in none of these requirements; having (courtesy of The
Sorabji Archive) studied (the) editions...I can also report that her playing is extremely accurate, while the recording is of Altarus’s highest
quality”
Tempo
“Donna Amato makes an eloquent case for the validity and expressive power of Sorabji’s rarified and phantasmal world...her playing...solid,
pure, poised and colorful...she handles...lightning shifts of mood and sensibility...with ease and understanding ...the sense of vast, hollow,
infinite space that inhabits the heart of St. Bertrand de Comminges is evidence of a true keyboard original. As with other Altarus releases,
the sound is exceptional, the accompanying notes worthy of a graduate thesis”
“Sorabji’s torrential invention...sly, teasing, tweaking humour that alludes and disappears before it explains. The structure (of Toccatinetta)
is as clear as any that Sorabji wrote...like the two preceding works on this disc...accessible and easy to get to grips with...likewise infused
with a tongue-in-cheek humour...an obvious choice for pianists...Amato plays as well here as I have ever heard her play anywhere...cope(s)
almost nonchalantly with Sorabji’s...outrageous demands...presentation of typically meticulous generosity...a twenty-four-page booklet...
with full exegeses of the music...profusely illustrated with pictures...from the original M. R. James ghost stories...recommended both for
neophytes and initiates”
Fanfare
17
MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano) “The Legendary Works for Piano” CD 82264 CD Élan
Gulistān USA, 1995
Quaere Reliqua Hujus Materiei inter Secretiora
Fantasiettina sul nome illustre dell’egregio poeta Hugh M’Diarmid ossia Christopher Grieve
Nocturne: Djāmi
“...an assured and extensive experience...(his) mature works afford...a range of vividly colored but unfamiliar emotions”
Fanfare
“Habermann approaches the music with...sensitivity...flexibility of pulse and overall spontaneity...”
CHARLES HOPKINS (piano) AIR-CD-9036 CD single Altarus

Gulistan USA, 1995
“I have found every (Altarus) disc (of Sorabji) exceptionally rewarding and extremely well produced...Hopkins’...illuminating and extremely
detailed booklet-notes...the sound-world...a heady, intoxicating brew...underlying intuitive logic...exceptionally difficult to perform...
Hopkins makes it sound deceptively easy as he delivers a most ravishing account of this extraordinary work...recorded sound...very fine...a
thoroughly rewarding and recommendable disc”
The Gramophone
“...something like a pianistic equivalent of the Szymanowski symphony, but going far beyond Szymanowski in improvisatory fantasy and
langorous, iridescent arabesque...Hopkins...clearly an artist of considerable quality and learning...the musical text seems very accurately
rendered indeed...Altarus’s admirably clear recording...As well as negotiating the thorniest thickets of Sorabji’s rose-garden Hopkins
contributes the liner notes, in the shape of a formidably scholarly and multi-cultured essay on ‘Sorabji, Sa‘di and the Sufic tradition’. Colour
reproductions of Persian miniatures, and a facsimile of one manuscript page, complete Altarus’s impressive production”
Tempo
“Hopkins...traces...sinuous...delicate lines with skill and sympathy...recording...appropriately lush and resonant...really an outstanding disc”
MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN (piano) “The Composer-Pianists” CDA-67050 CD Hyperion

Pastiche on Hindu Merchant’s Song from Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov) UK, 1998
(Trois Pastiches, iii)
(Recital of works by Alkan, Busoni, Feinberg, Godowsky, Rossini/Hamelin,
Chopin/Hamelin, Medtner, Rakhmaninov, Skryabin, Sorabji)
TELLEF JOHNSON (piano) AIR-CD-9049 CD Altarus

Piano Sonata No. 2 USA, 1999
“Sorabji’s extraordinary, tumultuous, coruscating second piano sonata takes up where the first, thrillingly presented by Marc-André Hamelin
on Altarus AIR-CD-9050, left off. If the first...was a magic carpet ride (as its performer memorably described it), the second, a darker,
stormier work, is more like a magic carpet ride through a succession of tornadoes...unsettled and unsettling quality, as well as moments of
exquisite lushness and sensuality...and outbreaks of almost unprecedented (for the time) pianistic vehemence. Live recording of first modern
performance (and U.S. première), with negligible audience noise and studio quality sonics, played by a remarkable young composer-pianist
hitherto unrepresented on CD who seems set to be a rising star both as performer and composer in the near future.”
Records International
GEOFFREY DOUGLAS MADGE (piano) CD-1062/1064 5-CD set BIS

