THE BACKGROUND

The selection of folksongs featured on the SOMM release Folk Songs of the British Isles has been conceived as a tour of Ireland, Scotland, North Umbria, East Anglia, and Wales. Royalties will be donated to the Gwyn Williams Bursary Fund which supports young violists at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and endows three viola chairs in the CBSO Youth Orchestra.

THE PARTICIPANTS

Janis Kelly, soprano; Yvonne Howard, mezzo-soprano; Maria Jagusz, mezzo-soprano; Elaine Delmar, vocalist; Wynne Evans, tenor; Nicky Spence, tenor; Mark Llewelyn Evans, baritone; Kevin Whately, baritone; Fiona Kelly, flute; Jean Kelly, harp; Caroline McCausland, voice, and guitar; Michael Pollock, piano; John Wilson, piano.

Executive Producers: Christopher Morley and Stephannie Williams; Recording Producer: Siva Oke Recording Engineers: Ben Connellan and Hywel Wigley.

THE SONGS

She Moved Through the Fair; The Lark in the Clear Air; By the Short Cut to the Rosses; Sí Bheag Sí Mor;  Give Me Your Hand; The Last Rose of Summer; Down by the Salley Gardens; Can Ye Sew Cushions; My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose; Skye Boat Song; Ye Banks and Braes; The Rowan Tree; Dance te Thi Daddy; Blaydon Races; Blow the Wind Southerly; Sweet Polly Oliver; Oliver Cromwell; English Folk Song; Can yr Arad Goch; Myfanwy; The Foggy, Foggy Dew; Bugail Aberdyfi; My Little Welsh Home; Sospan Fach egm Drink to Me Only; The Oak and the Ash; Song for Gwyn.

THE RECORDING

The sound quality is excellent, the liner notes (with accompanying texts) exhaustively researched. The performances are uniformly fine. The singing and playing are lovely, unpretentious, and honest, with tenor Nicky Spence and mezzo-soprano Yvonne Howard as standouts.

Rafael de Acha © 2023