CD of Ronan Apcar Plays Dulcie Holland with liner notes and program notes

Acclaimed pianist Ronan Apcar presents a landmark new album featuring the world premiere recording of legendary Australian composer Dulcie Holland’s Concertino for Piano and Strings. Recorded with Ensemble Apex under the direction of Sam Weller, the album shines a spotlight on one of Australia’s most important yet under-recognised musical voices, bringing to audiences a major work that remained unpublished and virtually unknown for more than four decades – the only concerto work that Holland ever wrote.

The work had largely disappeared from the musical record, with evidence of only a single previous performance in the US. In 2020, Apcar came across the manuscript in the archives of the National Library of Australia; following painstaking transcription, typesetting and editing, the Concertino was finally revived in concert in 2022. Hailed by critics as a "masterpiece" and praised as "fresh, alive with a distinctly personal language", the work now receives its first studio recording. ‘Holland’s Concertino is one of the most exciting works I’ve encountered,’ says Apcar. ‘It’s an extraordinary piece, elegant yet playful, technically assured yet deeply expressive. I’m thrilled to finally bring it to a wider audience.’

The album also features the world premiere recording of Daniel Rojas’s La Gran Salsa, recorded here for the first time following revisions made especially for this project. Inspired by Latin American dance traditions and dedicated to the rhythmic drive of salsa music, the single-movement concertino blends infectious energy, tango-inflected colour and virtuosic piano writing.

Completing the recording is Serious Procession, a concise but compelling work from Holland’s early-to-middle period. Also unpublished until now, the piece reveals the composer’s flair for transforming simple musical ideas into dramatic and emotionally resonant statements.

Released on October 23rd, 2026