On Wenlock Edge / Various - On Wenlock Edge [CD]

On Wenlock Edge combines the best interpreter of English song with some of the most important pieces from the 20th century repertory. Upon release the album stayed in the UK classical charts for six weeks in a row and was a Finalist at the 2008 Gramophone Awards. Vaughan Williams, a tour de force of English song, set A.E. Housman's On Wenlock Edge following a visit with Ravel in Paris. The French influence can be clearly heard in the distinctive piano quintet accompaniment- an innovation in English song. This is the premiere recording of Gurney's masterpiece Ludlow & Teme using the composer's revised and corrected version which, after studying with Vaughan Williams, he declared to be his favorite: "the alterations are simple (and striking)." Peter Warlock's The Curlew and Arthur Bliss's Elegiac Sonnet, completes this beautiful collection. The Fitzwilliam String Quartet and pianist Ann Tilbrook display their substantial talents as accompanists providing flawless support and enhancing Gilchrist's interpretation.