Opus Clavicembalisticum Sweden, 1999
FREDRIK ULLÉN (piano) “Got A Minute?” CD-1083 CD BIS

Pastiche on Minute Waltz, Op. 64 No. 1 (Chopin)
Sweden, 2000
(Trois Pastiches, i)
Pasticcio Capriccioso
(Recital of Chopin transcriptions by various composers)
“...Ullén(’s) own stimulating notes...Ullén rivals Charles Rosen in dexterity...The transformation process is taken one step - no, a couple of
miles - further by Sorabji’s whose two terrifyingly difficult ‘pastiches’ transform Chopin’s delicate poetry into fascinating, dense
contrapuntal cascades of pantonal horror. Ullén has a good set of fingers but is no mere technician, producing an attractively warm tone.”
International Record Review
JONATHAN POWELL (piano) AIR-CD-9067 CD Altarus
Passeggiata Veneziana USA, 2002
Villa Tasca
“...The first – indeed, the only – record company to go out to bat for Sorabji in a big way was Altarus, whose catalogue now has a healthy
representation of his works. Sorabji’s most recent champion...Jonathan Powell...is coming close to eclipsing the efforts of his predecessors...
Powell’s involvement with the music is enough to have taken him to view the Villa Tasca itself – his colour photographs enliven the booklet,
where he also supplies the notes – although his dedication was already evident from these barnstorming performances.”
Tempo
ELIZABETH FARNUM (soprano), MARGARET KAMPMEIER (piano) CRC 2613 CD Centaur

Songs USA, 2002
“…pioneering and excellently prepared disc by all concerned…Whereas Debussy looks at his texts as an outsider viewing from the wings,
Sorabji is interested in the texts as a vehicle for decoration and elaboration often disguising the personal emotion, although it most certainly
does exist and can be found…(Elizabeth Farnum’s) diction is outstanding...(she) is terrific, she has made a specialty of contemporary music
but this disc must have taken some preparation as can be seen from the recording dates. Margaret Kampmeier is, if anything, even more
outstanding mastering some of the most difficult accompaniments in the history of song writing and never overbalancing the texture.”
18
www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2003/May03/sorabji_songs.htm
“Elizabeth Farnum’s attractive, agile soprano voice excellently suits this repertoire…she masters the composer’s colossal challenges with
relaxed authority...an important release.”
www.classicstoday.com
“This CD has artistry aplenty…These two (artists) make it seem they’ve been doing this music for decades”
Paul Rapoport. ??
“...it would be hard to imagine a more persuasive case made for music too often dismissed as a specialist taste...both artists declare their
labour of love in every spine-tingling bar...Poems that take a Swinburnian excess to extremes are somehow magically cleansed of self-
indulgence by both artists, such is their style and refinement. Elizabeth Farnum is a richly versatile singer who offers heartfelt thanks to all
who made this very demanding and elusive project possible. Both artists sing and play as one and they have been beautifully balanced and
recorded. ”
Gramophone
“ Elizabeth Farnum...handles the difficult "Vocalise" (1916) with impressive ease.”
“(Elizabeth Farnum)...is equal to the considerable challenge of these songs which demand and receive both delicacy and a tempestuous
fulminant...the singing has about it a dazzling confidence verging on hubris.”
www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2003/Apr03/sorabji_songs.htm
MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano) CD-1306 CD BIS

Passeggiata Veneziana Sweden, 2003
Symphonic Variations (Variation 56)
Quasi Habanera
Rapsodie Espagnole (Ravel) (transcription de concert)
Pasticcio Capriccioso
Chromatic Fantasia (J. S. Bach) (transcription with another Bach fugue)

