Proud Songsters: English Solo Song

Editors’ Notes This recital of English song features nine of the finest vocal talents—from countertenors to tenors and baritones—to have emerged over the years from The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. (Pianist Simon Lepper is also a King’s graduate.) There’s huge variety on display here, and each song is matched to its ideal singer. In the refined tenor voice of Londoner Ruairi Bowen, Eric Thiman’s lesser-known “I wandered lonely as a cloud” emerges as a true gem, as does Rebecca Clarke’s ghostly setting of John Masefield’s “The Seal Man,” which is sung with unrestrained passion by tenor James Gilchrist. English composer Jonathan Dove’s dazzling talent for melody and drama is brilliantly showcased by the superb countertenor Lawrence Zazzo. Haunting music by Britten, Vaughan Williams, Howells, Gurney, and more add to this rich collection.