Susie Allan, the pianist, has collaborated with Roderick Williams for over 20 years, and this is her fourth disc with him.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album's curator, Roderick Williams, initially realized he had not included any female composers and felt Ralph Vaughan Williams would have found a party without them 'very tiresome indeed'.
Composer Biography
Ralph Vaughan Williams, a prominent composer, was the son of a clergyman and had both Darwin and Wedgwood blood in his lineage.
Performer Biography
Roderick Williams, the baritone on this recording, is also a composer and won the prize for best choral composition at the British Composer Awards in December 2016.
Album & Artwork
The album concept, 'A Birthday Garland', was inspired by Gerald Finzi's work of the same name, which was dedicated to Ralph Vaughan Williams on his 70th birthday.
Composition History
Sarah Cattley's song cycle, 'A Square and Candle-lighted Boat', was commissioned with support from the Vaughan Williams Foundation to reflect and contrast with Ralph Vaughan Williams's 'Songs of Travel'.
Recording & Production
This recording includes several 'first recordings' of pieces, indicated by an asterisk, such as Herbert Howells's 'The Sorrow of Love' and Sarah Cattley's 'A Square and Candle-lighted Boat'.
You might also enjoy...
One Hundred Years of British Song, Vol. 3
Elgar & Delius: Songs
Dreams Melting
A Century of English Song, Vol. 3
Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel; The House of Life