Toccata No. 1 USA, 2003
“This 75-minute disc is devoted to a single work of Sorabji, and a very fine example indeed it is of the sort of thing he is, or was, principally
known for before recent performances of early rhapsodic quasi-expressionistic works, lighter pieces and extended langorous tropical-mood
works began to demonstrate that the expressive range of this extraordinary figure in 20th-century music was wider than even his long-time
admirers had realised. This is to say that the First Toccata, from a couple of years before Opus Clavicembalisticum, has a certain amount in
common with that watershed in Sorabji's output. The quicksilver cadenza will certainly call to mind the fantasia and cadenzas in OC, while
the fugues, culminating in the anticipated massive and apocalyptic coda-stretta, are also of the type familiar from other large-scale mature
works of the composer. It has to be said, though, that Sorabji never repeated himself, and the extent to which all his fugues – which typically
share unusually long-breathed subjects of similar construction, very comprehensively worked - have an unique character, is truly
remarkable. The first, and longest, section of the work is the chorale prelude and passacaglia - the latter putting the theme through every
possible pianistic device in a half-hour so concentrated it feels like five minutes. The chorale prelude is unlike anything else of Sorabji's that
has so far been recorded; slow-moving in even eighth-notes, spare of texture except for some gorgeous moments of harmonic resolution, it
harks back to severe pre-classical forms in its austerity. Altogether a fascinating work, providing yet another view of the development of this
unique figure in 20th-century music.”
Records International
MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano) BMS427-9 3-CD set BMS

(compilation of all above items recorded by MH)
UK, 2003
MURRAY MCLACHLAN (piano) CD DRD0219 CD Dunelm

Fantasiettina UK, 2004
(Recital of works by Bartók, Sorabji, Chisholm,
Stevenson and Busoni)
JONATHAN POWELL (piano) AIR-CD-9069(3) 3-CD set Altarus

Piano Sonata No. 4 USA, 2004
FREDRIK ULLÉN (piano) Raritäten der Klaviermusik DACOCD619 CD

Danacord
Transcendental Study No. 13 Schloß vor Husum, vol. 15 Denmark, 2004
(2003 Festival)
(Compilation recital, various composers/artists)

Fantasia Ispanica USA, 2005
19
Gulistān USA, 2005
Rosario d’Arabeschi
FREDRIK ULLÉN (piano) CD-1373 CD BIS

100 Transcendental Studies, Vol. I (1-25) Sweden, 2006

Concerto per Suonare da me Solo USA, 2006

Un Nido di Scatole USA, 2007
Djāmi
St. Bertrand de Comminges (He was Laughing in the Tower)
SOHEIL NASSERI (piano) CRC2894 CD Centaur

Piano Sonata No. “0” USA, 2007

100 Transcendental Studies, Vol. II (26-41) Sweden, 2009

100 Transcendental Studies, Vol. III (42-62) Sweden, 2010
DONNA AMATO (piano) AIR-CD-9064(2) 2-CD set Altarus

Piano Symphony No. 5, Symphonia Brevis USA, 2011
20
SORABJI
A Critical Celebration
Edited by PAUL RAPOPORT
Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892-1988) was an unusual legend

in his own lifetime: a Parsi composer and critic living in
England whose compositions are of such length and difficulty
that he felt compelled to ban public performances of them. This
book, the first devoted to Sorabji, explores his life and
character, his music, his articles and letters. It both presents the
legend accurately and dispels its exaggerated aspects. The
portrait which emerges is not of a crank or eccentric but of a
highly original and accomplished musical thinker whom recent
performances and recordings confirm as unique and important.
Most of the contributors knew Sorabji personally. They have all

written about or performed his music, gaining international
recognition for their work. Generous quotation of Sorabji’s
published and unpublished music and prose assists in bringing
him and his work strikingly to life. The book also contains the
most complete and accurate register of his work ever published.
Dr. Paul Rapoport is Associated Professor of Music at

McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Scolar
Press
21
Contents
List of Illustrations; Acknowledgements; Part One, Discovery; Why Sorabji? - Paul Rapoport; Kaikhosru Shapurji
Sorabji: An Introduction - Alistair Hinton; Sorabji: A Continuation - Paul Rapoport; A Few Recollections and
Ruminations - Frank Holliday; “Could you just send me a list of his works?” Paul Rapoport; Part Two, The Prose;
Sorabji’s Letters to Heseltine - Kenneth Derus; Sorabji’s Music Criticism - Nazlin Bhimani; Sorabji’s Other Writings
- Paul Rapoport; Part Three, The Music; Sorabji’s Piano Music - Michael Habermann; Performing Opus Clavi-
cembalisticum - Geoffrey Douglas Madge with Paul Rapoport; Splendour upon Splendour; On Hearing Sorabji Play -
Frank Holliday; Un tessuto d’esecuzioni: A Register of Performances of Sorabji’s Works - Marc-André Roberge;
Perigraph - To Remember Sorabji’s Music: A Short Conclusion - Kenneth Derus; Appendix 1 - The Texts of
Sorabji’s Vocal Music - Paul Rapoport; Appendix 2 - The Recordings of Sorabji’s Music - Paul Rapoport; Appendix
3 - The Sorabji Music Archive - Alistair Hinton; Bibliography; Index of Sorabji’s Compositions; General Index.
November 1992 528 pages Hardback

