Pianist Mark Bebbington is to record a series of French music for the Resonus Classics, his first recordings for the label. The first release – due on February 28 – will be Poulenc’s Concert Champêtre, originally written for harpsichord or piano, together with the composer’s later solo Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, plus his Sonata for Oboe and Piano and Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano (for which he is joined by John Roberts and Jonathan Davies, principal oboist and bassoonist of the Royal Philharmonic and London Philharmonic Orchestras, respectively).

‘French music has always been close to me since studying so much of it with Aldo Ciccolini in Paris,' said Bebbington. 'I much look forward to continued work with [Managing Director] Adam Binks at Resonus as we explore the familiar, but especially the less familiar riches of the glorious French Piano repertoire.’

A noted specialist in British music, in recent years Bebbington has been building a well-received catalogue on the Somm label – for which he will continue to record - most recently a disc of music by Arnold Bax and Harriet Cohen. Named an Editor's Choice in April 2019, reviewer Andrew Achenbach wrote of it: ‘With his rock-solid technical armoury and supreme composure, Bebbington brings thrilling power and intoxicating poetry to Bax's turbulent, ruggedly beautiful inspiration’.