Celebrating the Legacy of Andrew Downes: Prima Facie Sonatas II A major new sequel recording, Prima Facie's Sonatas by Andrew Downes: Volume II, continues the compelling and deeply personal survey of the chamber works of British composer Andrew Downes (1950–2023), bringing together a distinguished roster of performers to honour one of the UK’s most distinctive musical voices. Spanning more than three decades of composition—from Meditations for Solo Trumpet (1986) to the Bassoon Sonata (2022), Downes’s final work—the album captures the breadth, imagination, and emotional depth that define his output. Through a sequence of sonatas and solo works, the recording traces the composer’s evolving style, blending lyrical Romanticism with influences drawn from Tudor music, jazz, and global traditions. At the heart of the release is a series of vividly characterised sonatas for a wide range of instruments, including flute, piccolo, clarinet, violin, trumpet, and bassoon, each performed by leading artists in their field. Highlights include the Sonata for Flute and Piano (1998), a work that juxtaposes folk-inspired lyricism with rhythmic vitality, and the Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (2009), dedicated to its performers and praised for its expressive dialogue between instruments. The album also features the Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano (2021), a deeply personal composition dedicated to Downes’s daughter, Anna. This work demonstrates the composer’s gift for melodic invention and rhythmic energy, blending influences as diverse as jazz and Indian raga into a compelling musical narrative. A particularly poignant centrepiece is the Sonata for Bassoon and Piano (2022), left unfinished at the composer’s death and completed by his daughter, Paula. The work stands as both a farewell and a tribute, weaving together themes from across his career into a reflective and moving conclusion. Across the recording, the trumpet plays a prominent role, with Sasha Canter—BBC Young Musician finalist and one of the UK’s most exciting emerging talents—performing both solo and chamber works, including the expressive Meditations and the dynamic Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (2022). Recorded in leading UK venues including the University of Cambridge’s West Road Concert Hall and Bath Spa University’s Michael Tippett Centre, Prima Facie Sonatas II showcases performances of exceptional clarity and commitment. The distinguished ensemble of musicians includes Emily Andrews (flute), Lindsey Ellis (piccolo), Angus Meryon (clarinet), Alison Brierley (bassoon), Paul Galluzzo (violin), and pianists Duncan Honeybourne, Helen Reid, Catherine Milledge, Rustam Khanmurzin, and David Trippett. Andrew Downes’s career combined international recognition as a composer with a profound influence as an educator and musical thinker. His works have been performed and broadcast worldwide, and his distinctive voice—rooted in lyricism yet enriched by diverse influences—continues to resonate with audiences. Prima Facie Sonatas II stands as a fitting tribute to this legacy: a recording that celebrates creativity, collaboration, and the enduring power of chamber music to express the human experience.