0 85967 923 3
Price £75.00 + carriage (to UK: £7.00 - overseas: quoted on request)
Scolar Press is now Ashgate Publishing
22
NOTABLE EVENTS AND APPRECIATIONS
??.11.1919 Busoni invites Sorabji to play his Piano Sonata No. 1 to him and gives him a letter of
introduction to encourage its publication which appears in London the following year
22.04.1930 Sorabji gives his only BBC broadcast, playing his Le Jardin Parfumé; Delius writes to
Sorabji “I listened to your Jardin Parfumé...last night...it interested me very much. There is
real sensuous beauty in it...”
01.12.1930 Following much advance publicity, Sorabji premières his Opus Clavicembalisticum in
Glasgow
“...a big conception of a big and very individual mentality...of its sincerity and power there is no doubt...the creation...compels
wonder and admiration...its performance ...an equally great accomplishment”
Musical Opinion
“...Sorabji’s much-heralded visit...amazed by the composer’s technique as a pianist”
Musical Times
“Sorabji’s style...very much influenced by his quite exceptional facility on the keyboard...astonishing... delivered with amazing
power”
Glasgow Herald
“Sorabji is one of the most original of contemporary composers. His music reveals a consummate craftsmanship and a
significance which combines intellect and imagination”
Musical Opinion
16.12.1936 In his final public appearance as pianist, Sorabji premières his Toccata Seconda and at about
this time resolves to withdraw both himself and his music from the concert platform
1962-68 Sorabji makes private recordings of some of his works
13.12.1970 A three-hour-long radio broadcast on Sorabji, including some of his own recordings, is
given on WNCN (New York); many who heard it write in with tremendous enthusiasm and
the programme is rebroadcast in subsequent years on other USA stations.
07.12.1976 Yonty Solomon presents Sorabji’s music to a London audience for the first time in 40 years
“Solomon performed prodigies of transcendental pianism”
Tempo
“One of the most important recitals in London of the past few years...Yonty Solomon was given a great ovation - well
deserved”
Argus, Cape Town
“...an exhilarating musical exhumation...this strangely ornate music”
Sunday Times
“...such long vistas...packed with incident...a marvellously tensile performance”
Daily Telegraph
11.06.1977 London Weekend Television broadcast the first ever television programme on Sorabji,
with appearances by Yonty Solomon, Sir Sacheverell Sitwell, Felix Aprahamian - and
even the reclusive Sorabji himself.
“Solomon played...exquisitely; rich but delicate traceries of sound...were (Sorabji) to venture up to London to hear his works
performed - and...note the intelligence and genuineness of the applause - he might indeed get a pleasant surprise”
The Times
“Russell Harty as narrator and interviewer...did well in penetrating Sorabji’s Dorset home and drawing the composer into some
enjoyably unguarded remarks. Yonty Solomon proved a persuasive advocate for the immensely difficult piano music...”
Daily Telegraph
Five days later, Yonty Solomon premières Sorabji’s Piano Sonata No. 3 to great critical
acclaim
11.06.1982 Geoffrey Douglas Madge gives the first of his five complete performance to date of Opus
Clavicembalisticum, a work not heard in public since the composer’s 1930 première;
Netherlands Radio broadcasts the entire concert from Utrecht live and a 4-LP recording was
made at the time
1985-86 John Ogdon records Opus Clavicembalisticum in London
23
25.07.1987 Kevin Bowyer and Thomas Trotter jointly give the world première of Sorabji’s Organ
Symphony No. 1 in London under the auspices of the International Congress of Organists
1988 Kevin Bowyer makes the world première recording of Organ Symphony No. 1 in Bristol
and performs and broadcasts the entire work in Denmark; the first Sorabji recording to be
issued in England, it is released as a 2-CD set in November a few days after the composer’s
death
14.07.1988 In a blaze of publicity, John Ogdon gives the London première of Opus
Clavicembalisticum at Queen Elizabeth Hall, attracting more media attention before and
after than any other musical event that year; Ogdon was greeted with a standing ovation
whose length and enthusiasm had probably not been witnessed at the première of a large-
scale musical work since Schönberg’s Gurrelieder stunned a Viennese audience 75 years
earlier
01.05.1989 John Ogdon’s Opus Clavicembalisticum recording is finally released by Altarus Records
as a 4-CD set in a special presentation box with a 64-page book in place of the customary
few pages of liner notes; a veritable flood of reviews, some of considerable dimensions,
follows over no less than two years in UK, Germany, USA, Austria, Canada and elsewhere,
seemingly competing with one another in the use of superlatives: “Recording of the Year”
status is awarded to this most lavish presentation by The Gramophone in 1989 and The
Sunday Times in 1991
1990- Encouraged by international response to their first venture into the CD field, Altarus
Records continues to make many more CD recordings of Sorabji’s music
With the assistance of The Sorabji Archive, distinguished musicians and scholars of
international repute begin to make authentic new editions of Sorabji’s works from copies of
the manuscript scores issued by the Archive
01.12.1992 To mark his centenary, Scolar Press publish the first substantial volume on the composer,
Sorabji: A Critical Celebration, edited by Prof. Paul Rapoport; it is reprinted 18 months
later
02.07.1996 Donna Amato, with numerous performances and three CDs including Sorabji’s music
already to her credit, gives the world première of Part I of Sorabji’s Piano Symphony No. 5,
Symphonia Brevis, in London; this is the first time a substantial work from the composer’s
final years is heard in public and she proposes to première and record the entire symphony –
almost two and a half hours in duration – in the 2004/05 season
06.12.1998 Christopher Berg organises and participates (as pianist) in an all-Sorabji concert in New
York including the world première of his Piano Quintet No. 1
10.2.2000 Jonathan Powell begins an ongoing series of concerts in which he presents the piano music
of Sorabji; this soon leads to the launch of a series of recordings on the Altarus label and to
his recognition as the performer who has brought the most Sorabji works to public attention
1.5.2002 Alexander Abercrombie begins a large-scale project to prepare typeset editions of Sorabji’s
piano works
14.11.2002 Elizabeth Farnum and Margaret Kampmeier perform all but one of Sorabji’s songs for
soprano and piano in a New York recital to launch their new CD première recording of them
16.03.2003 Rondom Kaikhosru Sorabji, a festival in Utrecht (Netherlands) featuring Sorabji’s works,
concludes with two concerts presenting world premières of Piano Concerto No. 5 played by
Donna Amato with Netherlands Radio Orchestra cond. Ed Spanjaard and Piano
24
Symphony No. 4 played by Reinier van Houdt; these were the first performances anywhere
of a major orchestral work and a complete piano symphony by Sorabji
17/20.06.2004 Donna Amato gives the complete world première of Piano Symphony No. 5, Symphonia
Brevis and Jonathan Powell plays Opus Clavicembalisticum in New York’s Merkin Hall
00.00.2006 Vol. I of Fredrik Ullén’s ongoing recording of 100 Transcendental Studies is issued by BIS
(Sweden); later volumes are released in 2009 and 2010
01.05.2008 The Sorabji Organ Project is launched at Glasgow University with a view to the editing
and performance of all three of Sorabji’s organ symphonies
6.6.2010 Kevin Bowyer gives the complete world première of Organ Symphony No. 2 in Glasgow
University Memorial Chapel
18.6.2010 Jonathan Powell gives the complete world première of Sequentia Cyclica in Glasgow
University Concert Hall
14.08.2010 Marc-André Roberge launches his Sorabji Resource Site
25
COMMENTS FROM OUR ENQUIRERS
The Sorabji Archive was founded and continues to exist for the express purpose of broadening
international knowledge and appreciation of the life and artistic legacy of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. This
being the case, we take a pride in maintaining the highest possible operating standards commensurate with
the importance of the vast corpus of material we are privileged to have in our charge. We endeavour at all
times to
 despatch all scores, literature, recordings and other material promptly on receipt of confirmed orders
 provide information efficiently, helpfully and in as much detail as possible
 ensure the best quality presentation of all music and literature we supply
The following is a selection of comments from Sorabji Archive correspondents:
“Many thanks for your help and trouble...very pleased with the material I came away with...there is much I can use and I shall make a point of
“reading up” Sorabji in the future”
Kevin Allen (England)
“...copies...reproduced with remarkable clarity”

David Rayvern Allen (England)
“Many thanks for your lightening reply...grateful for your helpful comments”
Dr. Ronald Alpiar (England)
“Thank you for the excellent copy”

Kristian Attila (Finland)
“Thank you very much for your very quick answer to my inquiry...”
Société Alkan (France)
“...hard for me to thank you sufficiently...for your efforts...in preserving and making available Sorabji’s work”
Reid von Borstel (USA)
“...pleasure in writing to...express how much I admire your work for the composer SORABJI”
Keith Barnard (England)
“...very prompt efficient dispatch...I am totally amazed at all you have managed to do...amazed to find how much Sorabji was so readily available...it
is wonderful to know of your archive...”
Derek Bell (Ireland)
“I sincerely thank you for your prompt shipment...for the efficient service and especially for the service you are doing Sorabji and music herself!”
Gregory Bennett (USA)
“...very kind of you to consider us...the music will be processed and catalogued very soon and we are hoping to announce its presence in the Library
in our Newsletter”
Royal Academy of Music (England)
“Thank you very much for sending so quickly the copy of Opus Clavicembalisticum...unfortunately not all publishers are as efficient!”
Blackwell’s Music Library Services (England)
“Thank you very much for your help in providing photographs and information for the exhibition”
Essex County Council Archivist (England)
“It is truly delightful to have such a source of Sorabjian gold in The Sorabji Archive...I want to thank you for the excellent presentation...the hard
covers are convincingly long-lasting and the ring-binding excellent...so you can appreciate my gratitude at what I presume to be a self-supporting
archive such as the Sorabji can produce in terms of value for money!”
Dr. Jerold James Gordon (Germany)
“J’ai consulté avec grand intérêt la riche documentation que vous avez eu la gentillesse de m’envoyer concernant “The Sorabji Archive”...je vous
exprime ma profonde gratitude d’accepter de me procurer ces documents car sans cela je ne sais où les trouver...”
André Guex-Joris (Switzerland)
“Many thanks indeed for the photocopy of the complete text of the early Sorabji piano sonata, beautifully produced and splendidly bound”
Anthony F. Leighton Thomas (Wales)
“...overwhelmed by the wealth of information you have given me...and now to discover that it is also possible to obtain reproductions of manuscripts
of works which one had hitherto only heard or read about - it is almost too much”
Luc Léonard (Canada)
“I would like to thank you for all the help that you gave...in preparing the programme and the invaluable material you lent to us...everyone here was
delighted”
26
London Weekend Television (England)
“...my thanks for your participation with the visit to U.K. by...our Albanian (Music Librarian) colleagues...(who) reviewed their visit with enthusiasm
and appreciation... including the warmth of their welcome by each and every host”
International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (England)
“Thank you for returning the completed abstracts of your articles in the volume Sorabji: A Critical Celebration...they are not only satisfactory but, as
these things go, downright exemplary...we appreciate your support for RILM and salute your efforts to promote Sorabji’s musical and intellectual
legacy”
Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale (USA)
“Many thanks for all the material...hugely useful!”

Park Lane Group (England)
“...(The Sorabji Archive’s) profound persistence and polyphonic perspicacity in all matters relating to KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI”
Prof. Paul Rapoport (Canada)
“...such an august research institution as The Sorabji...Archive...”

Prof. Marc-André Roberge (Canada)
“...thanks for sending (the scores) so promptly...I will do my best to be an asset in your furthering the work of the Archive...I wish to support and
encourage your enthusiasm and energies...”
George Alexander Ross (USA)
“...enormously informative...much appreciated...thank you very much for the scores and for the very detailed answers...I very much appreciate the
time you took to provide me with this information...I admire greatly the work you have done and the commitment you have made”
GR (Canada)
“...thank you so much for a wonderful and exciting day at the archive...I learnt a great deal as well as being occasionally awestruck”
Julian Saphir (England)
“Thanks a lot once more for your very kind and helpful assistance concerning the research on Sorabji’s 1st symphony...”
Jürgen Schaarwächter (Germany)
“...how excited I am to have found your web page...thanks for your kind mail, quick help and excellent service”
Mark Taylor (USA)
“I was very much impressed both with the quality of the photocopies...and the sturdiness of the bindings...I thank you for sending out my order so
quickly”
Bill Tripoli (USA)
“...reproduction of the original (scores) is really impeccable...I’d like to pay tribute to your devotion and active participation to a better knowledge of
Sorabji’s work...I’m not aware of such a dedication for any other contemporary...composer anywhere in the world”
Jean-François Vidal (France)
27

The Sorabji Archive: Alistair Hinton, Curator/Director

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The Sorabji Archive: Alistair Hinton, Curator/Director

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WARLOW FARM HOUSE

the sorabji archive

Alistair Hinton, Curator/Director

KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI

This brochure includes the following:

The Sorabji Archive wishes to offer especial thanks to:

All items unless otherwise indicated are available from:-

the sorabji archive

Supply format and item description

PIANO AND ORCHESTRA

VOICE(S) AND ORCHESTRA

VOICE AND ORGAN

VOICE AND PIANO

Chrysilla (de Régnier) 20 1915 3’ A4P 2 Critical Ed. (Roberge) £12 £5

Toccatinetta 11 1929 8’ A3L 49 Ed.m(Jarvis) £12 £5

144 A3L Ms. £35 £10

OTHER WRITINGS (see note below)

1 In the hand of a copyist, annotated by the composer

4 (sic) - Medtner was born in 1880, according to our calendar

MUSICAL WORKS BY KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI

Date No. Edition Price

PIANO AND ORCHESTRA

Piano Concerto No. 5 (published as No. 2) 1920 27 Full Score £225

Symphony No. 1 1923-24 39 £200

VOICE AND PIANO

Trois Poèmes 1918-19 21 £125

Trois Fêtes Galantes (Verlaine) 1924 37 £125

Piano Quintet No. 1 1920 26 score only £175

Two Pieces £125

Fantaisie Espagnole 1919 19 £125

Sonata No. 1 1919 20 £150

Prelude Interlude and Fugue 1920 25 £125

Sonata No. 2 1920 28 £175

Sonata No. 3 1922 29 £200

Le Jardin Parfumé 1923 35 £125

Valse-Fantaisie (Hommage à Johann Strauss) 1925 40 £125

Opus Clavicembalisticum 1929-30 50 £300

LITERARY WORKS BY KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI

Around Music (London, Unicorn Press) 1932 £175

The Greatness of Medtner London, Dennis Dobson 2

1 (sic) - Medtner was actually born in 1880 according to our calendar

MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano) “Piano Music by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji”

MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano) “Le Jardin Parfumé”

GEOFFREY DOUGLAS MADGE (piano) RCS4-800 4-LP set Keytone

MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano)

KEVIN BOWYER (organ) CCD1001/2 2-CD set Continuum

MICHAEL HABERMANN (piano) “The Perfumed Garden” CD AMM159 CD ASV UK

JOHN OGDON (piano) AIR-CD-9075(4) 4-CD set Altarus

MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN (piano) AIR-CD-9050 CD single Altarus

RONALD STEVENSON (piano) “Cathedrals in Sound” AIR-CD-9043 CD Altarus

YONTY SOLOMON (piano) AIR-CD-9037 CD single Altarus

DONNA AMATO (piano) AIR-CD-9022 CD single Altarus

DONNA AMATO (piano)

CARLO GRANTE (piano) “Operatic Fantasias”

DONNA AMATO (piano) AIR-CD-9025 CD Altarus

CHARLES HOPKINS (piano) AIR-CD-9036 CD single Altarus

MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN (piano) “The Composer-Pianists” CDA-67050 CD Hyperion

TELLEF JOHNSON (piano) AIR-CD-9049 CD Altarus

GEOFFREY DOUGLAS MADGE (piano) CD-1062/1064 5-CD set BIS